Chapter Seventeen
Layne
We fell asleep like that. Just the two of us, naked in the bed together.
I was satisfied in a way I couldn’t begin to describe.
I’d never compare one lover to another, not out loud anyway.
But much like everything else with Elias, it was perfect because it was simple and real.
No lit candles or fancy lingerie. No performative dirty talk or pricey wine.
The only set-up required was a toothbrush and the shedding of clothes.
The only thing we needed was us and our bare skin.
I had come to live in this cabin to lick my wounds, to distance myself from Teddy, and to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.
But now that I was here, I couldn’t picture myself leaving.
I didn’t want to go back to wearing heels and a suit every day.
I didn’t want to work with high-power clients.
I liked the day-to-day of helping Jace run his small business.
I liked the intimacy of a small town, the way people saw me instead of my résumé.
And most importantly, I liked falling asleep with Elias’s strong arms around me.
That realization settled deep in my chest, equal parts comfort and fear. There was an importance to what I felt for Elias that was bigger than anything that came before it. But I knew it was worth the risk.
I woke up the next morning already running late. I hadn’t thought to set an alarm, but I wanted to meet the realtor in hopes that Teddy would show up.
This had to be the end of it. I wanted Elias to know how I felt about him. I didn’t want him to worry for one moment that Teddy was the reason I wanted to be with him.
Elias was still asleep next to me, and I lingered for a moment even though I needed to get moving.
He looked peaceful in sleep, and unfairly sexy in my bed.
He was on his side with one well-muscled arm around my waist, his chest bare.
I now knew exactly what it felt like to run my fingers through the dark hair that grew there.
My future with him was starting now, but I still wanted all of Teddy in the past.
Reluctantly, I slid out of bed and took a quick shower before getting dressed.
When I came back out to the kitchen, Elias was standing in front of the coffee maker wearing just a pair of jeans.
“Morning.”
I crossed the room and wrapped by arms around him from behind, pressing my cheek to the warm skin between his shoulders. “Morning, you made coffee.”
He shrugged, holding my arm around him. “Can’t start a day without it. Are you going to meet Teddy this morning?”
I pulled away so I wouldn’t get lost in him again. “I hope so. He’s supposed to show up. If this goes well, this is the last time I have to see him.”
The weight in my chest eased at the thought, only to tighten again when there was a knock on my front door. Elias and I made eye contact before I crossed the room to answer it.
Elias leaned against the countertop and watched, not stepping in. That trust—that quiet confidence that I could handle this—steadied me more than anything he could’ve said.
“Morning, Teddy. I thought we were meeting at the real estate office.” I looked him over. “What are you wearing?”
He stood there in a tuxedo and dress shoes, wildly inappropriate for the snow, holding a bouquet of roses like a prop.
“Layne, I tried to get you alone and you refused every time. So I’m saying what I need to say now.
” He took a measured breath, the same one he used before presentations at work.
“You and I met working for your dad’s company.
High dollars. High power. This place isn’t you.
Our condo is. Granite. Leather. City views. You need to come home.”
I didn’t interrupt him. I just watched.
It struck me how little he’d changed. Same cadence. Same certainty. Same belief that reality would fall in line with whatever he wanted.
“I get that you like this rustic thing,” he continued, gesturing dismissively to my cozy cabin. “You can visit Jace whenever you want. Fill our place with handmade furniture. I’ll adjust.”
I took a breath. “The life I’m building here isn’t a phase or a tantrum or an aesthetic. It’s not a way to get your attention. It’s a correction. It’s a return to the things that used to make me happy before I got carried away with all the things money could buy.”
I glanced back at Elias, who was watching the interaction intently.
“Layne, your career—”
“I know you think being with me will put you in line to take over my dad’s company.” My voice stayed calm. “You still have that chance. My dad is a fair man, and there is one less person vying for the top position because I’m not going back.”
His jaw tightened. “I don’t know who you are in this place. This isn’t you.”
I shook my head. “You’re right, you don’t know me in this place. I’ve changed and you haven’t. That’s why we will never be together again.”
His nostrils flared and I could see the wheels turning, thinking of something to change my mind.
I continued, not wanting to give him the change. “I love my job here. I have my brother. My friends.” I met Elias’s eyes. “And I have a boyfriend who sees me for who I am. Can you just be happy for me, and let me move on?”
He looked around the cabin, clearly seeing boring where I saw belonging.
“Go put on a jacket,” I said. “Put on boots. Meet me at the real estate office in a half hour. We’ll sign the papers and be done.”
I closed the door before he could respond.
I turned to Elias. He crossed the room but stopped short, hands in his pockets.
“I’m going to sign the last paper I need to officially have Teddy out of my life,” I said.
“Okay.”
“Since I’m monologuing this morning, I’ll make one more. I don’t know when this stopped being pretend, just that it isn’t anymore. The things I’ve said and done with you, whether in front of Teddy or when we’re alone, I meant them. All of them.”
His face softened. “It never felt like an act to me.” He pulled me closer. “You used the word boyfriend,” he added carefully. “Did you mean it?”
I nodded. “Assuming you’ll have me?”
His grin was slow and real. “Of course I will.”
“Good. I’ve had enough of performative relationships to last a lifetime. I just want something honest and real.”
He brushed his thumb along my jaw. “Then stay honest and stay here with me.”
I wrapped my arms around him, resting my forehead against his chest.
“This is a big change for you. Any regrets?” he asked.
“Not a single one.”
Outside, the snow kept falling. A steady backdrop to the start of something new.
I had come here to heal. I hadn’t expected to stay. I hadn’t expected to fall for someone again. But sometimes endings aren’t endings at all. Some are beginnings if you’re brave enough to choose them.