Chapter 8 Kingston
KINGSTON
The cabin was too damn quiet without her.
I let the fire burn low and stared at nothing while I tried to figure out my next move.
After I’d been sitting in darkness for who the hell knew how long, I finally got up and headed into the bedroom.
I hadn’t changed the sheets since she left.
The covers were still rumpled and carried the faintest trace of her scent.
I held a pillow to my nose. Vanilla and cinnamon. It made my chest ache.
Scarlett Monroe had never just been a girl I loved. She was the anchor that kept me from drifting too far into the darkness. And now she was gone again. Not because I left this time, but because she chose to walk away. I didn’t blame her one bit.
The wind howled through the trees outside, rattling branches against the roof. Another storm was building, and I was looking forward to this one. It matched my mood.
I moved through the cabin slowly, grabbing the throw blanket she’d used, folding it carefully like somehow that would restore the balance we’d lost. The coffee mug she’d used still sat on the counter.
I didn’t touch it. Maybe if I left it there, she’d come back.
My rationale was flawed but I didn’t give a fuck.
Mustang Mountain didn’t want me. Worse than that, Scarlett didn’t want me either.
I should have known better than to come back and try to make amends.
The past couple of days had given me hope.
With Scarlett back in my arms, I’d been able to forget who I was and what I’d done.
But folks around here had long memories.
They might be able to understand why I’d taken the blame for my brother in the first place, but they’d never forget that I’d served time.
It was after ten when tires crunched up the drive. Every muscle in my body tensed. I didn’t want to see anyone, and I sure as hell didn’t want anyone seeing me. Not in this condition.
I peeked out the front window to find Kacen on the porch. He knew I was here and wouldn’t leave without having a chance to talk, so I reluctantly pulled open the door.
“Hey,” he said, stepping inside without waiting for an invite. “You look like shit.”
“I feel worse.”
He nodded like he understood. “Scarlett make it back okay?”
I nodded. “She texted when she got home.”
“That’s something.” He studied me. “You gonna tell me what happened?”
“She needed space. That’s all there is.”
“Kingston,” he said, crossing his arms. “I don’t think she left because she stopped caring.”
“She left because I dragged her into something she didn’t ask for. Again.”
He let out a slow breath. “I came to tell you something. Along with that petition going around town, people are saying an ex-con shouldn’t be investing in so many businesses. That the town’s economy shouldn’t be tied to…”
“To someone like me,” I finished for him as I turned and headed to the kitchen.
Kacen followed. “Not everyone. The people you helped, the ones whose businesses you financed, they’re pushing back hard.”
“Doesn’t matter. The damage is done.” I grabbed a tumbler from the cabinet and poured an inch of whiskey into the glass. When I glanced up at Kacen, he shook his head. Fine. I didn’t mind drinking alone, though a shot of whiskey wouldn’t come close to drowning my sorrows.
“Like hell it doesn’t.” Kacen moved to the window. “You put half this town back on its feet. You saved me from a life I never would’ve escaped. You sacrificed your future so I could have one.”
“That was my choice.”
“Yeah,” he said. “But you don’t get to erase everything good you’ve done because some people are scared of your past.”
I looked away and lifted the glass to my lips. The sharp tang of rye cut through the numbness, and I swallowed a sip.
“Scarlett didn’t leave because she was scared of you. She left because she’s scared of how much this could cost you.”
His words hit too close to the truth. Before I could answer, a low howl echoed from the tree line.
Kacen went still. “Was that…?”
“Yeah,” I said, moving to the front door.
We both stepped onto the porch. There, near the edge of the trees, stood a massive wolf, his coat a deep silver-gray. His head tilted slightly, his eyes watching us with eerie calm. Hades. Mustang Mountain’s unofficial guardian and mascot.
He didn’t move, just stood there like some ancient sentinel.
Kacen let out a low breath. “I haven’t seen him in years.”
“You haven’t been here in years.” The wolf held my gaze. I didn’t move. Neither did he. There was something about the moment I couldn’t explain. Like he was waiting for me to make a choice. Then, without warning, Hades turned and disappeared into the trees.
Kacen glanced at me. “Do you believe in signs?”
I didn’t answer, because I wasn’t sure I had to.
We watched the spot in the tree line where Hades had disappeared for a few long beats. Then I turned to head back inside. Kacen followed a few seconds later. The tension between us had eased.
“It’s all going to work out.” My brother clapped me on the shoulder. “If anyone deserves another chance, it’s you.”
“We’ll see,” I mumbled.
He left shortly after that, and I wandered around the cabin thinking about what I wanted to say to Scarlett. Not what I thought I should say, but what I’d say to her I had the guts to be totally honest. Then I sat down at my kitchen table and cradled my head in my hands.
I thought about the Christmas celebration. The one they held in the square every year. Scarlett and I had gone together once. I’d kissed her under the tree. Told her I wanted forever. This time, I would mean it with everything I had.
The town might not forgive me, but I wouldn’t let them forget what I’d done to try to save it. And I wouldn’t let her forget that she was always my reason.
Scarlett
By the time I turned off Main Street and climbed the stairs to my apartment, my fingertips were stiff from the cold and my heart felt like it had been dragged across the mountain.
I sent Kingston a quick text to let him know I made it, then set my phone on the nightstand and didn’t even bother turning on the lights.
The soft glow from the streetlamps below filtered through the blinds, enough for me to kick off my boots and sink down onto the edge of my bed.
I’d been home less than five minutes and already the silence was unbearable.
I’d left Kingston because I had to. Because if I stayed one more minute inside that cabin, wrapped in his arms, drowning in his regret, tempted by every inch of him, I would have burrowed into his chest and forgotten every reason I had to be angry.
Walking away felt like ripping out the last piece of myself I didn’t know he still held.
I tugged the blankets tighter around me, but the cold wasn’t what made me shiver. It was remembering the look on his face when I walked out. Like he was bracing for me to disappear forever. Like he expected it. Like he’d always expected it.
My phone vibrated against the nightstand. For a second my heart jumped, thinking it might be him. It wasn’t.
Ruby You home? Everyone’s buzzing. Please tell me you’re okay.
I typed back slowly.
Me: I’m fine. Just tired.
Ruby: Liar. Come down for cocoa. I won’t pry. Much.
That made me smile, but I shook my head.
Me: Not tonight. I need space.
Ruby: Space is overrated. Call if you change your mind.
I set my phone down again and pulled my knees up, resting my forehead against them.
The flannel sheets Kingston had on his bed were warmer than these.
They smelled like fabric softener and cedar and him.
My brain might know I needed to put distance between us, but my heart was still up in that cabin, hoping for another chance.
The truth was, part of me wanted him to come after me. That was the pathetic part. The human part. The part that remembered being seventeen, sneaking into the back of his truck under a blanket of stars with a boy who whispered forever like it was a promise he could hold in his hands.
But the man he was now… he was different. Broken. Burdened. Beautiful in a way that scared me. And yet I couldn’t stop wanting him.
My breath stuttered when I remembered the way he looked standing in his kitchen last night. How the shadows clung to him. How vulnerable he’d been telling the truth. The scar. The letter. The way he touched me like he wasn’t sure he was allowed to.
And that kiss. God. That kiss. My lips still tingled from it.
I stood before I could sink too far into the memory and crossed the room to the mirror above my dresser. My reflection looked like someone who had barely slept with flushed cheeks, out of control curls, and glassy eyes that might start leaking tears at any second.
“Pull yourself together,” I muttered at my reflection. But my chest ached anyway.
I wandered to the window, looking out over the town square below, where the big Christmas tree stood, workers prepping the rest for the tree lighting festival tomorrow. Strings of lights dangled from ladders, swaying in the wind.
The town was moving on with its life. Business as usual. But underneath the twinkling lights, there was a tension I could feel from here. People were whispering, and Kingston was up on that mountain, spiraling alone.
My stomach twisted. I didn’t leave because I was scared of him. I left because I was scared of what loving him again would cost. He said the town wouldn’t forgive him. He was right, but part of me didn’t care.
I closed my eyes, letting the window’s cold air cool my heated skin. When I opened them again, the decision hit me fast, clear, and terrifying. I wasn’t done. Not with him. Not with us. But I couldn’t go running back because I was lonely tonight.
I needed to see him in the town, where everyone could see him. Where the whispers had power. I needed to know if he could stand tall in the face of the judgment he feared most. I needed to know if he was willing to fight.
My phone buzzed again. Not Ruby this time.
Kingston: Scarlett… if you’ll let me, I want to fix this. All of it.
My breath caught. A shaky exhale left my lips. Another message followed.
Kingston: Tomorrow. Meet me at the tree lighting ceremony. Please.
I pressed the phone to my chest, my eyes burning. Tomorrow. Under the tree where he once told me forever. A minute passed. Then I typed the only thing that felt right.
Me: I’ll be there.
I curled onto my pillow, pulling the blanket tighter around me. Outside, snowflakes drifted past the streetlamp, slow and lazy. The kind that promised another storm. The kind that made the world quiet. Tomorrow, everything would change… the town… Kingston… us.
Whether it broke me or saved me… tomorrow, I would find out.