Chapter Thirteen
Sadie
I shove the last sweater into my suitcase and zip it closed, my hands shaking so hard the zipper snags. This isn’t how I imagined this would all go.
I thought maybe we’d make it, that we’d find some kind of rhythm in this strange, makeshift marriage. That maybe— maybe —Reid would see me, that he would choose me.
But I was wrong.
I blink hard and press my lips together. I will not cry. Not in front of him. Not when he won’t even fight for me.
The sound of heavy footsteps behind me sends a shiver down my spine. I glance over my shoulder to find Reid leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed tight over his chest. His face is unreadable, but his eyes are dark and stormy.
“Don’t do this,” he says, his voice low, rough.
A sharp, bitter laugh escapes me. “Oh, now you have something to say?” I shake my head and turn back to my suitcase, yanking on the zipper until it finally closes. “Where were you when I was trying to be your wife? When I was trying to be your friend?”
He doesn’t answer.
I spin to face him, my chest rising and falling too fast. “I don’t belong here, Reid. I thought I did. I thought we were building something, even if it wasn’t a once-in-a-lifetime romance, but I was wrong.”
He flinches, just barely. “This isn’t about—”
“This is about the fact that I love you,” I snap, my voice breaking. I force myself to breathe, to stay steady. “I love you. But I won’t stay where I’m not wanted.”
Something flickers across his face—pain, regret, maybe even longing—but he doesn’t move. He doesn’t say a word.
I wait and wait. But the silence stretches, filling the room with something thick and unbearable. My heart cracks wide open.
I nod once, more to myself than to him. “That’s what I thought.”
Lifting my chin, I grab my suitcase and push past him, my shoulder barely brushing his as I leave.
He doesn’t stop me.
The wind bites at my cheeks as I trudge into town, my breath coming in unsteady puffs of white against the cold air. The walk from the cabin to Pine Hollow isn’t long, but every step feels heavier than the last.
I don’t let myself cry. Not yet.
The moment I push through the door of Annie’s café, warmth and the scent of cinnamon wrap around me like a hug. The bell over the entrance jingles, but before I can even take a step inside, Annie is there, taking one look at me and sighing.
“Oh, honey,” she murmurs, her expression soft with understanding.
I let out a shaky laugh and sink into the nearest chair, dropping my suitcase beside me. “That obvious?”
Annie slides into the seat across from me, her hands wrapped around a steaming mug of coffee. “You’ve got that ‘just had my heart stomped on by a stubborn man’ look about you.”
I groan, letting my head fall into my hands. “I should never have answered that ad.”
She doesn’t say anything, just waits, letting me get it all out.
“Not because I regret meeting him,” I continue, my voice thick. “But because now I know what it feels like to love someone. And I know what it feels like to lose him.”
Her face softens as she reaches across the table, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.
I swallow the lump in my throat. “I need a place to stay until I figure things out. I can’t go back to the cabin.”
Annie nods immediately and with no hesitation. “You’ll stay with me.”
Relief rushes through me, even though it doesn’t ease the ache in my chest. “Thank you.”
She studies me for a long moment. “Will you at least stay through the Valentine’s Day dance?”
I blink at her. “Annie—”
“Hear me out,” she says, holding up a hand. “You’ve spent all this time making a place for yourself here. People here love you, Sadie. And maybe… just maybe… Reid needs time to get his head out of his own stubborn ass.”
I let out a weak laugh, but my heart clenches. “I don’t want to wait around for something that’s never going to happen.”
“I’m just asking you not to make any big decisions yet,” she says gently. “Give yourself a little more time.”
I hesitate, my fingers tightening around the edge of the table. “I don’t know, Annie.”
She leans back, a knowing look in her eyes. “You’ve started building a life here, Sadie. You can still have that life without Reid. It might hurt for a while, but I don’t want you to leave Pine Hollow just because of him.”
I don’t answer. I can’t. Because deep down, I know she’s right. I want to stay. I want to fight for this life I’ve started to carve out. For the friendships I’ve made. For him .
But how can I stay when he won’t even fight for me?
Annie squeezes my hand one last time before standing. “I’ll get you some tea. And a cinnamon roll.”
I nod absently, staring down at the table. “I’ll think about staying.”
And that’s the best I can do.