Butcher

Chapter 30

30

Kaylee

It didn’t take long to sublet my apartment, so I spent the next two weeks hiding out in my sister’s guest room where I spent most of my time crying over the end of my relationship with the two men I loved. Thankfully, Mr. Boyd agreed to let me work from home so when I wasn’t sitting around feeling sorry for myself, I was able to get my stuff in order before I had to leave. Maggie agreed to keep Toby until I got settled and would be able to fly him to Paris, which was a weight off my shoulders, though I was going to miss my cuddle buddy.

Leaving Austin and Levi had been the hardest thing I’d ever done, and it took everything in my power to ignore their constant texts and phone calls asking me to come over so we could talk. I knew if I saw them again before I left, it would be nearly impossible to get on the plane.

“You’ve got everything you need?” Maggie asked as I looked around the spare bedroom one last time.

“I think so.” The apartment I was renting was completely furnished, so I didn’t need to take much other than the clothes I wanted. “Thank you for letting me stay here, and for keeping Toby temporarily.”

“Emmy has already promised to feed him every day.” She rolled her eyes playfully, likely knowing she’d be the one keeping Toby alive. “She thinks if she shows us she can take care of him, we will let her get her own cat.”

“Sounds reasonable to me.” I gave her a small smile.

“I can’t believe you’re moving away again. I’m going to miss you.”

I wrapped my arms around my sister, trying to keep my emotions in check, but I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. “I’m going to miss you too. You better come visit me.”

She chuckled around her own tears. “I told Jay he’s taking me there for our anniversary.”

“That’s perfect,” I replied, wiping away my tears.

My phone vibrated with an incoming message:

Ford: Pulling up now

Maggie had offered to drive me to the airport, but her husband worked late, and it would have been inconvenient to drag her three kids out at dinnertime, so I’d asked Ford if he could take me instead. “Looks like it’s time for me to go.”

She gave me another hug and walked me to the door. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” I replied and then wheeled my two suitcases and carry-on outside.

I was surprised to see Coop getting out of the driver’s seat of his Ford F-150 as I stepped onto the porch.

“Oh, hey,” I said, forcing out a tiny smile.

“Let me get your bags for you.” He reached for the handles of my two suitcases and made his way to the back of the truck.

While his husband was busy, Ford came over and wrapped his arm around me. “We’re going out to dinner after we drop you off, so it was easier for Coop to come with us.”

“No worries.”

“Is this everything?” Coop asked.

“Yep,” I replied.

During the drive, Ford and Coop kept the conversation to my job and what I was going to do when I first got to Paris. The night I’d left the guys, I’d called Ford and told him everything. While he had been excited for my new job opportunity, it had been obvious that he didn’t agree with my decision to break-up with Austin and Levi, but over the last two weeks, I think he realized I wasn’t going to change my mind. So, now we avoided talking about them at all.

When we arrived at the passenger drop-off, Coop once again took care of my luggage while Ford climbed out of the truck to say goodbye.

“Are you sure you really want to go?” He pulled me in for a hug.

I wrapped my arms around his waist. “You know I can’t turn down this opportunity.”

“I know,” he sighed. “It’s just not going to be the same without you around.”

“Yeah.” I pulled back a little and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m going to miss you so much.” It took all my strength to keep the tears stinging my eyes from falling.

Coop stepped up and gave me a side hug. “We’ll miss you too, Kay.”

I grabbed my suitcases and looked at Ford one more time. “I’ll text you when I get there.”

“You better.” He smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” I replied, and then headed inside the terminal.

As I made my way through the airport, I couldn’t stop the nagging feeling deep in the pit of my stomach that was telling me I shouldn’t be leaving. But what choice did I have? I needed my job, and it wasn’t as though the transfer was voluntary.

Still, it felt as though my already broken heart was shattering into a million pieces as I got closer to my gate. I was the one to break up with Austin and Levi, but despite it being my choice, I wasn’t okay with losing them.

Deciding a drink was necessary, I headed to the bar and ordered a Sam Adams. As I sipped my beer, I noticed an older guy sitting a few spots down from me, reading the sports section of The Hub . On the front page of the local paper, there was a huge photo of Austin and Levi hugging after their win the night before.

Seeing the two of them so happy had my heart breaking even more.