Page 36 of Faking it with my Bad Boy Crush

“You people always make things so needlessly complicated. A ‘business arrangement’?”Tessa moved closer, her voice dropping. "Is that why you look at her like she hung the moon? Why you memorized her coffee order after one conversation? Why you just sacrificed your entire legal career to protect her bakery?"

"I did what was right—"

"You did what someone in love would do." Tessa's green eyes were sharp, assessing. "And before you deny it, let me save you the trouble. I've watched you two for the past week. I've seen how you show up at the bakery before dawn, how you defend her to anyone who questions her competence, how you touch her like she's precious. That's not fake, Ethan. That's not business. That's you falling in love with my best friend."

The words hit me like a punch to the chest. "I'm leaving in a few days. As soon as the legal issues are resolved—"

"Are you? Because it looks to me like you just burned every bridge back to Seattle. Your firm fired you, you're about tobe investigated by the state bar, and you've made yourself unemployable in every major law firm on the West Coast." Tessa tilted her head. "Seems like maybe you don't have anywhere to go back to."

I didn't have an answer for that.

"Here's what I think," Tessa continued. "I think you came back to Lopez Island expecting to do a job and leave. I think you thought you could help Maya with her legal problems, rehabilitate your image, and walk away clean. But somewhere along the way, you remembered you’re a person, not a shark.”

"That's a nice theory."

"It's the truth. And you know it." Tessa's voice softened. "Maya's been alone for seven years, Ethan. Fighting for that bakery, grieving her grandfather, proving herself to everyone who thought she made a mistake coming home. She doesn't let people in easily. But she let you in. And if you're just going to leave when things get complicated—if you're going to break her heart because you're scared of staying—then you should walk away now. Before she falls any harder."

"I'm not trying to hurt her—"

"No one ever is." Tessa started toward her car, then paused. "But here's the thing about Maya—she’ll survive if you leave. She's survived worse. The question is, will you survive leaving her?"

She drove off, leaving me standing in the parking lot with my trash bag and the growing realization that Tessa was absolutely right.

I drove back to my hotel and spent the evening reviewing case law, building backup strategies for the motion to dismiss, preparing for every possible complication. Work was safe. Work was controllable. Work didn't require admitting I'd broken every rule we'd established.

At 11 PM, my phone buzzed with a text from Maya:Thank you for today. For everything. I know this wasn't what you signed up for.

I stared at the message for a long time before typing back:It's exactly what I signed up for. Sleep well, Maya.

Another lie. Because I hadn't signed up for falling in love with her. I hadn't signed up for wanting to stay on this island, to wake up at dawn and make coffee runs, to spend my life defending her right to build something beautiful.

My phone buzzed again a few minutes later. Another text from Maya:Are you awake?

Yes.

Can't sleep either. Keep thinking about what you said. About building the future instead of preserving the past.

It's true.

Three dots appeared, disappeared, appeared again. Finally,“What are you building, Ethan? What's your future look like?"

I stared at the question for a long moment, my heart pounding.

The honest answer was her. It looked like her.

But I couldn't say that. Not yet. Not when I still hadn't figured out how to be someone worth staying for.

So instead, I typed:I don't know yet. But I'm starting to figure it out.

Let me know when you do. Goodnight.

Goodnight

I set down my phone and stared at the hotel ceiling, listening to the distant sound of waves against the shore.

Chapter twelve

The Crumbling Defense