Free Forever Alexa (Book Four In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series) by Cate Beauman

with fast, jerky strides. “You can’t keep spending the little money you have on bus fare to come see me.”
    She’d never seen him like this. “Where’s this coming from? Come on. Let’s go inside where it’s warm.” She took his hand. “I’ll make us some hot chocolate, and we can talk.”
    “No.” He yanked away.
    She dropped her hand and stared at the stranger before her as he shoved his fingers through his hair.
    “There’s nothing to discuss. This isn’t working for me anymore. It’s just not. We need to move on. I’m so swamped, so fucking overwhelmed with my life right now. I can hardly keep my head above water. I had no idea being a cop was going to be this hard. The paperwork alone… I can’t think. I can’t fucking think.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me you were feeling this way? Have you talked to your boss?”
    He scoffed. “I’m not in college anymore. I can’t sweet talk my way out of real life, Alex, like I would with a paper. I need to concentrate on my job—and only my job.”
    His words were sinking in and her breath backed up in her throat as the first dredges of panic bloomed. A simple conversation wasn’t going to fix this. “I’ll come home with you.” She tried to grab his arm, but he jerked away. “I’ll quit school. This doesn’t matter to me. I love you. I want to be with you. We’ll figure this out together.”
    He shook his head. “It’s over, Alex.”
    Heart crumbling, she grabbed his wrist and tugged on the leather of his jacket, desperate to make him understand as the finality in his voice crushed her. “Come with me, Jack. Help me pack. I’ll get a job. I’ll help with half the rent. We can make this work. I just need to be with you. I—”
    “No.” He yanked her against him. “You’re almost done. I won’t let you do this. I won’t be responsible for you not finishing school. You’re not going to throw your life away for me.”
    Tears raced down her face as her breath sobbed in and out. “Please, Jack.” She pressed her hands to his cheeks.
    “It’s over, Alex. Over. We’re finished. Do you hear me? Finished.” He ripped her hands from his face and turned away. “I don’t have room for you in my life right now.”
    She struggled to breathe as she realized his mind was made up. Without any warning, they were through. She stared at his back, sick and trembling. They weren’t getting married after she graduated as they planned all along. They weren’t going to live together and share their lives as they’d dreamed. After tonight, they would go their separate ways and never see each other again.
    Jack turned and faced her as tears streamed down, unstoppable. “I’m sorry, Alex. You have no idea how sorry.”
    She looked into his eyes, knowing this would be the last time, and saw the regret as she swiped at her damp cheeks. Anger grew somewhere beneath the unimaginable grief. “Two and a half years and that’s it? You’re sorry?”
    “Alex.” He touched a lock of her hair.
    “No, don’t.” She shoved him. “Don’t touch me. I don’t understand this. I don’t understand you. I love you, Jack. I love you so much. How can you do this? How can you just throw it all away?”
    He said nothing as she choked on sorrow and wiped at her eyes.
    “Alex—”
    “I don’t want to hear anymore.” Turning, she ran blindly, disappearing into the night.
    “Knock, knock.”
    Alexa whipped her head around, still reeling from her painful memories. She looked at the man who’d crushed her heart as he held their sleeping daughter in his strong arms.
    “She conked out next to the puppy.”
    “Bring her on in.” Alexa rushed to the head of the bed and pulled the covers back. “Go ahead and lay her down. I’ll change her in to her pajamas.”
    She hurried to the suitcase, struggling with the turmoil of the past and present as Jack laid Olivia on the crisp white sheets. She didn’t know how much more she could take. Focusing on her daughter