Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
MASON
Five days before Christmas, I wake before dawn to find Destiny curled against me like she belongs there.
In the soft glow of pre-morning light, I study her sleeping face, the curve of her cheek, the sweep of her lashes, the slight part of her lips.
Something swells in my chest, an emotion too big to contain.
I'm in love with her.
The realization doesn't shock me as it should. Instead, it settles into place like the final piece of a puzzle I've been working on for years.
I've spent the last three years building walls to protect myself after Sarah, only for Destiny to walk right through them like they were made of smoke. Four days. That's all it took for her to completely upend my carefully constructed solitude.
She stirs, her eyes fluttering open to meet mine. "Morning," she murmurs, voice husky with sleep. "How long have you been watching me?"
"Not long." I brush a strand of hair from her forehead. "You're beautiful when you sleep."
"Just when I sleep?" She grins, still half-dreaming.
"Especially when you sleep. No smart comebacks."
She pokes my chest. "Rude."
"Accurate." I capture her hand, bringing it to my lips.
"What's on the agenda today?" she asks, stretching like a cat.
Since our confrontation with the Escalade two nights ago, we've established a routine.
Public appearances during the day to maintain our cover, private security measures at night.
So far, there's been no sign of Greg returning to town, but Tom's officers spotted the SUV at a motel just outside the county line yesterday.
"I need to see a couple of clients at my office this morning," I tell her. "Tom's sending a deputy to stay with you while I'm gone."
"I don't need a babysitter." Her brow furrows.
"Humor me." I press a kiss to her forehead. "Just for a few hours."
She sighs but relents. "Fine. I can use the time to start on Christmas presents."
The casual mention of Christmas presents, the implication that she's planning to be here for the holiday, planning to be part of my life, gives me more ideas than I need living in my head.
"After that, I thought we could get a Christmas tree for your room," I suggest. "The one downstairs looks lonely."
Her face lights up. "Really?"
"Really. And maybe some more decorations for the rest of the house. This place could use some holiday spirit."
"Who are you and what have you done with grumpy Mason Walsh?" She narrows her eyes in mock suspicion.
"I killed him. Buried the body in the woods." I pull her closer. "You like the replacement better?"
"Much better." She kisses me, morning breath and all. "Though I was getting fond of grumpy Mason too."
"He makes occasional appearances." I roll her beneath me, relishing her soft gasp as our bodies align. "Usually before coffee."
"Good thing I'm an excellent coffee maker." She hooks her leg over my hip, drawing me closer.
"Among other talents," I murmur against her throat.
We're deliciously late getting out of bed.
The deputy Tom sends is a young woman named Martinez who immediately hits it off with Destiny. By the time I'm ready to leave, they're swapping cookie recipes and discussing local holiday traditions.
"You'll be okay?" I ask Destiny one last time at the door.
"I'll be fine." She rises on tiptoes to kiss my cheek. "Go help your clients. I'll be here when you get back."
The simple promise contains multitudes. I squeeze her hand before heading out, already counting the minutes until I can return.
My office in town is a small, converted Victorian with a waiting room, consultation room, and private office in the back. I spend the morning with two of my regular clients, a teenager dealing with PTSD after a car accident and an older woman working through grief after losing her husband.
Between sessions, I call Tom for an update.
"No sign of our friend," he reports. "But the motel clerk confirmed he checked out this morning."
"Heading back to California?"
"Can't say for sure. But I've got eyes on all the roads in and out of the county."
"Thanks, Tom." I hesitate. "There's something else. Destiny mentioned her ex has connections with law enforcement in California."
"Yeah, I figured as much from her reluctance to file reports. Don't worry, I'm keeping this close to the vest. Only people who know the full situation are me and Deputy Martinez."
The reassurance eases some of my concern. If Greg has contacts in Nevada, they're not in Whisper Vale, a town where everyone knows everyone, and outsiders are spotted immediately.
"One more thing," Tom adds. "Riley called the station this morning. Wanted to invite you and Destiny to the community Christmas party at the school tomorrow night. Said she forgot to mention it at dinner."
The annual Christmas party is Whisper Vale's biggest holiday event after the tree lighting, food, music, dancing, the works. A perfect opportunity to solidify our cover story.
"Tell her we'll be there."
After my final session, I stop by Jared's General Store to pick up more Christmas decorations. The place is packed with holiday shoppers, and I'm halfway through my list when I spot Jax by the tool section.
"Fancy meeting you here," he says with a knowing grin, eyeing the tinsel and ornaments in my basket. "Christmas shopping for your 'fiancée'?"
"Something like that." I add a box of candy canes to my haul.
"This is quite the transformation." Jax gestures to my basket. "Last year you didn't even put up a tree."
"Things change."
"People change." His expression grows serious. "Especially when they find someone worth changing for."
I can't argue with that. Destiny has brought light into corners of my life I'd forgotten existed, parts of myself I'd locked away after Sarah left.
"It's happening pretty fast," I admit, keeping my voice low. "Four days ago, she was a stranger."
"Some connections don't follow conventional timelines." Jax claps me on the shoulder. "Riley and I knew after one weekend."
"This is different."
"Is it?" He raises an eyebrow. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks a lot like what Riley and I found. That rare thing people spend lifetimes searching for."
I don't respond immediately, pretending to study a display of Christmas lights. "I think I'm in love with her," I finally say, the words both terrifying and liberating.
Jax grins. "No shit. I could have told you that at dinner."
"That obvious, huh?"
"Like a neon sign." He picks up a box of outdoor lights. "Question is, what are you going to do about it?"
"That's the complicated part." I explain the situation with Greg, including the black SUV and his appearance at the courthouse.
Jax's expression hardens. "Need me to assemble a welcome committee if this asshole shows up again?"
"Tom's handling security."
"Tom's handling the legal side. I'm talking about making sure this guy understands what happens to men who hurt women in our town." There's steel in Jax's voice.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," I say, though a part of me appreciates the offer. "For now, I'm focusing on keeping Destiny safe and happy."
"And telling her how you feel?"
I hesitate. "It's too soon. She's been through hell, Jax. The last thing she needs is pressure from me."
"Or maybe what she needs is to know she's not alone in this." He gives me a pointed look. "That what you're building together is real, not just convenient timing or physical attraction."
His words stick with me as I finish shopping and head home. Is Jax right? Would knowing my feelings help Destiny feel more secure, or would it only complicate an already complex situation?
I'm still pondering this when I pull up to the cabin. The sight that greets me pushes all other thoughts from my mind.
Destiny stands on the porch, laughing with Deputy Martinez as they hang a fresh evergreen wreath on the front door.
She's wearing one of my flannel shirts over her jeans, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, her blonde curls captured in a messy bun.
She looks like she belongs here, like she's been a part of my life for years, not days.
She spots me and waves, her smile brighter than all the Christmas lights in town. "Perfect timing! We need someone tall to hang these icicle lights!"
I stand frozen for a moment, struck by the domesticity of the scene and the certainty that floods through me.
I want this. Every day. Not just for Christmas, not just until the danger passes.
I want mornings tangled in sheets and evenings on the porch.
Arguments and reconciliations. Birthdays and anniversaries. All of it, with her.
"Mason?" Concern crosses her face at my silence. "Everything okay?"
I shake myself out of my reverie. "Everything's perfect."
And in that moment, despite the lingering threat of her ex, it truly is.
Deputy Martinez leaves once I'm home, and Destiny pulls me inside to show off her handiwork. The cabin has been transformed into a winter wonderland, pine garlands draped over doorways, candles on every surface, handmade paper snowflakes hanging from the ceiling.
"I got a little carried away," she admits sheepishly. "Martha had some extra decorations in her patrol car, her daughter makes them, and one thing led to another..."
"It's amazing." I pull her into my arms. "You're amazing."
She beams, clearly pleased by my reaction. "Wait till you see what's for dinner."
In the kitchen, a pot of something delicious simmers on the stove. The table is set with the good plates my grandmother left me, candles waiting to be lit, wine already breathing.
"What's the occasion?" I ask, genuinely curious.
"Do I need an occasion to cook for my fake fiancé?" She winks, stirring the pot. "Actually, I wanted to thank you. For everything you've done for me."
"Destiny—”