Chapter Six
Ellie woke slowly, the warmth of his body still lingering beneath the thin blanket. For a moment, she didn’t remember where she was.
Just the weight of his arm draped over her waist, the soft sound of his breathing behind her, the scent of pine smoke and skin and something unmistakably Dasher in the air. Her chest ached with a quiet tenderness.
Then memory hit all at once. The blizzard, the old cabin, the firelight, his mouth on hers, their bodies tangling in the dark. And God help her, the way she’d said she’d never stopped loving him and meant every word.
Ellie kept her eyes closed and soaked in the warmth, the illusion, just a little longer. She hadn’t felt this close to him in years. Not just physically, but emotionally. Like something old and stubborn had finally given way.
But the illusion didn’t last. The bed shifted behind her. The warmth disappeared.
She opened her eyes and turned to see Dasher already on his feet, pulling on his jeans and shirt with brisk efficiency. His shoulders were tense, his movements stiff. He didn’t look at her as he grabbed his flannel from the floor and yanked it on.
“Morning,” she said softly.
He nodded without meeting her gaze. “Yeah. Morning.”
Something inside her went cold.
Ellie sat up slowly, the blanket clutched to her chest. “How’s the weather?”
“Storm’s cleared.” His voice was low, clipped. “Sky’s bright. Roads should be passable soon.”
“Oh.” She tried to keep her voice light, like her heart wasn’t sinking with every word. “That’s good.”
He busied himself near the fireplace, kicking at the embers like they’d personally offended him. The silence stretched between them like a canyon.
Ellie swallowed. “Dash?”
“Hmm?”
“About last night...” Ellie began.
“It was cold,” he interrupted quickly. “We were stranded. Tense situation. We—”
“Don’t,” she said quietly, a warning in her voice. “Don’t reduce it to that.”
He turned, finally meeting her eyes, but his expression was unreadable. Guarded. As if a wall had slammed down between them overnight.
“It shouldn’t have happened,” he said, softer now. “You’ve got Maddy. A whole life. You don’t need me messing that up.”
Her stomach twisted. “You didn’t seem too worried about that last night,” she pointed out.
“I wasn’t thinking straight.”
What the hell? Her face flushed hot with shame. “So it was a mistake?” Ellie demanded.
He looked away. “I didn’t say that.”
“But you meant it,” she said, heart deflating.
He didn’t answer. That silence said everything.
Ellie stood, grabbing her clothes with shaking hands. She dressed quickly, avoiding his gaze, her fingers fumbling with the buttons of her sweater. Last night’s intimacy felt like a cruel joke now, like a dream she’d let herself believe in for too long.
“I must’ve been an idiot,” she said flatly. “Thinking anything changed.”
“Ellie...” Dasher began.
“I’m fine,” she said, cutting him off. “We’ll get back to town, unload the toys, and pretend none of this happened. Like always.”
“That’s not what I want.”
“Then what do you want, Dasher?” she snapped, turning to face him. “Because I’m tired of the mixed signals. I’m tired of you pulling me in just to shove me away.”
He opened his mouth, but no words came.
She shook her head. “Exactly.”
The wind had stilled outside, but the cabin suddenly felt colder than it had all night.
Ellie grabbed her boots and yanked them on. She didn’t want to cry. Not here. Not in front of him. Not again.
He moved toward her, reaching for her arm. “Ellie—”
She flinched away before he could touch her. “Don’t.”
A beat of silence passed.
Finally, she said, quieter, “You don’t get to pick and choose when I matter.”
That seemed to land somewhere deep, because he flinched like she’d struck him. But he still didn’t say the one thing she needed to hear. He didn’t reach for her. Didn’t fight for what they’d shared last night.
So, Ellie did what she always did when it came to Dasher. She swallowed the ache, pasted on a brittle smile, and walked past him toward the door.
The drive back was silent. No music. No small talk. Just the occasional crackle of the heater and the sound of tires crunching through slush as they wound their way back into town.
Ellie stared out the window, arms folded tight across her chest. The snow had blanketed everything in white, turning the world soft and silent. It should’ve felt magical. It didn’t.
Every now and then, Dasher glanced her way, like he wanted to say something. But whatever words he found, he swallowed them down. He kept his hands on the wheel and his heart locked up tight.
By the time they reached the community center, Ellie was vibrating with restless, frustrated hurt. She helped unload the boxes in silence, her movements sharp and efficient. The volunteers were too busy unpacking to notice the tension between them, but it hung in the air like smoke.
Dasher carried the last box inside, then turned back to her.
“Ellie,” he began.
“Thanks for the ride,” she said coolly, already walking toward her car.
“Can we—”
She looked at him over her shoulder, her heart aching. “No. Not right now.”
His shoulders slumped. “Okay.”
Ellie got into her car, closed the door, and rested her forehead against the steering wheel.
She’d told him she never stopped loving him, and all she got in return was silence.
****
Dasher hadn’t left. Even after she walked away from him in the parking lot, her shoulders stiff, chin lifted like she didn’t give a damn, he couldn’t bring himself to leave.
Because he knew better. He knew that walk, that posture. He’d seen it before. The first time he left town. When Ellie stood on her porch and told him she wouldn’t wait. That she had a life to build.
Now here they were again. Ten years older.
No wiser. God, he’d screwed it up. Dasher leaned against his bike just outside the community center, arms crossed, eyes locked on the door she’d walked through nearly twenty minutes ago.
He hadn’t followed her inside. He didn’t want to crowd her.
But every instinct in him screamed to go after her.
He should’ve said something. Should’ve told her the truth.
That last night had been everything. That the feel of her skin, her breath against his neck, the way she looked at him in the firelight .
.. it wrecked him. Undid him in a way he hadn’t felt since the first time she said “I love you” in the back of his old truck.
But instead of saying any of that, he’d shut down. Because he was a coward. He’d told himself he was protecting her. That if he pulled away now, he could spare her the pain of what he might become again. A man who brought trouble. A man who made promises and broke them.
But watching her walk away like that didn’t feel like protection. It felt like punishment.
He dragged a hand down his face, then pushed off the bike. Screw it. He wasn’t going to hide behind the fear anymore. She could hate him for staying. He deserved that. But she was still the woman he loved, and he wasn’t walking away twice.
Inside, the community center buzzed with pre-event chaos. Folding tables lined the walls. Volunteers bustled around with rolls of wrapping paper, labeled boxes, and long checklists. The toy drive wasn’t for a few more days, but prep had kicked into high gear.
Ellie stood at the center of it all like a commander mid-battle. She had a clipboard in one hand, phone in the other, a tight, too-bright smile on her face as she gave directions.
She didn’t see him at first. Which gave Dasher a moment to really look at her.
Her hair was scraped into a messy bun. A smudge of glitter clung to her cheekbone.
She had that focused, determined expression he remembered from the early days.
She was still that woman. Stronger, even.
Fiercer. And he’d broken something in her last night.
He watched as one of the older volunteers asked her a question, and Ellie answered without missing a beat. Her smile was intact, voice smooth, professional. But the second the woman walked away, that smile slipped. Just for a moment.
That flicker of pain damn near gutted him. Dasher stepped forward.
Ellie caught sight of him then, and her whole body went still. Her grip on the clipboard tightened. Her jaw set.
He lifted a hand in a half wave. “Need an extra set of hands?” Dasher asked.
She stared at him. “You’re still here?”
“I figured I could help,” he pointed out.
“You figured wrong,” she told him plainly.
A few people looked over, sensing the tension. Ellie gave them a brittle smile and lowered her voice.
“Dasher,” she said, flat but quiet. “I’m not in the mood.”
“I get it,” he said, hands shoved into the pockets of his worn jacket. “I just thought I’d stick around. Help out. Least I can do.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” she said tightly. “It didn’t mean anything. Remember?”
He winced. That one hit like a punch to the chest but he certainly deserved it. “That’s not what I meant.”
She didn’t answer. Ellie just turned back to the table and began sorting toys into bins, each movement sharp and efficient, like she could scrub away what happened if she just worked hard enough. Dasher stepped closer, not touching her, not pushing. Just ... present.
“I was scared,” he said quietly.
Her hands stilled over a box of action figures.
“I should’ve said it then,” he went on. “But I was afraid of ruining things. Of wrecking your life again.”
“You think you didn’t already?” she said, without looking up.
He exhaled. “I know I did.”
Ellie finally turned to face him, her eyes shining with barely restrained emotion. “You think I invited you on that trip for help? You think I just wanted muscle?”
“No,” he said. “I hoped ... I hoped it meant something.”
“It did,” she said, voice breaking. “And then you treated me like a mistake.”
Dasher opened his mouth, then shut it again. There weren’t enough words in the world to make up for what he’d done.
“I never stopped loving you either,” he said hoarsely. “I just didn’t know if I was allowed to anymore.”
She looked at him, searching his face, and for a second he thought maybe she’d let him in again. But then her shoulders drew back, armor snapping into place.
“Help with the wrapping station, if you want to help. Otherwise, stay out of the way,” she told him.
She turned and walked off. It wasn’t forgiveness, but it wasn’t goodbye either.
Dasher moved to the table and started unboxing donated items. He kept his head down and his hands busy, watching her out of the corner of his eye. She never looked his way again.
His heart sank a little more with every minute. Until his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and stepped into the hallway to answer. “Yeah?”
“Dash, it’s Rooster,” came the voice of one of his MC brothers. “You still at the drive site?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Thought you should know. I spotted a couple Red Hounds down by that gas station on Third. Just hanging out, but they’re not exactly local.”
Dasher’s spine straightened. “Red Hounds?”
“Yup. Didn’t approach, but they were watching. One of them had a camera. Figured you’d want the heads-up.”
“Damn right I do,” Dasher muttered. “You still in the area?”
“About ten minutes out,” Rooster said.
“Swing by. Circle the site. Keep it low profile,” Dasher ordered.
“You got it.”
Dasher ended the call and stared out the window, jaw tight.
The Red Hounds MC weren’t known for subtlety. The fact they were sniffing around a family event, Ellie’s event, put every protective instinct on high alert. He turned back toward the bustling room, scanning until he saw her. Still working. Still pretending nothing hurt.
Ellie was completely unaware of the storm that might be headed her way. Dasher didn’t know if she’d ever forgive him, but he’d be damned if he let her or Maddy get caught in the crosshairs of club business.