The possibility that he could hurt her someday.

“I need to go home.”

“No, you need to stay here and talk to me.”

She shook her head. “The kids and I have been doing fine. I’m perfectly capable of supporting them and myself. I don’t need you to take care of me. To take care of us.”

“I know that.”

She gave him a pointed look. “Do you? Do you really? I don’t know if you care about me, or feel as if you need to shelter us, to protect us.”

He reached for her. “Kat, it’s not like that. It’s never been like that.”

She took a step back. “I don’t know if it is or it isn’t. I need some distance, some time to think about all of us. About all of this. You can’t upend our lives like this, Grant. You just … can’t.”

He stared at her, and she knew then he was out of things to say. So was she.

“I’d really appreciate it if someone could drive us to the airport. I’ve already booked flights for us to New York.”

“Don’t do this. Stay and talk to me.”

“I need to get back home. Please don’t ask me to stay.”

He stared at her. She stared back.

“Katrina.”

“No. I mean it, Grant. No.”

He threw up his hands. “Fine. I’ll drive you. But this isn’t over. We’re not over.”

Yes, they were. They had to be, because she couldn’t allow someone to take over her life like this. It had already gone on too long.

She said her good-byes to Lydia and Easton, as painful as that was, knowing she wouldn’t see them again. She made up a flimsy excuse about having booked a last-minute job and needing to catch a quick flight back to New York.

The kids didn’t say anything, but she knew they felt the tension in the car all the way to the airport, especially when Grant dropped them off.

They both gave him tight hugs. And she saw the tears in his eyes when he looked at her. But he didn’t hug her, and it took everything in her not to throw her arms around him.

But she held back. Because she was doing the right thing and she knew it.

When they got back to the apartment in New York City, it felt cold and empty. The kids were quiet, and it didn’t take long for them to realize she lied.

“You don’t have a job, do you?” Anya asked the next day when she saw Katrina sitting on the sofa, leafing through a magazine.

“No.”

“Then why are we back here when we could have gone to Dallas with Grant?”

She rubbed at her temple where a headache had formed yesterday and had yet to go away.

“Grant and I have some issues to work out. It’s really not your business, Anya.”

“You screwed things up with him, didn’t you?”

She gave her sister a stern look. “I’m not discussing this with you.”

Anya marched off in a huff and hid in her room.

It was even worse with Leo, who was inconsolable. Despite his promises to Easton, once he realized her relationship with Grant was over, he could put two and two together. He slept until noon, dragged himself out of bed and shoved his earbuds into his ears. He was silent and sullen, barely speaking to her.

She’d done a fine job of alienating her siblings. She’d hurt them—badly.

But she knew what was best for the kids, long term, even if they didn’t think so.

Didn’t she?

Thursday night they ate dinner, then crowded around the television. Grant’s game was on, so Anya and Leo cuddled together on the sofa to watch, making sure to keep as much distance from Katrina as they could. They had barely spoken to her for the past couple of days. Not that she could blame them. She was the one breaking their hearts.

It only made Katrina feel more miserable to see Grant play. He looked so good in his uniform, throwing the ball with his rocket arm to his receiver, Cole Riley.

“He looks really good,” she said to Leo and Anya, who only shot glares in her direction as replies.

At halftime, Leo and Anya refreshed their drinks while Katrina checked her e-mail.

“Why did you do it?” Leo asked.

It took her a minute to realize he was speaking to her. “Do what?”

“Break up with Grant. Did he do something bad to you?”

“No. He didn’t.”

“Then why? And don’t treat me like a kid.”

She sighed. “I just felt it was better for us to be here.”

“Instead of … St. Louis?” Anya asked.

“Yes. I think he was suggesting too many changes to our lives. And that’s not always a good thing. You don’t just move into someone’s life and change everything.”