Chapter 6
LUCY
Thank goodness I’d remembered the trail and wasn’t as blind as a bat at night. Still, it was pretty dark. The falling snow made visibility even harder, and I needed the kindling for the fire. Even if I had one before I left, I’d be happy.
I was a bit nervous. I was out here alone, and the howling had my heart racing.
My brother and I had remembered to stop at the tiny shop at the bottom of the mountain, but in the rush, I completely forgot about grabbing a firestarter or lighter fluid.
Each breath became dry against the cold night air as I picked up another piece of wood, humming to myself as I worked.
I made sure not to go too far into the woods, and my only saving grace had been the poles that illuminated the area.
Each had Christmas lights intricately wrapped around it and glowing brightly.
It was so beautiful despite the new neon-like lights.
I preferred the vintage ones, but I still enjoyed these.
My family was right. I would use the weekend to clear my head and just have fun. Did I even remember how? My people-pleasing tendencies had turned me into a shell, and now I needed to find myself again. I owed it to myself to live the rest of my life as unapologetically as possible.
My chest heaved when a rustling caught my attention.
All my senses narrowed as a figure appeared from behind the trees, standing there and watching me with its head tilted slightly to the left.
If I wasn’t frozen enough, that did the trick.
My body was trapped in place, shaking and not sure what to do next.
“Who are you?” I asked in a warning tone, gripping the small bundle of wood close to my chest. Somebody was trespassing on my property, and I wanted to know the culprit.
Fear encased me as I was met in silence. The only sounds were the crunching of the snow and my erratic breaths. If it were possible, I was sure that you could hear my heartbeat erratically against my ribs.
He took another step forward, and I sprinted, dropping the sticks and pumping my legs as fast as they would take me to get back to the house.
“Stop…running,” he grunted, picking up speed behind me.
“Are you fucking crazy?”
A tuft of air left the stranger as he attempted to call out, but the knots in my stomach told me to keep going until I had nothing left.
Unless.
I stopped short of one of the oak trees, letting the snow fall lightly on my shoulders as I turned to face him.
“This isn’t funny, M-Marco,” I shivered. “If you wanted to get a laugh out of me, this was not the way.”
He took long strides toward me, and I had nowhere to go as I was backed against the tree.
The familiar scent of pine engulfed my nostrils. My breath hitched as one of his hands braced against the tree, and the other moved to the top of his head, ripping the mask off completely.
It couldn't be.
I planted my hands against his chest, making sure he couldn’t come any closer as I stared into his eyes.
“Sam,” I whispered.
“Let me explain,” he replied before I could get another word out.
All I could do was laugh a deep, haunting laugh. The soft rumbling in my chest hid the sobs I had buried underneath. I only wanted to come out here to have an amazing weekend, not have my heart broken all over again because I needed space.
“You had plenty of time to explain., You left instead. Then you came home, and instead of making it right, you chose to go back like your life was meaningless.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Marco said you did three tours.” My gaze softened as he melted into me further. “Why is this time any different?”
Hovering right over my ear, he whispered, “Give me the weekend to show you that I made the worst mistake of my life leaving you. Let me show you that you mean more to me than life itself.”
“If you think I am going to fall right into you, then you're wrong. You had how many years to figure yourself out? And I…I don’t even know who I am anymore.”
“Can we at least talk about it in the cabin? It’s freezing.”
I straightened up and pushed past him to head toward the dim lights with my head held high.
There was no sound. I peered over my shoulder and noticed he had his hands fisted in his pockets, kicking snow, and…
muttering under his breath. I found myself calling out to him before I realized what was happening.
“Are you coming, Private?”
He chuckled, eyes remaining firmly on the ground. “That’s Sergant…Snowflake.”
I took a deep breath and rolled my eyes. “Aye aye, Sergeant. You can have any bedroom you want.”
SAM
A cold sweat washed over me as I stirred awake. Something wasn’t right, and I had no idea why my stomach protested the dinner that Lucy had shared with me, but it had me grabbing the bottle of water on the nightstand.
As the room-temperature liquid slid down my throat, I heard it.
The unmistakable sound of whimpering from down the hall.
I had to investigate, make sure Lu was okay.
I tiptoed down the hall, careful not to potentially wake her.
I stood right outside her door, itching to go in, but I wanted to listen.
If it wasn’t an emergency and I busted in there for no reason, who knows how that would have played out?
Lucy always treasured her privacy, and I wouldn’t violate that now. Placing my ear against the door, I listened in close. She was panicking, mumbling in her sleep, and begging someone to stop. When a strangled scream sounded from inside, I pushed against the door, bursting into the dimly lit room.
She jolted upright, her gaze penetrating, and forcing me to stay in place until she wanted me closer.
My own heart raced in my chest, and beads of sweat gathered on my forehead.
The curtain was drawn, casting more shadows and making it almost impossible for her to register that it was only me in the doorway.
“Who’s there?” She asked shakily, like before on the trail.
“It’s me, Lu. Can I come closer?”
My breathing slowed almost to a complete stop as I made my way over to the opposite side of the bed and got under the covers with her.
I gestured for her to come close, and she curled into me instantly, apologizing profusely every few minutes for waking me up.
I’d seen a lot of things, but nothing would give me more pleasure than dangling Jack over the side of a goddamn cliff while she watches.
“Why are you here?” she whispered into my chest.
I tried shoving the rejection back down, wanting to be with her in any way I could.
“You were having a nightmare. I’m just here for support, no funny business.”
“No, what are you doing here?” She repeated, holding me tighter. Talk about mixed signals.
“Nobody deserves to be alone so close to Christmas. Consider my presence an early gift.” I moved my thumb to the corner of her eye, wiping the tears away with a half-smile.
“Thank you,” she yawned. “For taking care of me after the accident…And for right now. Please stay.”
“I’m not going anywhere this time. I promise you that.”
We stayed up talking about her latest work drama and what led to her being laid off. I really felt for her. She’d been hit with so much in a short amount of time. She might regret this in the morning, but I’d be here tomorrow and every day after.
Her mom called back, telling her about the three feet of snow we’d gotten in the last few hours or so, with no sign of stopping anytime soon. Whether we liked it or not, we were stuck here.
“I’m sorry for being so mean.” Her voice trailed off, and her eyes fluttered closed. Soft breaths left her as she fell further. “I needed to protect myself.”
I kissed the top of her head and pulled up the covers, letting my own mind drift to her soft snores.
“I know.”