Chapter 41
DARCY
“Darcy! Oh my god!”
Penny greeted Darcy with a squeal as she walked back into the lobby of the Royal Alpine. She shot up from her chair and ducked out from behind the desk, running over to her.
“You’re all over the news,” she said. “Heartbook is going wild! Is it true? You and Devlin Storm?”
Darcy couldn’t help but smile, even though she felt terribly embarrassed at the fact her face was being broadcast to the world. She nodded, and Penny squealed again, drawing the attention of a few staff members nearby. They quickly returned to their tasks, but Darcy could feel the curious glances being thrown her way.
“I’m so jealous!” her friend said. “But I’m so, so happy for you. I mean, Devlin Storm. What are you even doing here? Shouldn’t you be off on some glamourous adventure with him?”
Darcy hefted her travel bag higher on her shoulder, feeling the weight of it pull her back into reality. The driver had taken her back to her apartment and kindly waited for her there while she gathered a few essential items — warm clothes, scarf, gloves, thermals, thick pyjamas. She had packed quickly, almost on autopilot, her mind too full of the events of the day to process what she was doing. Yet, somehow, everything had fallen into place. And now, here she was, back at the Royal Alpine, with a flutter of nerves in her stomach that had nothing to do with the helicopter waiting outside.
The truth was, she wasn’t entirely sure what she was doing back here. But she understood exactly what Devlin had said to her during the press conference — and those words had been for her, and her alone. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, where she was supposed to go.
“I came to say goodbye,” she said. “For now, anyway.”
“You’re leaving?” Penny asked. “With Devlin?”
Darcy nodded, a shy smile tugging at her lips.
“Yes, with Devlin. He’s . . . waiting for me.”
“You look radiant,” Penny told her. “Honestly, you look so happy. It’s like you’re a completely different person.”
“I am, I think,” Darcy said. “I don’t feel afraid anymore. I think I’m ready for an adventure.”
It was the first time Darcy had ever said those words out loud, and the realisation filled her with a quiet strength. She had spent so much of her life afraid — afraid of failure, afraid of the unknown, afraid of opening herself up to love — but something had changed. Devlin had changed her, or rather, had shown her the person she had been all along, buried beneath the layers of fear and self-doubt. She was no longer the timid girl from Wisconsin, scared of stepping out of her comfort zone. She was someone new — someone stronger, braver, and ready for whatever came next.
The staff door at the far side of the lobby opened and Abigail Lamb walked out, a bundle of winter gear in her hands. She smiled at Darcy as she walked over.
“You’re here,” she said, handing Darcy a thick thermal jacket and a pair of climbing boots. “There’s a helicopter waiting for you, as Devlin instructed, but the pilot doesn’t know where he’s supposed to go.”
“It’s okay,” Darcy said, taking the jacket and boots with a grateful nod. “I can show him.”
“Then put these on,” she urged. “And come with me.”
Darcy slid the coat on, zipping it up to her chin, then kicked off her heels and slid her feet into the boots. The heavy-duty nylon felt stiff on her ankles, but the warmth was immediate.
“Good luck,” said Penny.
Darcy flashed her a grateful smile and hugged her tightly, before following Abigail out of the lobby and down the staff corridor that led towards the hangar. It was a familiar path, yet everything felt different now. It was still freezing outside, but the sky was blue. She’d listened to the weather report while she was packing and there were no more storm warnings. Everything was perfectly clear. It was as if the universe itself had conspired to give her a smooth journey, a clean slate.
There was a helicopter on the landing pad, its rotors spinning.
“There’s a job here for you if you need it,” Abigail said with a grin. “But something tells me you probably won’t. Maybe we’ll see you again one day, as a guest.”
“Thank you,” Darcy said. “For everything.”
With a wave of gratitude, she clutched her bag and ran up to the landing pad. The pilot, a tall man in a flight suit, held the door open for her and she clambered in, fastening her belt and putting the headphones on. She’d thought that being on yet another helicopter would scare her, but it didn’t. She did feel like a new person, stronger and braver, and she knew that Devlin had enabled her to change. Adventure was waiting for her, and for the very first time in her life she was excited about it.
“Where to, miss?” the pilot asked, settling into his seat and glancing at her expectantly.
“East,” she said. “Head into the mountains. I’ll tell you when to stop.”
The pilot nodded, and with a gentle jolt, the chopper lifted off the landing pad, rising steadily into the air. Darcy looked down at the resort, waving a goodbye to Abigail and the life she had known there. Then they banked to the side and the mountains filled the windscreen, bathed in golden light. The peaks all looked the same, and for a moment she wondered if she would even be able to find her way, but she didn’t have to worry, the location was locked inside her. A place she would never forget.
“There,” she said after fifteen minutes of flying. “Can you see the lights?”
It was hard, because they were almost covered by the snow falling around them, but the pilot nodded, steering the chopper towards the slope. They touched down lightly.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay out here?” the man asked, his voice fed into her ears through the headphones. Darcy nodded as she took them off.
“I’ll be great,” she said, giving him the thumbs up.
She pulled the door open and climbed out, ducking beneath the still-spinning blades as the helicopter lifted off again, its powerful roar echoing in the stillness. Darcy stood there for a moment, watching as the helicopter disappeared into the sky, leaving her alone on the snowy slope.
Then she turned around to face the little wooden cabin.
Her heart fluttered as she took in the sight of it. The place where everything had changed. It looked just as it had before — small, unassuming, nestled against the mountainside. Yet somehow, it felt different. It felt like home. Darcy should be worried, she knew. What if she’d misunderstood? What if she’d got it wrong? What if Devlin hadn’t been able to get here?
But there wasn’t a single trace of anxiety or doubt in her. She knew he was here. She just knew .
She trudged to the cabin, the snow crunching beneath her boots, her footprints covered almost immediately by the new snowfall pattering around her. There was no sign of life inside, the windows dark, and she stopped by the door. It felt like a million years ago that she had left this little place — another life, another her.
Taking a deep breath, she reached out and knocked on the door.
There was no reply. The cabin remained silent, the snow-covered world around her still and quiet.
Darcy knocked again, and this time she heard footsteps from inside. The door swung open and Devlin was there. He was dressed in winter gear, his arm strapped in a huge cast and a sling, and he gave her the most amazing smile she had ever seen.
“Sorry,” he said. “I was just lighting the fire.”
Darcy’s heart fluttered at the thought of the two of them, curled up by the fire together, just like they had been the first time they stayed in the cabin. The memory of that night, the warmth of the flames and the way they’d fallen asleep next to each other, but still so oblivious to what would happen between them, washed over her, making her knees feel weak.
She couldn’t explain the change in her. Somehow, in just a few days, everything had turned upside down. It was surreal to think how she’d gone from not liking Devlin to something far, far better. Somewhere between survival and surrender she’d found a confidence she didn’t know she had, and with that had come a turning point.
“And so we meet again,” he said. “You knew?”
Darcy nodded and smile. “I knew.”
Without another word, Devlin reached out with his good hand, and Darcy took it, their fingers intertwining as if they had always belonged together. His hand was strong but gentle, and in that touch, Darcy felt everything — his love, his devotion, his trust. It was all there, unspoken but understood. She felt high on the victory of it all.
“I would carry you over the threshold,” he said, gesturing at his arm. “But, you know . . .”
Darcy laughed.
“Then how about a kiss instead?” she said, reaching up on her tiptoes.
He granted her wish, his lips impossibly warm. Darcy melted into him, feeling the world fade away. When he stood back, his green eyes twinkled intensely, and Darcy thought she saw flashes of colour there, like the fish moving beneath the ice.
“It’s great to see you, my little adventurer,” he said, pulling her gently into the cabin.
“Right back at you, my work-in-progress,” Darcy laughed, taking off her jacket and boots at the door. “In fact, you absolutely rocked that press conference, maybe you’re a work-no-longer-in-progress.”
The cabin was exactly as she remembered it — the smell of woodsmoke, the cosy warmth of the fire crackling in the hearth, the rustic simplicity that made it feel like a world apart from everything else.
Devlin closed the door behind them, shutting out the cold and the outside world, and Darcy felt a deep sense of peace settle over her. This was where she was meant to be. With him. In this cabin, in this moment. Nothing else mattered.
“Come on,” Devlin said, leading her over to the fire. “Let’s get warm.”
They sat together on the floor in front of the flames, the heat from the fire wrapping around them like a blanket. Devlin draped his good arm over her shoulders, pulling her close to him. She leaned into him, resting her head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
For a long time, they didn’t speak. They didn’t need to. The silence between them was comfortable, filled with the unspoken understanding that they had finally found what they had been searching for.
After a while, Darcy lifted her head to look at him, her heart swelling with love. He was so handsome, stupidly handsome really. And he was hers.
“This is equal parts exciting and terrifying,” she said, grinning.
He smiled, a slow, contented smile, and kissed her. “It wouldn’t be a Devlin Storm adventure if it wasn’t a bit of both.”