27. Lila
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Lila
I sat on the porch steps of my dad’s house, clutching the package in my lap like it might explode.
My fingers trembled as I flipped through the photos for what had to be the hundredth time, my stomach twisting tighter with each glance.
The first was me at Lucky’s Tavern, laughing at something Colt had said, his hand resting on the back of my chair from the night of our date.
The second was me and Jaxon, outside the cabin where we went skiing, his arm around my shoulders, our heads close together.
And the last one was the one I couldn’t stop staring at: Ryan kissing me, his hand cupping my face in that soft, protective way only he could pull off.
Each photo had a note attached. Sloppy, jagged handwriting scrawled in black marker.
“Does Nate know?”
“How do you think this will look to the town?”
“You can’t hide forever.”
I felt sick. Who would do this? Who would follow me, take these pictures, and send them to me?
My hands clenched the stack of photos, and I fought back the urge to shred them into a million pieces.
The sound of a truck pulling into the driveway made me jump. I quickly shoved the photos back into the envelope and wiped at my eyes, but it was too late.
“Lila?” Colt’s voice called out, warm and full of concern.
I looked up to see him striding toward me, his black hair messy, his gray eyes scanning me like I might fall apart any second. He stopped at the bottom of the steps, crouching so we were eye level.
“Hey,” he said gently, his gaze softening as he took me in. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly, shaking my head. My voice came out too high, too sharp.
He frowned. “Don’t do that. Don’t lie to me.”
I sucked in a shaky breath, my hands clenching the envelope. He didn’t break eye contact, his steady presence grounding me even as the panic threatened to take over.
“It’s just…” I hesitated, my throat tightening. “It’s bad, Colt. Really bad.”
“Let me see,” he said, his voice firm but kind.
I hesitated, clutching the envelope tighter.
“Lila,” he said softly, placing his hand over mine. “Whatever it is, we’ll handle it. Together.”
Something about the way he said it—so certain, so steady—made the dam break. Tears spilled down my cheeks, and I let out a small, choked sob.
Colt’s hand tightened over mine, and I nodded, finally handing him the envelope.
He pulled out the photos, his jaw tightening as he flipped through them. His eyes darkened, a storm brewing in their gray depths.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered under his breath.
I wiped at my face, trying to pull myself together. “I don’t know who sent them,” I said, my voice trembling. “Or why. But they’ve been following me, Colt. Watching me. And now they’re threatening to tell Nate… tell the whole town.”
He set the photos down carefully, then reached for my hands, holding them tightly between his own. His palms were rough and warm, his grip solid and reassuring.
“Hey,” he said, his voice low and steady. “Look at me.”
I lifted my eyes to his, the tears blurring my vision.
“Whoever did this is a coward,” he said firmly. “They’re trying to scare you, trying to control you. But they don’t know who they’re dealing with. You’re stronger than this, Lila. You’ve been through worse, and you’ve come out the other side every damn time.”
I let out a shaky breath, his words breaking through the fear clawing at my chest.
“We’re not going to let them win,” he continued. “We’ll figure out who’s behind this, and we’ll stop them. But you’re not alone in this, okay? You’ve got me. You’ve got Jaxon and Ryan. Hell, even Nate would have your back if he knew.”
I shook my head, fresh tears spilling over. “What if he hates me? What if he finds out and… and it ruins everything?”
Colt’s expression softened, and he reached up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear.
“Nate loves you, Lila. He might be pissed at first, but he’d never hate you. And as for the rest of the town? Screw them. What matters is that you’re happy. That we’re happy.”
His words settled in my chest, the truth of them cutting through the haze of fear.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I whispered.
“You’ll never have to find out,” he said, his voice filled with quiet conviction.
For the first time since opening that package, I felt like I could breathe again. Colt pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly as I let the last of my tears fall.
“We’ll figure this out,” he murmured against my hair. “I promise.”
The drive to Ryan’s house was a blur. Colt kept his hand on mine the entire time, his thumb running soothing circles over my skin, but my mind was too tangled to settle.
What if the whole town turned on me? What if people thought I was some kind of… I couldn’t even finish the thought.
The fact that I’d helped with the firefighter calendar only made it worse. What if they thought I’d been using the project as an excuse to get close to them? What if Nate found out and thought the same thing?
By the time Colt pulled into Ryan’s driveway, I felt like I was seconds away from falling apart again.
The cozy house stood in stark contrast to the chaos swirling inside of me. It was a simple place, tucked away on the edge of town, with a wraparound porch and a few strings of twinkling lights still up from Christmas.
Jaxon’s truck was already there, and Ryan stood on the porch, arms crossed over his chest as he watched us pull up. His brow furrowed when he saw me, his eyes softening in that way that always made my chest ache.
Colt parked the truck, then came around to open my door, his hand outstretched. I took it, grateful for the steadiness of his touch.
“Let’s get you inside,” he said gently.
Ryan met us halfway down the path, his sharp gaze flicking between the two of us before settling on me.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice calm but firm.
“She got a package,” Colt said, his tone dark. “Photos. Threats.”
Ryan’s jaw tightened, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “Show me.”
Colt handed him the envelope, and Ryan took it without a word, flipping through the photos with a look of growing fury.
Jaxon appeared in the doorway, his expression tense. “What’s going on?”
Ryan handed him the envelope, his lips pressed into a thin line. Jaxon’s eyes scanned the photos, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the edge of the stack.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, shoving the photos back into the envelope. “Who the hell is doing this?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but the words caught in my throat. Instead, I just shook my head, fresh tears spilling over.
“Hey,” Ryan said softly, stepping closer. “Come here.”
I didn’t hesitate. He pulled me into his arms, his strong, steady presence wrapping around me like a shield.
“We’ve got you,” he murmured, his voice low and soothing. “You’re safe.”
Jaxon joined us a moment later, his hand brushing over my back as he stepped into the circle Ryan had created around me.
“You’re not alone in this, Lila,” Jaxon said. “We’ll figure out who’s behind it. I swear.”
I nodded against Ryan’s chest, the warmth of his embrace easing some of the tension in my body.
“Let’s get you inside,” Colt said gently, his hand resting on the small of my back.
Once we were inside, they didn’t give me a chance to spiral.
Ryan disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a cup of tea, the mug warm and comforting in my hands. Jaxon grabbed a blanket from the couch and draped it over my shoulders, his hands lingering just long enough to reassure me.
Colt disappeared for a moment, then returned with a plate of cookies he’d apparently stashed somewhere.
“You guys are ridiculous,” I said, a weak laugh slipping out despite myself.
“You’re our girl,” Colt said with a shrug, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “We take care of our girl.”
The warmth in his voice, in all of their voices, settled something deep inside me. For the first time since opening the package, I didn’t feel completely untethered.
But the fear still lingered.
“What if this ruins everything?” I asked quietly.
Ryan kneeled in front of me, his green eyes steady and sure. “It won’t,” he said firmly.
“But what if it does?” I pressed. “The town… gossip spreads like wildfire here. If this gets out…”
“Then let it,” Jaxon said, his voice cutting through the room like a blade. “We’ll deal with it. Together.”
“It’s not that simple,” I said, my throat tightening. “I worked with you guys on the calendar. People are going to think… they’re going to think I was mixing work with… with whatever this is.”
Colt sat down beside me, his hand on my knee. “Let them think what they want. We know the truth, and that’s what matters.”
“You’re not some scandal, Lila,” Ryan said, his voice soft but resolute. “You’re the woman we care about. The woman we’re willing to fight for. If people can’t see that, it’s their problem, not yours.”
I looked between them, my heart twisting at the intensity in their eyes. They weren’t just saying the words to make me feel better. They meant them.
Jaxon leaned against the back of the couch, his piercing blue eyes locked on mine. “You’ve been through hell and back, Lila. Don’t let some coward with a camera take away what makes you happy.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. Because he was right.
I’d spent so much of my life letting other people’s opinions dictate my choices, my happiness. But here, with them, I didn’t have to do that anymore.
I wasn’t sure how we were going to fix this, but for the first time in hours, I felt like we actually could.
Because I wasn’t alone.
I had them.
And maybe that was enough.