Chapter 13
Noelle
By the time my flight touched down in Asheville, my nerves were already sitting high in my throat.
I had spent the entire plane ride rehearsing calm, deep breaths, quiet thoughts, and the same mantra Bree fed me that morning: You’re going to rest. That’s it.
Rest. But the second the airport doors slid open and the cold mountain air wrapped around me, all those thoughts dissolved.
The air was sharp enough to slice through my thin jacket, reminding me that this was not Atlanta weather.
A Winter Haven driver stood near the curb holding a small sign with my name on it.
“Ms. Sterling?” he called.
“That’s me,” I said, tugging my coat closer. He grabbed my suitcase and guided me toward a black SUV waiting in the pickup lane.
The moment I settled into the back seat, I exhaled, taking in the silence that the busy airport didn’t offer.
The SUV eased onto the winding road. Pine trees rose tall on either side; branches dusted with snow.
Clouds hung low, the sky pale gray. I tried to relax into it…
I wanted to, but my fingers stayed clenched around the strap of my purse like it was the only stable thing left in my life.
“You doing alright back there?” the driver asked gently, watching me in the mirror.
I forced a small smile. “Yeah. Just thinking.”
“That’s what most people come up here for,” he said. “Thinking, healing, or escaping. Usually all three.”
I looked out the window again, swallowing the truth of his words. Escaping was exactly what I claimed to be doing.
Healing was what Bree hoped I’d do. Thinking… was the one thing I wasn’t ready for. This morning had been chaos. Bree packed my suitcase like she was racing a clock, kissing Nikole’s cheeks every chance she got.
“Mama’ll be back very soon sweetness,” she’d told her.
Miss Carla promised hourly updates. Bree’s mama was already deciding what the baby would eat for dinner. My child had been scooped up by my village like a warm loaf of bread straight from the oven, and I barely had a chance to argue.
“Go breathe,” Bree ordered as she shoved my suitcase into the Uber. “Go remember you’re still a woman underneath all that responsibility.”
Easy for her to say. She wasn’t the one coming back to the last place her life blew apart. The SUV climbed higher, and the familiar nervous flutter settled low in my stomach, the same one I felt last year without even knowing why. Only now I knew exactly what I was heading toward… or rather… who.
I pressed my lips together and looked out the window right as the main lodge appeared through the trees.
I could see the stone and wood and warm light glowing from every window.
Christmas decorations wrapped the building like it was a postcard: garland on the roofline, wreaths on every door, tall lit trees inside the lobby.
My heart thudded harder than the tires crunching over snow.
“Welcome back to Winter Haven,” the driver said, pulling beneath the covered entry.
Back. The word hit more than the cold air when I stepped out.
Inside the lodge, everything felt familiar yet amplified.
There was bigger trees, deeper colors, and more warmth.
Guests gathered near the stone fireplace, bundled couples held mugs, and soft Christmas music floated in the air.
The Christmas spirit wrapped around me the second I walked in.
Last year, I came through those doors empty, not even thinking about the holidays.
All I cared about was chasing peace of mind and relaxing.
This year, I came as somebody’s mother…eager to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
The front desk clerk smiled when I approached. “Welcome back to Winter Haven, Ms. Sterling.”
I paused. “You remember me?”
She tapped her keyboard. “We keep guest history. You were here last December under the name Elise Winters.”
I stared at the alias on the screen and had to bite back a laugh. Elise. The fake name Bree had booked me under. I wasn’t expecting her to know that yet somehow she did.
“Not this time,” I said softly. “Just me.”
Her smile widened. “We’re happy to have you. In cabin seven for a seven-night stay, with spa access, a sleigh ride voucher, and a welcome basket included… oh, and we have a holiday mixer tonight at eight if you’re interested.”
“We’ll see,” I murmured.
Outside, the walk to my cabin was short, just long enough for the cold to seep through my gloves and nudge my senses awake.
Snow crunched beneath my boots with every step.
Each cabin had a wreath on the door and a small tree glowing inside the window.
Cabin Seven sat a little apart from the others, quiet and inviting.
Inside, the fire was already lit, the room warm and fragrant with pine and vanilla.
A welcome basket sat on the table with chocolate, wine, and a handwritten note.
Ms. Sterling, welcome back. We’re honored you chose Winter Haven again.
I set my coat down and let the weight of it all rest on my shoulders for a moment.
Last time I walked into a cabin here. I had no idea my life was about to shift from a stranger’s mouth, his hands, his voice against my skin, and from the baby growing inside me after. My throat tightened at the thought.
Before getting ready, I Face-Timed Bree and my baby girl.
After two rings, the screen filled instantly with Nikole’s round cheeks, big curious eyes, and her little curls all over her head. She slapped her palm against the screen like she knew exactly who she was touching.
“There she go,” I whispered, my heart softening. “Hey, mama’s baby.”
“Mmm-ma!” she squealed.
Bree shifted into view, bonnet on, face mask dotted with glitter like she’d been waiting for drama. “Okay, show me your face. You look like you halfway about to panic.”
“I’m fine,” I lied.
“You’re lying,” she replied. “But it’s okay. That green sweater dress gon’ fix your whole spirit. That man gon’ feel you before he see you.”
“Bree.”
“What? I’m just saying. Don’t go in there looking like show you feel Elle. Hunny, you need to be looking like you ready to snatch his soul, again!”
I shook my head but couldn’t hold back a laugh.
“Call me before you go in,” she said. “And remember why you’re there… clarity for you and for Nikole.”
We said our goodbyes hung up, but my heartbeat faster the closer it got to the mixer.
What if he was really here? What if he wasn’t.
I was afraid of both and I knew I couldn’t sit her and let my mind take control.
I showered, dressed in the deep green sweater dress that hugged my hips just right, added tights that had my ass sitting up just right and knee-high boots.
I brushed out my curls out and added soft makeup.
A version of myself I hadn’t seen in a long time stared back in the mirror…
older, stronger, but with the same eyes that once saw something dangerous and irresistible in a stranger leaning over a bar.
The sky dimmed outside. Snow reflected the lights along the path. Holiday music drifted faintly from the direction of the lodge. My hands shook a little as I put on my coat.
“Get it together, Elle,” I whispered. “You know what you have to do.”
I tried to be calm, but my heartbeat didn’t get the memo.
The mixer was already in motion when I stepped inside the ballroom.
Soft jazz music was playing, people were dancing and, some chatting near decorated tables.
They had a table over by the bar with finger foods and though I hadn’t ate all day, I was too nervous to even think about food.
Everything felt loud and warm and overwhelming at once.
I headed straight for the bar, the safest place in the room.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked, wiping a glass.
“Red wine,” I said, deciding to keep the drinking light. Last time I was here, drinking heavy got me in the situation I’m in now.
She poured, slid the glass to me. “You here with a group or solo?”
“Solo. Just enjoying the solitude.”
She smiled. “That’s the best feeling.”
I took a sip, letting the wine settle my nerves for half a second. Suddenly, I felt the air shift. A pull… a familiar feeling low in my stomach that I couldn’t ignore.
I turned and the world stopped. He was standing near the entrance, and for a moment I forgot how to breathe.
Caleb looked… unreal. Taller than I remembered, but still the finest man I’d ever laid eyes one.
A black suit hugging his frame, black turtleneck beneath it and chains resting against his throat.
His beard was lined perfectly, his fade, cut to a T.
His hands rested in his pockets like the room annoyed him but couldn’t ignore him.
He looked like sin wrapped in money and cold weather…
exactly the kind of man a woman loses sense over.
My body remembered him instantly. Suddenly I could feel the weight from his mouth all over me, and the weight of him fucking me into the mattress. My heart thudded painfully against my ribs and my panties were ruined.
He scanned the room slowly, deliberate, until his eyes landed on mine. The way his gaze locked onto me, sharp, recognizing, unguarded for half a second, sent a shiver through me so strong I gripped the bar for balance.
I took a step forward and my chest lifted like it needed more air, but none came.
I was doing this. I was going to talk to him and tell him the truth.
A woman slid into his side, tall and slim in a silk dress, diamonds glittering at her ears.
Her hand rested on his chest like it belonged there, and he didn’t move her hand.
He looked at me over her head with an expression I couldn’t read.
I looked down and saw her ring. His wife?
His fiancée? Oh my God… he wasn’t thinking of me at all. He was married or about to me.