Chapter Thirty-Two
Juniper
Before heading back to the cabin, Zade insisted on visiting Jacob.
I didn’t really have a choice in the matter; he was determined, and, in truth, I needed to grab my things from the house anyway.
It had been two weeks of being at Jacob’s side, and now that he was doing better, I could finally think about leaving.
The idea of returning to the cabin with Zade, though, left me with a knot in my stomach.
When we arrive at my parents’ house, it feels heavier than usual. I lead Zade inside, past the familiar creak of the wooden floorboards, and up the stairs to Jacob’s room. The house is eerily quiet—the kind of silence that wraps around you, making every sound feel louder than it actually is.
Jacob’s lying in bed, looking better than he did just a few days ago, but still pale and fragile. His face lights up when he sees me, and I can’t help but smile back. “Hey, how are you feeling?” I ask, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Better,” he replies, sounding a little stronger than before. “Thanks to you and... well, you know.” His eyes flicker toward Z ade, who’s standing in the doorway, watching us with an unreadable expression.
Zade steps forward, nodding at Jacob. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Jacob.”
Jacob nods back, but the look in his eyes says more than words ever could. He knows. He knows what Zade did for him, and I can see the gratitude there, mixed with a kind of respect I never expected to see between them.
I squeeze Jacob’s hand, feeling a lump form in my throat. “I’m going back to the cabin,” I tell him. “But I’ll be back soon. You need anything while I’m gone?”
Jacob shakes his head, a small smile playing on his lips. “Just take care of yourself, Juniper. And... thanks, Zade.”
Zade nods, his gaze softening as he looks at Jacob. “You don’t have to thank me, Jacob.”
We exchange a few final words, and then it’s time to leave. I grab my bag from the corner of the room, shoving the last of my things inside. As we head downstairs, I see my parents waiting in the living room.
My mom’s eyes zero in on my packed bag, and a cruel smile curves her lips. “Finally. Maybe now this town can breathe. Go back to your old life since Jacob’s out of the woods.”
She turns to Zade, her voice dripping with venom. “And you—you need to get out of our lives, too. Haven’t you done enough damage?”
The fury inside me ignites, blazing hot. Zade is the reason their son is alive, and t his is how they repay him?
My dad crosses his arms, a sneer pulling at his mouth. “We never want to see you again, Juniper. Don’t bother coming back.”
I open my mouth, ready to unleash everything I’ve been holding back, but Zade steps forward, giving me a subtle shake of his head. He doesn’t want me to spill the truth. Not yet.
He shifts his gaze between my parents. “You two are so blinded by your own bitterness that you can’t see what’s right in front of you.
You’re selfish, toxic, and utterly failing as parents.
You should be ashamed, but instead, you stand here and throw insults?
Your daughter, your son—those are the only things you’ve done right in your entire miserable lives. And you should be grateful.”
Zade takes another step forward, his eyes burning with barely contained anger. “You treat your daughter like she’s nothing, but let me tell you, she’s everything you’re not. She’s strong, she’s kind, and she’s loving. She’s more than enough, and you don’t deserve her.”
My dad’s face flushes with rage, but I don’t let him get a word in. I grab Zade’s hand, pulling him toward the door. “Let’s go. They’re not worth our time.”
As we reach the door, my dad’s voice echoes behind us, laced with hate. “Don’t you ever come back here, Juniper!”
I stop, turning to face them one last time.
My tone is cold and unyielding. “Don’t worry, I won’t.
And you know what? You two can go to hell.
I’m done bending over backward to earn your approval.
Once Jacob’s back on his feet, he’s going to leave you, too.
And then you’ll both be exactly where you belong—alone. ”
With that, I turn away, Zade’s hand firmly in mine, leaving my parents standing there, speechless. For once, it feels like freedom.
We walk to the car in silence, the tension between us simmering just beneath the surface. As we get in, the engine hums to life, and we start driving away from the house, leaving the confrontation and the hurt behind.
As we drive, the rain pounds against the windshield. I can’t help but let out a frustrated sigh. “Why the hell has it started raining so much in Cody? This place was never about rain—more of a snow town, really.”
Zade glances over, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “Rain’s good. I like rain,” he says.
I can’t even muster a reply. My thoughts are spinning around him—he defended me and stood up to my parents like he had nothing to lose.
But how the hell am I supposed to get past the fact that he betrayed me?
When I needed him the most, he just wasn’t there.
The storm outside feels like it’s echoing the mess inside me.
Zade. The man who saved my brother, who just fought for me like I couldn’t fight for myself, but he’s also the one who broke me and then discarded me like I was nothing. How can I let him in again, knowing what he’s capable of ?
I want to hate him. I should hate him. But there’s a part of me that doesn’t. A part that wants to believe there’s still good in him. But I can’t forget the pain he caused and the way he shattered my trust.
I feel torn between what I want and what I know is right. How can I trust him when I can’t even trust my own feelings?
Suddenly, the car sputters and jerks, pulling me out of my thoughts. Zade curses under his breath as we come to a stop on the side of the road.
“Great,” I mutter, frustration rising as I realize we’re stranded in the middle of nowhere, with only the storm for company.
Zade pulls out his phone, his jaw tight, as he checks for a signal.
Luckily, there’s a connection since we’re not too deep in the area.
He quickly calls his driver, giving instructions to bring another car and a mechanic to fix the one we're in. Once he’s done, he tosses the phone aside and leans back in his seat, his eyes never leaving me.
The air inside the car feels charged. The storm outside is nothing compared to the one brewing within these walls. I can feel his gaze on me.
“You know you can’t avoid this forever.” His words stay quiet but land heavy, charged with an edge I don’t understand yet.
“Avoid what?” I ask, my voice defensive.
“Us. Everything that happened between us that night.”
“I don't want to talk about it,” I snap, turning to look out the window .
“You never do,” he replies.
We sit in silence, and I can feel his eyes on me, his gaze burning into my skin. My mind races, and my emotions are a tangled mess of anger, confusion, and an undeniable attraction.
“I should hate you,” I whisper, more to myself than to him.
“You don't need to.” His words come out sure.
I turn to him. My arms fold tight across my chest. “You don’t know me,” I mutter. “You just think you do.”
“I know enough to see you're hurting. And I want to help,” he declares, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Why are you doing this? Why now?” I ask, my tone breaking. “You’re the reason for all my troubles in the first place. Remember, you betrayed me!”
His fingers brush my cheek. I jerk back, yet he doesn’t drop the touch. “I'm—I'm sorry, Juniper.” The apology lands rough.
I close my eyes, my breath hitching. “Please, Zade. Just stop.”
He doesn't move, his hand still on my cheek, his touch sending shivers down my spine. “No,” he says firmly. “I won't leave you.”
Before I can react, he leans in, his lips claiming mine with a desperation that shakes me. For a moment, I fight it, my mind screaming to push him away, but my body betrays me. The force of the kiss overwhelms me, and I shove him back, breaking free.
I fling the car door open and step into the cold rain. The chill jolts me back to reality—I can't let him get under my skin.
I start walking. The distance between us is the only thing that makes sense right now. I need to get away to think.
“Where are you going?” he calls after me, rain swallowing half the words.
“Away from you,” I snap.
I glance back. He’s furious and drenched, yet still infuriatingly irresistible. His suit clings to his body, the soaked shirt outlining every hard line of muscle.
“Get back here now!” he yells, fists knotted at his sides. “You’ll catch a cold!”
“I’d rather that than be with you!” I retort, picking up my pace.
I throw another glance over my shoulder, and he's closing in, determination in his eyes. Panic flares, and I start to run.
“Juniper, stop!” He yells, but I don’t. His footsteps splash closer, and suddenly, he grabs my arm, spinning me around.
“Why are you running from me?” He demands, voice low, fierce.
“Because I need to get away!” I shout back. “It’s all. It’s all too confusing for me.”
His grip tightens. “You think you owe me something, don’t you?” He drops to a near-murmur. “Because of what I did for Jacob.”
I glare at him. “You gave my brother your kidney, Zade! Of course, I feel like I owe you! I want to hate you, but... you make it so damn hard!”
His gaze locks onto mine. “You don’t owe me anything, Juniper. Hate me all you want, push me away—but don’t think you owe me. If you hate me, at least I’m on your mind.”
“You’re unbearable,” I whisper.
He steps closer, cupping my cheek, his thumb brushing away what might be a raindrop or a tear. “I don’t care if you hate me,” he says. “As long as I’m not invisible to you.”
He’s soaked. Rain clings to his lashes. His jaw is tight, mine probably is too.My hands are fists. I can’t decide if I want to shove him or grab him.My chest aches from holding too much in. Nothing about this feels simple anymore.
“I need space,” I say, sharper than I mean to. “I need to think.”
“There’s nothing to think about.” He barks the words. “Get in the car. The driver’s almost here, and you’re soaked, Juniper. Don’t be stupid.”
I walk faster.
“Fine,” he snaps. “If it’s a chase you want—” He stops himself, but I already hear it. The threat buried in the frustration. “You’ve got it.”
I glance back. H e’s closing the distance. His eyes don’t look soft anymore. That flare of panic hits low and fast, and my body moves before I can second guess it. I run.
The mud catches me. One step wrong and I go down hard, palms scraping wet ground. My knee slams into something sharp. The pain’s distant—drowned out by the sound of him behind me.
“Juniper! Stop running!”
Before I can push up, his hands are on me. Fast. Familiar. My body reacts even before I register his voice. He hauls me up and into him, chest to chest. His grip isn’t rough, but it’s unshakable.
“I told you to stop.” His words land against my temple. His breath is warm, uneven. It doesn’t calm me. It makes it worse.
“Let me go,” I snap. My voice is tight, pitched higher than it should be. I twist, but he doesn’t let up. He shifts me, turning me to face him. His eyes look wrecked. Like he doesn’t know how to say what he needs to without ruining it all.
“We’re not done,” he says. “Not by a long shot.”
I shove him with both hands. He doesn’t budge. His mouth finds mine before I even realize what’s happening.
It’s not gentle. Not sweet. It’s a dare. A demand. A thousand unsaid things shoved into one impossible kiss.
I should pull away. I should scream in his face and run again. Instead, I kiss him back like I’ve been holding my breath for weeks.
His grip tightens, but he’s still careful with me. “You’re being ridiculous,” he says into my mouth. “Completely ridiculous.”
That’s it. That’s what does it. I pull back just enough to slap him.
His head jerks to the side. The sound is sharp. His eyes flick back to mine, slow and dark.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he says, almost too quietly.
I take one step back. He takes two forward. Then I’m against the tree, back hitting bark, his body pressing in just enough to make me freeze. He’s not hurting me. He’s not letting me go either.
“You think you can outrun this?” His lips hover close to mine. “You think I don’t feel it too?”
His hand moves to my waist. It stays there. The kind of touch that doesn’t demand anything, but makes me feel like I’ve already given too much.
I feel like I’m shaking apart.
“This is insane,” I whisper, but my body doesn’t move. I stay right there. I lean in.
He exhales, just once. Then presses his forehead to mine.
“You feel it,” he says. “Don’t lie.”
I close my eyes. Everything hurts and everything burns. I can’t stop shaking.
“Zade…”
He kisses me again. Slower this time. Less war. More ache. I don’t fight it. My hands grab the front of his shirt. I need something to hold onto. I’m not sure which one of us is trembling harder .
He pulls back, words rough and ragged. “You’re not going anywhere.”
I don’t answer. My throat is tight and my face is wet, and I’m not even sure if it’s from the rain anymore.
He lifts me slightly, just enough to hold me close. My legs barely touch the ground. I let it happen. I don’t care what it looks like.
“Tell me you want this,” he says, quiet now. Almost scared.
I nod, my voice barely there. “I do.”
Something in him eases. His arms wrap around me tighter. I press my face into his neck, and neither of us says anything for a while.
He’s the first to move. He brushes my hair off my cheek. The touch is careful. Still soaked. Still warm.
“Come on,” he says, softer than before. “Let’s get you out of the rain.”
He doesn’t let go of me as we walk. His hand stays at my waist, fingers curling just enough to remind me he’s still there. And I let him. I let him hold me. I let myself be held.
Whatever just happened between us… I don’t have the words for it. But it changed something. And I’m scared it might matter more than I want it to.