Chapter 12 Eli
TWELVE
ELI
The next morning feels different. Quieter.
Easier. Daisy wakes up in my arms with a slow, sleepy smile that hits me straight in the chest. We linger in bed longer than we should, trading lazy kisses and soft touches until the sun is fully up and her stomach growls loud enough for both of us to hear it.
I make us breakfast while she showers. Simple things. Eggs, toast, fresh coffee. She comes out wearing one of my flannel shirts again, sleeves rolled up, hair damp and curling at the ends. She looks like she belongs here. The thought settles deep and warm inside me.
After we eat I stand and offer her my hand. “Come on. I want to show you the property. Properly this time. Not just the path between the cabin and the lodge.”
Her eyes light up. “I would love that.”
We bundle up against the cold and step outside. The snow is crisp under our boots, the air sharp and clean. I keep her hand in mine as we walk, matching my pace to hers even though her ankle is almost back to normal.
I start with the garage. It’s a large metal building tucked behind the main lodge. I slide the big door open and flip on the lights. The space is filled with vehicles. Trucks, SUVs, a couple of ATVs, and an old Jeep we keep for rough terrain.
“These are the workhorses,” I tell her. “We keep everything maintained and fueled. In winter we rotate tires and add chains. If anything happens up here we need to be able to move fast.”
Daisy walks between the rows, trailing her fingers along the hood of one of the trucks. “You all really prepare for anything, don’t you?”
“We try. Living on a mountain teaches you that fast.”
Next I take her to the armory. It’s a reinforced concrete building with a heavy steel door. I punch in the code and let her step inside. Racks of rifles, handguns, ammunition, and tactical gear line the walls. Everything is organized and locked down.
Her eyes widen but she doesn’t look scared. Just thoughtful. “This is for protection?”
“Mostly. We don’t go looking for trouble, but we’re ready if it finds us.” I rest a hand on her lower back. “You’re safe here, Daisy. I need you to believe that.”
She nods slowly. “I’m starting to.”
From there we walk to the workshop. It’s my favorite building on the property. The smell of sawdust and wood stain hits me the second I open the door. Tools hang neatly on the walls. Half-finished projects sit on workbenches.
Daisy steps inside and breathes in deep. “This smells amazing.”
I smile despite myself. “This is where I come when I need to clear my head. I build furniture. Nothing fancy. Just solid pieces that last.”
She walks over to a large oak dining table I’ve been working on for the last few months. Her fingers trace the grain. “This is beautiful, Eli. Did you make the furniture in your cabin too?”
“Yeah. All of it. The bed frame, the kitchen table, the bookshelves, even the coffee table. It calms me. After the war I needed something to do with my hands that wasn’t patching people up or holding a gun. Building things helps. It reminds me I can create instead of just destroy.”
She turns to me, eyes soft. “I love that. It makes the cabin feel even more like home knowing you made everything in it.”
The word “home” lands warmly in my chest. I pull her closer and kiss the top of her head.
We spend a long time in the workshop. I show her the rocking chair I’m making for Harper and Rafe’s porch, the small bookshelf I started for Aidan’s room, the simple nightstand I’ve been sanding for my own cabin.
Daisy asks questions about tools and wood types.
She listens like she really cares. It feels good to share this part of myself with her.
After the workshop I walk her past the other cabins. We don’t go inside any of them, but I point each one out and tell her a little about who lives there.
“Rafe and Harper are in the big one closest to the lodge. They have the most room because of Poppi. Gavin and Kayley are two down from them with Aidan. Rhett and Emma are on the far side. Chase and Fiona are next to them. Silas and Hannah have the one furthest back. Boyd, Harlan, Thorne, and Wyatt each have their own smaller places. Everyone has space but we’re close enough to help if anyone needs it. ”
Daisy looks at the row of sturdy log cabins nestled among the pines. “It really is like a family here.”
“It is. Found family, but family all the same.”
We head back toward my cabin as the sun starts to dip lower. The walk feels slower now, more relaxed. Daisy slips her hand into mine and leans against my side. The quiet between us is comfortable. No pressure. No fear hanging over every word.
When we get inside I start pulling ingredients out for dinner. “You want to help?”
She smiles. “I would love to.”
We cook together. Nothing fancy. Grilled pork chops, roasted vegetables, and rice.
She chops vegetables while I season the pork.
We bump into each other on purpose, stealing quick kisses between tasks.
She laughs when I steal a piece of carrot from her cutting board.
I laugh when she flicks a drop of olive oil at me.
The kitchen fills with warmth and the smell of good food and even better company.
We eat at the small table by the window.
Conversation flows easy. She tells me more about the books she used to read in secret, about the patients she helped at the hospital volunteer program, about the little ways she tried to carve out a life for herself under her father’s control.
I tell her about my early days at Haven 7, about the first piece of furniture I ever built here, about how the mountain slowly started to feel like home again after the war.
After dinner we clean up together, then move to the couch. I build up the fire while she grabs the big quilt. We settle in under it, her head on my chest, my arm around her shoulders. The fire crackles softly. Outside the wind moves through the pines, but inside everything feels peaceful.
She traces small circles on my chest with her fingertip. “Today was perfect,” she says quietly. “Walking around with you, seeing everything, feeling like I could actually belong here. I haven’t felt this safe or this happy in… I don’t even know how long.”
I tighten my arm around her. “You do belong here. I want you to feel that. Not just today. Every day.”
She tilts her head up and kisses me softly. The kiss deepens slowly, turning warm and lingering. We do not rush. We just enjoy being close, touching, breathing the same air.
I stroke her hair and hold her against me. The quiet moments like this mean as much as the heated ones. Maybe more. She fits against me like she was made to be there. The thought should scare me. Instead it settles something deep inside my chest.
We stay on the couch for hours. Talking. Kissing. Simply being together. The fire burns lower. The cabin grows cozier. Daisy’s breathing eventually slows as she drifts toward sleep in my arms.
I look down at her, peaceful and trusting, and feel the truth settle over me like the quilt we’re sharing.
I’m falling in love with her.
Hard. Fast. Completely.
And for the first time in my life, I’m not trying to fight it.
I press a gentle kiss to the top of her head and hold her a little tighter.
Whatever comes next with Dominic, with her father, with the threat still hovering somewhere out there, we’ll face it together.
But right now, in this quiet cabin on the mountain, with Daisy warm and safe in my arms, everything feels exactly right.
This is what home feels like.
And I never want to lose it.