Chapter 21
Serenity
The guest cabin smelled like pine and clean linen with a hint of rain and dirt. These were guest cabins for fun; they were meant to ride out unexpected rain, to literally be a refuge in the storm. The cabin was small, but there was enough in here to last a few days.
Mattie clung to my side the entire car ride and he didn’t let go, not even once we stepped inside the cabin.
His small fingers curled into my sweater like an anchor.
He was trying to be brave; I could see it in the way his chin lifted, in how he didn’t ask the questions I knew were crowding his mind.
His chin wobbled as if he was holding back tears.
I crouched in front of him and brushed his hair back, finding a reassuring smile. “You ever been on a mountain before?”
He shook his head slowly, eyes wide as he took in the wood-paneled walls and the low-beamed ceiling. “I wish we could go outside.”
“Soon,” Enzo said gently from behind me. “I just need to check a few things first.”
He sounded calm, but I knew better. The lines around his eyes and mouth showed signs of tension, and he’d been a tight coil since the lights went out.
Each move he made was slow and deliberate; every spot his green eyes landed on was assessed for danger and then safety.
We left so quickly there hadn’t been any time for real conversation, and the weight of all the unanswered questions pressed down on my chest.
Mattie yawned mid-sentence, the excitement of new surroundings, a middle-of-the-night exit, and suppressed fear had finally caught up to him.
“Come on,” I laughed softly. “Let’s get you ready for bed.”
“I’m not sleepy,” he insisted, even as another yawn split his face.
“Yeah, sure you’re not, buddy. Let’s put on pajamas and brush your teeth, and then see how you feel.”
He nodded and placed his hand in mine, so full of trust my heart expanded as it made even more room for him.
The bedroom was small but cozy, a single bed tucked against the wall beneath a window that looked out onto the darkened trees lit by moonlight and millions of stars.
I helped him change and sat beside him while he climbed under the covers.
“Are we gonna be okay, Ren?” His voice was small and carried a hint of a wobble he wasn’t yet skilled at hiding.
“Yeah, we’re gonna be okay. You’re safe,” I told him, smoothing the blanket. “I promise.”
He smiled and flung his little body against mine, hugging me with all his might. “Promise, promise?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I promise. Your dad would move every mountain in the world to keep you safe.”
He nodded, accepting my words as gospel. His eyelids were drooping, and within seconds he was asleep. I stayed with him for a few minutes, just until I was sure his breaths had evened out.
When he was finally deep asleep, I let myself exhale. And then I watched him for another minute before I left the room. In the main room, I found Enzo pacing the floor, phone clutched tight in hand, his gaze fixed on the floor as if he could change fate through one cold look.
He stopped when he realized he wasn’t alone and turned to me.
“Talk to me.”
He nodded and came to me, putting his hands on my hips and pressing his forehead to mine. “I know as much as you heard at this point,” he said softly. “A tree was knocked down intentionally to cut our power.”
My stomach tightened. “You think whoever has been threatening Mattie has found him?” Acid settled in my stomach at that thought.
“Probably.” He didn’t sugarcoat it. “But more than that, they’re trying to get me out in the open.”
The words echoed in my mind as I mulled them over. “Do you know who it is yet?”
He shook his head. “I have suspicions. But I can’t afford to chase them without concrete proof.”
The phone rang then, sharp and sudden in the quiet cabin. Luca’s name flashed on the screen. Enzo glanced at it and nodded once before he put some space between us. “I need to take this.”
I stepped back to give him space and moved into the kitchen area.
Rosalee had left soup and bread warming in the small oven, a kindness that was much needed after the chaos of the evening.
I ladled the soup into bowls, the simple motion calming my racing thoughts just enough for other thoughts to intrude.
How did they find us?
There had been layers of security around Enzo. Only Luca knew where he was, and from what I could tell, he never took a direct flight to Texas. They communicated through secure channels. The security people weren’t at all connected to Enzo or the DeRossi name.
And yet someone had cut through all of it with alarming precision.
The answer settled uncomfortably in my chest. It had to be someone close.
That thought made me sick to my stomach, and I pulled out my phone, thankful to have service again, and hesitated for just a moment before I typed out a text. “Hey, I need a favor. Can you ask Brady to help me with something?” I typed out a ridiculous hypothetical and nibbled my lip while I waited.
Toni’s answer came quickly. “Already on it. Come to the office tomorrow if you can.”
Relief washed through me, not because the danger was gone but because I wasn’t helpless. I could do something. Could contribute in a way that mattered.
I checked on Mattie again, smoothing his hair, then returned to the sofa where Enzo had settled with a bowl of soup now that his call had finished. “You going to eat?”
I nodded, grabbing my bowl and joining him on the sofa. We ate in silence, both of us deep in thought. The silence was heavy but not uncomfortable. My thoughts churned away, each of them with an underlying current of fear.
Could I live this life?
I wanted Enzo; that much was undeniable. I wanted Mattie too. The fierce, protective love I felt for him was already settling deep in my bones and wrapping him around my heart. But wanting something didn’t make it wise. This level of danger wasn’t theoretical anymore; it was real and immediate.
Think long and hard, I told myself. Loving them both meant accepting the risk that came with their life and with the DeRossi name. I knew I had to be sure because sometimes, like the song said, love wasn’t enough.
When we were done eating, I curled into Enzo’s side without asking, and he wrapped an arm around me instinctively.
I wasn’t sure about all the details, but I knew I could live the rest of my life like this, right here in Enzo’s arms.