Chapter 13
The sound of Colton’s key card sliding into the hotel room door made Ally’s stomach clench. She sat on the edge of the bed, her suitcase zipped and waiting by the window, people watching as traffic was already at a standstill.
She’d been awake for hours, staring at lights that stretched endlessly in every direction, trying to memorize the view even though she knew she’d never want to see it again.
The room smelled of hotel soap and the lingering traces of Colton’s cologne, woodsy and warm, a scent that would probably make her heart ache for months.
“Didn’t want to wake you this morning. Had a breakfast meeting with my agent,” Colton said, closing the door with a gentle click.
She could see the excitement radiating from him, almost feel it in the air.
He moved with more purpose than she’d seen since he’d first come to Blueberry Hill.
His navy suit fit him perfectly, and his stunning blue eyes held a spark that she’d only seen a few times.
“How did it go?” Her voice came out rougher than intended. She cleared her throat, tasting bitter remnants of the coffee she’d ordered hours ago.
He loosened his tie and sank into the chair across from her. The space between them felt like an ocean despite being only a few feet apart.
“Great. Better than I expected.” He ran a hand through his dark hair.
“Frank thinks we can make this work long-term. Multiple endorsement deals, not just the sunglasses campaign. Sports equipment, luxury watches, maybe even broadcasting opportunities.” His voice picked up speed, words tumbling out.
“Ally, this could be everything. A way back to being someone again.”
The room felt too small. She stood and walked to the window, pressing her palm against the cold glass.
Down below, the city was in full holiday mode, yellow cabs threading through traffic, people hurrying along sidewalks with steaming cups, their breath visible in small white puffs, carrying brightly colored shopping bags as the locals went about their business, probably exasperated with all the tourists and counting down the days until the New Year when the city would go back to belonging to them.
“You already matter.” She watched her reflection ghost-like in the window. “You matter to me. To Ryan, to my whole family. You don’t need this to be someone.”
She heard the sound of the chair as he stood, felt rather than saw him move closer until he was right behind her. His reflection joined hers in the glass, and they looked like any other couple admiring the view. But tension radiated from both of them.
“What if I do?” His voice was barely above a whisper. “What if this quiet life, this hiding away in the mountains isn’t enough? What if I need more?”
Ally closed her eyes, her forehead resting against the cool window. She could smell his aftershave, feel the warmth of his body behind her. It took everything not to turn around and pretend this conversation wasn’t happening.
“Then you should take it. You should take all of it.”
“Come with me.”
The words hung in the air, and Ally felt her heart shatter and rebuild itself in the space of a breath. She turned to face him, taking in the hope and desperation warring in his expression.
“Colton...”
“No, listen.” He cupped her face in his hands, thumbs brushing across her cheekbones.
His skin was warm against hers, familiar and heartbreaking.
“We could make this work. I’d keep the lake house, so we could go back whenever you wanted.
You could expand your flower business here, working with exclusive florists. I know it’s not what you planned, but—”
“It’s not who I am.” She gently pulled away from his touch, immediately missing the warmth.
“This world—it’s beautiful, and I understand why you want it.
But I can’t live in a fishbowl. I can’t share you with cameras and reporters and fans who think they own pieces of you. I don’t want that kind of attention.”
She thought about that afternoon in Central Park when a photographer had appeared from behind a hot dog cart, snapping pictures while Colton tried to shield her face.
How he’d apologized afterward, explaining that privacy was a luxury he’d never get back.
How she’d smiled and said it was fine, even as something inside her withered.
Colton’s face crumpled. “So that’s it? You won’t even try?”
“Would you?” The question slipped out before she could stop it. “If I asked you to come back to Blueberry Hill with me today, to forget all of this and just be content with our quiet little life, would you do it?”
Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating. Outside, sirens wailed in the distance, the sound echoing off buildings before fading away.
“I don’t know,” he said finally, and she saw the exact moment he realized what that meant.
“And that’s okay.” The words felt like swallowing glass. “That’s your answer, and it’s okay. You don’t know because this matters to you. It matters enough that you’re not sure you could walk away from it, even for love.”
She moved to her suitcase, hands trembling as she lifted it. The leather handle was smooth and familiar under her palm, a reminder of the simple life waiting for her.
“Ally, wait.” Colton’s voice cracked. “What about us? What about everything we’ve built?”
“We built something beautiful. But maybe we built it in the wrong place.” She set her suitcase by the door, the wheels loud against marble. “Or maybe I did, and you’re just figuring out where you actually belong.”
She could hear him breathing behind her, quick and shallow. If she turned around now, she’d lose her resolve. The digital clock cast red numbers into the dim room: 10:47 AM.
“I love you,” Colton said, and the words hit her square in the chest. “I love you so much it terrifies me. But I don’t know how to be enough in that small life anymore. I don’t know how to just be... ordinary.”
Ally did turn then, memorizing the sight of him standing there with tears tracking down his cheeks. The morning light was stronger now, painting everything in shades of gold and gray. He looked different here than he did in her tiny house by the lake.
“You were never ordinary. Not to me. But maybe that’s the problem. Maybe I fell in love with the idea of you finding peace, and you fell in love with the idea of me helping you hide.”
The truth of it settled between them like dust.
“Will you take Daisy?” The question seemed to surprise him as much as it did her. “She wouldn’t be happy here in the city. All the noise and concrete. She needs space to run, needs...”
“Needs someone who’ll be home more than once a month?” Ally finished gently. “Of course I’ll take her. I love her too.”
“And the horses? I’ll pay for everything. Their food and upkeep, but I don’t want to sell them. They like the pasture and looking at the lake, seeing Angus and Daisy.”
A piece broke off her heart, lost forever. “Yes, I’ll take care of them. Ryan will help, he loves them.”
It was a small mercy, this practical conversation, giving them both a moment to breathe around the grief expanding in the room.
“I should go.” Though her feet felt rooted to the carpet. “I need to get to the airport.”
Colton nodded, wiping his eyes. “I’ll drive you.”
“No. I think it’s easier if I just go.”
She moved toward the door, hand on the handle, when his voice stopped her.
“Will you—can I call you? To check on Daisy and the horses, I mean. And to...”
“You can call about them. But Colton? Don’t call to check on me. Or text to see how I’m doing. Please don’t make this harder than it already is.”
The hallway outside was empty, all thick carpet and sterile artwork under the fluorescent lighting. The elevator arrived with a soft ding, and as the doors closed, Ally caught one last glimpse of Colton standing in the doorway, looking lost and beautiful and like a stranger all at once.
The plane lifted off from LaGuardia just as the sun broke through the clouds, the sky a brilliant blue.
Ally pressed her face to the small window, watching New York shrink away until it was just another glittering patch on the landscape.
Her reflection stared back, pale and hollow-eyed, but somehow determined.
The woman beside her was reading a romance novel, the cover showing a couple in passionate embrace. Ally had to look away. The flight attendant offered peanuts and a drink, and she asked for a bloody mary. It gave her something to focus on besides the ache in her chest.
Two hours later, the mountains of North Carolina rose up to meet them, all rolling green peaks dusted with snow. From the air, they looked like a warm embrace, welcoming her home. The Asheville regional airport was small, and she breathed easier as soon as she stepped off the plane.
The drive back to Blueberry Hill took two hours of winding mountain roads and familiar landmarks that helped piece her heart back together bit by bit.
She stopped once for gas and lunch, and the waitress recognized her, asking how her flower business was doing.
Such a simple, genuine interaction that she almost started crying right there by the register.
When she finally pulled into her driveway, the sun was setting behind the mountains, painting everything in soft purple and gold.
The lake stretched out before her, peaceful and still, reflecting the sky like a mirror.
Her greenhouse caught the last light, and she could see silhouettes of the plants, still thriving despite her absence.
She sat in her car, taking in the sight of home.
The cottage across the property where her mother lived, the little garage apartment where Ryan and Christina were staying, the dock where she and Colton had spent so many evenings planning their future.
It all looked the same, she was the one that was fundamentally changed.
“Huh, there’s a camper.” It had to be the camper her mom texted her about for Ryan’s friend, Sam. It was cute, very vintage.
A movement near the front door caught her eye. Daisy sat on the porch, tail wagging slowly, as if she’d been waiting. The dog moved stiffly—arthritis that the cold weather made worse—but her brown eyes were bright with welcome.
“Hey, girl,” Ally whispered, climbing out of the car. Daisy approached carefully, sniffing her hands before pressing her graying muzzle into Ally’s palm. “Looks like it’s just us now.”
Footsteps on gravel made her turn. Ryan appeared from the direction of the cottage, his dark hair tousled and his young face creased with concern. Angus trotted beside him, immediately going to greet Daisy with a gentle bump of his nose.
“Ally!” Ryan’s voice cracked slightly—he was still growing into it—and before she knew it, he was pulling her into a fierce hug. He smelled like a teenager and wood smoke and the laundry detergent her mother used. Comforting and familiar and exactly what she needed.
“I missed you too,” she murmured into his hair, holding him tight. “How’s your friend? How’s everyone?”
“Sam’s good. Really good, actually. Christina’s been teaching her to knit, and Mom’s been helping her with schoolwork. She’s so smart, Ally, you wouldn’t believe it.” Ryan pulled back, his dark blue eyes searching her face. “But where’s Colton? Didn’t he come back with you?”
The question landed like a stone in her chest. Her carefully constructed composure started to crumble. “Daisy’s going to live with me now,” she managed, her voice barely above a whisper. “Colton is staying in New York.”
Ryan’s face fell as he processed what that meant. “Oh. Oh, I’m sorry. Are you—”
“I’m okay. I’m going to be okay. Different, but okay.”
She looked around at the mountains rising around them, at the lake reflecting the last light of day, at the little house she’d built with her own hands. This was real. It was hers. And it would be enough.
The cottage door opened across the property, and her mom appeared on the porch, backlit by warm yellow light spilling from inside. She didn’t call out or wave, just stood there watching. Ally knew her mother could read the entire story in her posture.
“Come on,” Ryan said gently, picking up her suitcase. “Tara made that roast we like, with the potatoes and carrots for dinner.”
He set her suitcase inside her house as she took a few minutes to pet Mandy.
Then they walked over to the cottage, Daisy and Angus trailing behind them, as she breathed in the crisp mountain air.
It smelled of pine and woodsmoke and the promise of snow, like home and heartbreak and new beginnings all rolled into one.
She was different now, scarred but maybe a bit stronger than she’d been before the trip.
She’d loved someone enough to let them go, and that had to count for something.
Tomorrow she’d figure out how to rebuild her life around this new shape, this new understanding of what love could be.
Tonight, she’d let her family take care of her, and she’d let herself grieve what she’d lost while celebrating what she’d gained.
The cottage door opened as they approached, and warm light spilled out onto the porch along with the sound of voices and laughter.
Christina appeared in the doorway, her blonde hair pulled back and her face bright with welcome.
Behind her, Sam hovered uncertainly, clearly part of the family, but still not entirely sure of her place.
“Welcome home,” Christina called, and Ally felt the words settle into her bones like a promise.
Home. Yes, this was home. And maybe, for now that was enough.