27. Jake
27
JAKE
Leaving this town, leaving Sam, leaving Ellie, it all feels wrong. But I don’t know how to make it right.
At the airport, and I’m standing in the line to be screened. I have my phone in my hand, hoping that it rings. I wish Sam would call me and say she changed her mind, but I know that with each passing minute, the possibility of that happening is next to none.
But I still stare at my phone like an idiot, willing it to ring.
I look at the board with departures and my flight will be leaving in an hour. I run a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply. I wanted her to tell me she loved me and we could work this out but that didn’t happen. It’s been a day of disappointment.
I finally have my answer. And it’s the one I’ve been dreading. I’ve been hanging on to the fantasy of us as a family. And no matter what she might feel for me, she’s too afraid to change. Is it fear that holds her back or is she incapable of changing?
I suppose it doesn’t matter now because we’re over. Finished .
After two hours, I’m back in the city. I drive my sports car and I smile when I think of how much Ellie would love this car. I’m used to her being a chatterbox next to me when I drove her to camp and the memory of that makes my eyes mist. She’s a real sweetheart and I’m going to miss her.
I’ll stay in touch but I know that over time, we’ll drift apart. That’s just reality.
Maine greets me with a bitter wind, the kind that bites straight through my jacket and settles into my bones. It’s colder than I remember, or maybe it just feels that way after spending the past two weeks somewhere warmer—somewhere with sunshine, laughter, and two people who made me feel like I belonged.
I drop my bag by the door, rolling my shoulders as I take in the familiar space. Everything’s exactly as I left it—neat, orderly, impersonal. The leather couch sits perfectly centered in front of the fireplace, my sleek kitchen untouched except for the mail stacked neatly on the counter. No stray sneakers kicked off in the hallway. No half-finished art projects cluttering the dining table. No scent of coffee brewing and bacon sizzling while someone hums a song off-key.
Just silence.
I inhale sharply, shaking off the weight settling in my chest, and head into the kitchen. Routine. That’s what I need. Something predictable, something to ground me. I pull out the protein powder, scoop it into the blender, and reach for the almond milk.
Then I stop.
My hand hovers over the fridge door, my grip tightening on the counter.
Back in Cherry Point, I wouldn’t have started the day with a protein shake. No, I would’ve been in the kitchen, flipping Birthday cake-flavored pancakes while Ellie bounced around, asking if she could add “just a few more” sprinkles to the batter. Sam would have been leaning against the counter, pretending to be unimpressed while sneaking bites of whatever I made. And the best part? The way her legs looked in those damn Daisy Dukes she always wore around the house—the soft sweep of her thighs, the curve of her ass that I tried not to stare at but always did anyway.
I exhale hard and push away from the counter, heading for the front door.
By the time I come back inside, a paper bag from the local diner sits on the counter, its scent filling the space with something sugary and familiar. Birthday cake pancakes.
I ordered them out of nostalgia, but now I realize it was a mistake
I grab the sprinkles I had stocked up in my pantry—Ellie’s favorite, the rainbow ones she always made me add to the batter. I shake a few over the top, but even as I take a bite, it tastes like crap and I know it’s missing something.
It’s missing Sam sneaking pieces off my plate when she thought I wasn’t looking.
It’s missing Ellie’s giggles as she licked the syrup off her fingers.
It’s missing the feeling that I’m exactly where I am meant to be .
And I’m where I am supposed to be but I wish I could be in two different places at the same time.
But for now, I’m home and I need to get back into my life. The one that doesn’t include Sam and Ellie. So, I’m meeting up with Travis at Duffy’s, the bar we always hit up after practice. He’s already got a beer in front of him when I slide into the booth across from him, shrugging off my jacket.
“Welcome back to civilization,” he says, smirking. “Or is it exile? Hard to tell from that face you’re making.”
I shake my head, signaling the waitress for a beer of my own. “It’s fine.”
Travis raises an eyebrow. “Fine? That’s all I get after two weeks off the grid?”
I exhale, rubbing a hand over my jaw. “It wasn’t off the grid.”
“Dude, you were in small-town South Carolina, cooking pancakes and playing house. That’s as off-the-grid as it gets.”
I huff a laugh despite myself, shaking my head. “Yeah, well… didn’t exactly go as planned.”
Travis leans forward, resting his forearms on the table. “Alright, spill. What happened?”
I glance out the window, watching a couple walk down the sidewalk, their hands clasped like they don’t have a care in the world. I let out a slow breath.
“I met someone.”
Travis doesn’t even try to look surprised. “Yeah, no shit. I figured as much when you didn’t answer my texts for a week.” He pauses, studying me. “So what went wrong?”
I roll the condensation on my beer bottle between my fingers. “She’s got a kid. A great one, actually. Ellie. Smart, funny, full of energy. I liked being around them—both of them.”
Travis lets out a low whistle. “That serious, huh?”
“Yeah,” I admit, my voice rougher than I expected. “But Sam… she’s got walls. Big ones. And she’s not wrong for having them. She’s been on her own for a long time. She’s protective of Ellie, and she doesn’t want to drag her into something that might not last.”
Travis nods slowly, taking a sip of his beer. “And you’re not sure if it’ll last?”
I shake my head. “No, I know what I want. I just don’t know if she believes it. ”
Silence stretches between us for a beat before Travis leans back in his seat, grinning. “Well, I gotta say, I didn’t expect you to come back from vacation with a full-fledged Hallmark movie in your rearview mirror, but here we are.”
I roll my eyes. “Not helping, Trav.”
He chuckles. “Alright, alright. So she’s hesitant. But you left on good terms, right?”
“Yeah.” The word feels heavy in my mouth. “No big blowout, no ugly goodbye. Just… a quiet understanding that she’s staying in Cherry Point, and I’m back here.”
Travis considers that for a moment. “Then it’s not over.”
I give him a look. “Feels like it is.”
He shakes his head. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are relationships.”
I let out a dry laugh. “That your attempt at wisdom?”
“Damn right it is,” he says, grinning. “Look, she didn’t slam the door in your face. You’re still in each other’s orbit. If she needs time, give her time. In the meantime, why don’t you invite them up for a pre-season game? Let Ellie see what you do, show Sam that you’re not just gonna disappear now that you’re back in your world.”
I hesitate, rolling the thought around in my head. “You really think she’d come?”
Travis shrugs. “You won’t know unless you ask.”
That night, I sit in front of my laptop, staring at a blank email draft for far longer than I should have, I tap my fingers against the keyboard, trying to figure out what the hell I even want to say.
Hey, Sam. Hope you and Ellie are doing well.
I was thinking… if you ever wanted to see what I do for a living, I could get you both tickets to a game. No pressure, just an invite. Let me know.
I stare at the words. Too casual? Too much? I consider deleting it altogether, but then I think of Ellie, her face lighting up when she talked about hockey, the way she’d ask me a hundred questions about the sport like she was filing away facts for later. I think of Sam, her wary smile, the way she’d let herself relax—just a little—when she thought I wasn’t paying attention.
I hit send before I can second-guess it.
Then, I lean back, letting out a breath.
Maybe nothing will come of it. Maybe Sam will politely decline, and that’ll be that.
Or maybe, just maybe, she’ll come around.
And if she does—if she gives me even the smallest chance—I’m not letting her slip away again.