Chapter 8 #3
Everything happens quickly after that. Mason presses a fierce, brief kiss to my lips, whispering "I love you" against my mouth before Riley takes my arm, guiding me toward a side exit. The unexpected declaration stuns me, leaving me speechless as they usher me out into the cold night.
"Mason—" I turn, trying to go back, but Jax blocks my path.
"He'll be fine," he assures me. "Tom knows what he's doing, and Mason can handle himself."
"You don't understand," I insist, panic rising. "Greg doesn't fight fair. He has people, connections—"
"Not here, he doesn't," Riley says firmly, leading me toward Jax's truck. "This is Whisper Vale. We take care of our own."
"I'm not—"
"You are," she cuts me off. "The moment Mason fell for you, you became part of this community. That's how it works here."
Her certainty momentarily silences my protests. As Jax's truck pulls away from the school, I crane my neck, trying to see through the windows, desperate for a glimpse of Mason. But all I can see are the Christmas lights blurring through my tears.
The drive to Mason's cabin passes in tense silence. I sit rigid in the backseat, phone clutched in my hand, waiting for a call or text that doesn't come. By the time we arrive, I'm vibrating with anxiety.
"I'll wait out front," Jax says as Riley walks me to the door. "Mason will be here soon."
"You don't know that," I say, voice tight with fear. "You don't know Greg."
Riley squeezes my hand. "Try to breathe. Panicking won't help."
She stays with me, making tea neither of us drinks, attempting light conversation I can't focus on. An hour passes, then two. No word from Mason or Tom. My calls go straight to voicemail.
"Something's wrong," I say for the tenth time, pacing the living room. "He should have been here by now."
"Mason knows how to handle himself," Riley repeats, though I can tell she's growing concerned too. She checks her phone again. "Jax hasn't heard anything either."
I sink onto the couch, trembling with fear and guilt. If anything happens to Mason because of me, because of my problems...
"This is all my fault," I whisper, tears finally spilling over. "I never should have come here, never should have involved him in my mess."
"Hey." Riley sits beside me, taking my hand. "None of this is your fault. The only person to blame is your ex."
"You don't understand. Greg is obsessive. He won't stop until he gets what he wants. And now Mason's in his path." I wipe at my tears angrily. "I should have kept running."
"And what kind of life would that be?" Riley's voice is gentle but firm. "Always looking over your shoulder, never forming connections, never having a home?"
"Better than getting someone I love hurt." The words escape before I can stop them, the admission of love hanging in the air between us.
Riley's expression softens. "You love him."
It's not a question, but I answer anyway. "Yes. God help me, I do." I drop my head into my hands. "A week ago, he was a stranger. How is this possible?"
"Some connections don't follow normal timelines," Riley says again, echoing our conversation from the bathroom. "When it's right, it's right—regardless of how long you've known each other."
I want to believe her. Want to believe in the possibility of a future with Mason, a life beyond fear and running. But as the clock ticks past midnight with still no word, doubt and terror gnaw at me.
The sudden sound of tires on gravel has us both jumping to our feet. Riley pulls back the curtain. "It's Tom's patrol car."
I rush to the door, flinging it open as Mason emerges from the passenger side. He looks exhausted but unharmed, his expression clearing when he sees me on the porch.
"Thank God," I breathe, running to him without regard for the cold or my bare feet on the icy ground. He catches me against his chest, arms wrapping tightly around me.
"I told you I'd be right behind you," he murmurs into my hair.
"Three hours later!" I pull back to examine him for injuries. "What happened? Where were you? I was terrified."
"I'm sorry." He presses his forehead to mine. "My phone died, and things took longer than expected."
"What things?" I search his face. "Did you see him? Did he hurt you?"
"Let's go inside," he says, nodding to Tom who remains in the car. "I'll explain everything."
Back in the warmth of the cabin, Jax and Riley make discreet exits after confirming Mason is okay, promising to check in tomorrow. Once we're alone, Mason pulls me onto the couch beside him, keeping my hand firmly in his.
"Greg was at the school," he begins without preamble. "Tom intercepted him in the lobby before he could enter the gymnasium. I was there as a witness."
"And?" My heart pounds painfully against my ribs.
"And Tom made it very clear that you're under the protection of the Whisper Vale Sheriff's Department. That any attempt to contact or harass you would result in immediate arrest."
"That's it?" I can't keep the disbelief from my voice. "A warning?"
"Not just a warning." Mason's thumb traces circles on my palm. "Tom had done his homework. Turns out your ex has a record—DUI from five years ago, sealed by his brother. And a domestic violence complaint from before you, also buried."
"Eliza," I whisper. "The other teacher."
Mason nods. "Tom made it clear he knows about these incidents, knows about Greg's brother's involvement in covering them up. Said he's prepared to go to the state level, even federal if necessary."
"And Greg just... accepted that?" I shake my head. "I don't believe it."
"He didn't have much choice. Especially after I told him about the security footage."
"What security footage?"
"From your Reno motel." Mason's expression hardens. "His investigator friend assaulted you, Destiny. That's a felony. One I bet Greg doesn't want tied to him."
Hope flickers, faint but present. "You have footage of that?"
"Tom does now." Mason's smile is grim. "Amazing what a sheriff can accomplish with a warrant."
"So what happened? Where were you for three hours?"
"Filing paperwork." Mason runs a hand through his hair. "Statements, evidence logs, the works. Making sure everything was documented properly in case he tries anything. Then we followed him to the county line, watched him drive away."
"He just left?" I can hardly believe it. "Just like that?"
"With the understanding that if he ever sets foot in this county again, he'll be arrested on sight." Mason squeezes my hand. "It's over, Destiny. He's gone."
I want to believe him. Want it so badly I can taste it. But years of fear don't disappear in an instant.
"What if he comes back? What if he sends someone else?"
"Then we deal with it." Mason cups my face in his hands. "Together. Because I meant what I said at the party. I love you, Destiny Brooks. And I'm not letting anyone or anything take you from me."
The declaration, spoken with such certainty, such conviction, brings fresh tears to my eyes. "You barely know me."
"I know enough." His thumbs wipe away my tears.
"I know you're brave and kind. I know you bake when you're anxious and sing in the shower when you think no one's listening.
I know you sleep with one leg outside the blankets and take your coffee with too much sugar.
I know you're the first thing I want to see when I wake up and the last thing I want to see before I sleep. "
Each simple truth hits me like concrete. Is this love? This bone-deep certainty after a lifetime of wandering?
"I love you too," I whisper, the words feeling simultaneously enormous and inadequate. "I didn't mean to, didn't expect to, but I do."
His smile is brilliant, transformative. "Good. Because I have plans for us, Destiny Brooks. Plans that include many more Christmas parties, many more mornings in my bed, many more years in this cabin."
"Years?" The word catches in my throat.
"If you'll have me." His expression turns serious. "I know our beginning was unconventional. I know you came here running from something, not toward something. But now that you're here, now that we've found each other... stay. Not just until Christmas, not just until you feel safe. Stay for good."
It's everything I want, everything I've been afraid to hope for. A home. A future. Love. But doubt still gnaws at me.
"What if it's too soon? What if this is just... intensity born from danger? What happens when things calm down, when real life sets in?"
"Then we figure it out together." Mason takes my hands in his. "Day by day. No pressure, no expectations. Just us, building something real."
I want to say yes immediately, to throw myself into this future he's offering. But Greg's voice still echoes in my head—you're nothing without me, you'll never make it on your own, no one will ever want you like I do.
"I need time," I say finally. "Not to decide if I love you—I do, more than I thought possible. But to find myself again, to be sure I'm making choices from strength, not fear."
Instead of disappointment, understanding fills Mason's eyes. "Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere."
"Neither am I," I promise, leaning forward to kiss him softly. "I just need to be whole again before I give myself to someone else, even someone as wonderful as you."
"I can respect that." He pulls me into his arms. "As long as you're whole here, with me, in Whisper Vale."
"I'd like that." I rest my head on his shoulder, feeling truly safe for the first time in months. "Maybe I'll even talk to Principal Garcia about that substitute teaching position."
Mason's arms tighten around me. "Really?"
"Really. It's time I stopped running and started building." I look up at him, heart full. "And I'd like to build here, with you, if that's okay."
His answer is a kiss that feels steals my breath.
Later, in bed, wrapped in each other's arms, I ask the question that's been nagging at me. "Did you mean it? When you said you love me?"
"With every fiber of my being," Mason answers without hesitation. "I know it's fast. I know it defies logic. But I've never been more certain of anything in my life."
"Me neither." I trace the lines of his face in the moonlight. "It terrifies me how much I feel for you."
"Good things often do." He captures my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm. "We have time, Destiny. Time to figure this out, time to heal, time to build the life we want."
"Together," I whisper.
"Together," he agrees, pulling me closer.
As I drift toward sleep in Mason's arms, I realize that for the first time in months, I'm not afraid of what tomorrow might bring. Instead, I'm excited. Hopeful. Ready to discover what comes next in this unexpected love story that began with a black eye, a snowstorm, and a pretend engagement.
Whatever it is, we'll face it together. And that makes all the difference.