“I don’t care about that,” I choke out. My arms pebble with goosebumps as the anger finally burns out and is replaced with an overwhelming grief that is crippling. I rub my hands along my arms in an attempt to keep the numbness at bay.
“I’m a piece of shit kid, Say. Do you know how guilty I feel? How selfish? You’re in love with a selfish bastard. You’re too good for me. You’ve always been too good for me. You deserve much more than the life you’d live if you waited for me. I can’t ask you to wait. It’s not fair to you.”
“That’s not true,” I argue. “And it’s not your choice to make. It’s mine.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” he corrects me, though I can see how much it pains him. I look up to see a different boy in front of me, than the one I fell in love with.
“Don’t,” I plead. “Don’t break my heart, Owen. Please. I’m begging you.” Raising my hand to my mouth, I chew on the pad of my thumb as I watch the future I’d dreamed of slip through my fingers.
“I love the shit out of you, Say. But I promise that one day, you’ll find someone else who will be able to give you the life you deserve, not the shitty one you’d be destined to have if you were stuck with my sorry ass.”
I turn to stone as he presses his lips against my forehead for the last time. The heat from his mouth brings an onslaught of memories to the surface, hitting harder than a sledgehammer. Our first date. Our first kiss. The night I gave him everything. The night he promised we’d make it through anything. The night he got the call that he’d received a full-ride scholarship across the country, along with a position on the football team that promised he’d be the star. I remember everything. And I feel it all, too. Until the pressure of his lips disappear.
The numbness I’d been keeping at bay finally overwhelms me and I welcome it with open arms.
“I love you, Say,” he repeats on a breath. “I’m so sorry.”
“If you were sorry, you wouldn’t let me go,” I whisper.
“Say––”
“Goodbye, Owen. I really hope that when you look back at this moment, you’ll realize how badly you screwed up and that it’s the biggest mistake you’ll ever make.”
I walk toward my front door and slam it behind me, closing the door on the love of my life and the future I’d thought we’d build together.
Because it’s obvious I was the only one who was willing to fight for it.
Preorder Saylor Here
Also by Kelsie Rae
Signature Sweethearts Series
(Contemporary Romance Standalones)
Liv
Luke
Breezy
Jude
Rhett
Sophie
Marcus
Anthony
Skye
Saylor
Advantage Play Series
(Romantic Suspense/Mafia Series)
Wild Card
Dark King
Little Bird
Bitter Queen
Stand Alones
Fifty-Fifty
Hired Hottie- Cocky Hero World
Crush-KB Hero World
Drowning in Love
Bartered Souls Duet (Urban Fantasy Series)
Gambled Soul
Wager Won
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About the Author
Kelsie is a sucker for a love story with all the feels. When she's not chasing words for her next book, you will probably find her reading or, more likely, hanging out with her husband and playing with her three kiddos who love to drive her crazy.
She adores photography, baking, her yorkie, her boxer, and her devon rex. Now that she's actively pursuing her writing dreams, she's set her sights on someday finding the self-discipline to not binge-watch an entire series on Netflix in one sitting.
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