11. Isabelle
ISABELLE
Dad has been gone for hours. I keep looking out the window, waiting for him to walk out of the woods.
Wyatt makes me some lunch, but I struggle to eat anything, my stomach churning with anxiety.
Eventually, Wyatt scoops me up and carries me to the couch, holding me close, comforting me.
It feels good to be in his arms. I feel my breathing slow every time he promises me it will be okay.
But I can’t stop myself from listening out for a knock on the door.
Poor Dad.
Thinking of the shock on his face when I walked out of Wyatt’s bedroom makes me want to cry all over again.
I hate myself for betraying him after everything he’s done for me…
but I still can’t bring myself to regret it.
Wyatt makes me happier than I’ve ever been before, and I can’t walk away, no matter how upset my dad is.
But that doesn’t stop me from feeling guilty.
I just wish I could make him understand…
Make him see that what Wyatt and I have is real.
I glance out the window once more, my stomach jolting when I see my dad standing by the edge of the forest, staring into the distance like he’s deep in thought. I spring up from the couch and turn to Wyatt.
“He’s back. I think I better go talk to him by myself. Maybe he’ll listen if it’s just me and him.”
Wyatt frowns but he doesn’t argue. Instead, he takes my hand and brings it to his lips. “Whatever you think is best. I’m here if you need me, Pixie.”
I feel a rush of affection for him, and I kiss him quickly on the lips, his beard brushing my chin before I turn around and head out the front door. Dad spots me immediately as I leave the cabin and walk toward him. He waits for me, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.
“Hi Dad,” I say softly. “Can we talk?”
“Think we’d better.”
I nod, looping my arm through his. “Let’s walk.”
We follow the path around the lake, the sunlight turning the water a pale blue color that reminds me of Wyatt’s eyes. I sigh deeply, trying to figure out where to start, but it’s my dad who breaks the silence first.
“He’s too old for you, Izz.”
I shake my head. “I don’t care about that. We’re both adults, so?—”
“He can’t be trusted.”
I stop walking, frowning at him. “What do you mean?”
Dad stops too, frowning right back. “Izz, he was my best friend since third grade. Like a brother to me. And then he just left. Shut himself away and refused to talk to me. It…well, to be honest, it fucking hurt. Messed with my head. I don’t want him to do the same to you one day.”
My heart squeezes like a clenched fist at the pain in my dad’s voice. When Wyatt told me the whole story last night, I never really stopped to think about how his absence affected my dad.
“He shouldn’t have pushed you away like that,” I say. “He knows that now, but he was in a really bad place after the fire that burned his arm…the one that burned down that family’s home. Do you remember?”
Dad grunts, his face pinched with regret.
“I remember. I was out sick when it happened. Had a nasty kidney infection and ended up in the hospital. But I heard all about it when I got back. Three people died: a father and two kids, a boy and a girl. Cast a big shadow over the station, I can tell you.”
“Wyatt blamed himself,” I murmur. “He missed the little boy’s room while he was searching. That’s why he stayed in the house so long and ended up with his arm burned.”
Dad is quiet for a moment. “I knew about the burns. Didn’t know he missed the boy’s room. Wyatt would have taken something like that hard.”
“He did. It ate away at him, and he was so ashamed of his mistake that he couldn’t bear to see anybody.
” I swallow hard, wincing as I remember the pain in Wyatt’s eyes when he recounted the story.
“He was embarrassed for struggling so much with it, and so he pushed everyone away instead of talking about it. That’s when he started drinking a lot. ”
Dad’s eyebrows rise. “Drinking? He never drank that much when I knew him.”
“I think it started after you left Cherry Hollow. He’s okay now…he’s been sober for eight years. But he was an alcoholic for a long time.”
He flinches. “Shit. I tried to get through to him. Used to go around to his cabin and knock every day, but then after I found you…well, I guess I gave up on him.”
I’m surprised by the guilt on my dad’s face. It feels like he’s momentarily forgotten how pissed off he is with Wyatt, his mind back in the past instead of the present.
“It’s not your fault,” I tell him. “You did what you could. Wyatt shut you out, and you couldn’t force him to talk to you.”
“Yeah. He always was a stubborn motherfucker.”
Dad really has a way with words.
With a sigh, I look him straight in the eye, mustering up all my courage.
“I know you don’t approve of me and Wyatt, and for what it’s worth, I really am sorry for breaking your trust. But this is real, Dad.
He’s a good man. He’s kind and caring, and he makes me so happy.
I want to be with him more than anything. ”
He doesn’t speak for a long time. His eyes are downcast, and I can almost hear his brain whirring as he thinks it all over. “Of all the men in the world, why did it have to be Wyatt?” he mutters more to himself than to me, shaking his head resignedly. Then he finally meets my gaze.
“I don’t want you to be unhappy, Izz. Your happiness has been my priority from the minute I found you on the doorstep, and that’s never gonna change. If being with Wyatt is really what you want, I won’t try to stop you. I can’t pretend I’m happy about it, but?—”
I cut him off by throwing my arms around his neck, hugging him tight. My heart swells with relief as he hugs me back, ruffling my hair like I’m a kid. He smells of engine oil from the shop, and I breathe it in, feeling like everything is going to be okay.
“Thank you, Dad,” I mutter against his shoulder. “You’re the best.”
“It’s okay, Izz.”
I pull back to look at him. “Will you come and talk to Wyatt?”
I know I’m pushing my luck, and I see my dad’s walls rise straight up as he says, “I don’t know about that?—”
“Please, Dad. I know I owe you so much already, but this isn’t just for me; it’s for you and Wyatt, too. I think you need to talk about the past. It will be good for both of you.”
He huffs out a breath. “Alright, I’ll talk to him. Guess I owe it to Ralph. He left this place to both of us for a reason.”
“Wyatt said the same thing. He thinks Ralph wanted the two of you to make up.”
Dad’s lip quirks affectionately. “The old man never could mind his own business.”
With one last hug, we return to Wyatt’s cabin. He’s pacing around the living room, the tension in his face melting when he sees me. Dad steps toward him and Wyatt eyes him warily.
“I’m not here to fight.” Dad raises his hands in mock surrender, but he’s still scowling. “Just came to say that…well, even if I don’t like it, I’m not going to get in the way of Isabelle’s happiness.”
Slowly, Wyatt nods. “Appreciate that, Holden.”
The atmosphere is still tense, the two of them standing rigid and alert, but eventually, Dad says, “We should talk, you and me. About everything that happened in the past. Not now, but maybe sometime when tempers aren’t running so high.”
“Yeah. I’d like that.” Wyatt runs a hand over his beard, taking a step toward Dad. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for how I handled things back then. I didn’t know how to deal with my feelings, so I hid from everyone. It was wrong…I know better now.”
Dad nods. “We’ll talk. There are things I wish I’d handled differently, too.”
There’s an awkward silence before Wyatt reaches out a hand.
Dad shakes it before quickly letting go, and I smile to myself, full of appreciation for both of them.
I know it will take a long time for them to overcome their issues.
There’s still distrust, an uneasiness that stretches like a chasm between them.
But with time and some honest conversations, maybe one day they can be friends again.
“Well, I’m heading back to Ralph’s place,” Dad says, clearly eager for a break from the rollercoaster ride we’ve all been on today. “Lots of work to do.”
“We’ll be there in a little while,” I tell him.
He nods before raising a hand in parting. Just before he reaches the door, he looks back over his shoulder at me.
“Love you, Izz.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
He gives me a small smile—reassurance that everything’s okay, that we’re okay. Then he leaves, closing the door behind him. A minute later, we hear the hum of his engine as he drives away in his truck, leaving me alone with Wyatt.
“That went a lot better than I expected,” he says as I turn to face him. “You’re a miracle worker, Pixie.”
I beam up at him, and all at once, the anxiety of the last few hours seeps away, leaving me feeling light and free, like I could float out of the cabin and up into the summer sky.
There’s nothing standing between us now.
Wyatt and I can be together, and the guilt that has been eating me up over the last few days can finally be laid to rest.
But what happens now?
The thought dampens my joy. Once Ralph’s cabin is finished, I’ll have to go back to Denver and find a job. I won’t be able to see Wyatt as much as I want to.
“You okay, princess?” he asks, clearly noticing the change in my mood. “What’s on your mind?”
“I was just thinking about how I’ll have to go home soon.” I sigh as I lean into his broad chest, his arms wrapping tight around me. “Then I’ll find a job and we won’t get to see each other that often. Maybe once every couple of weeks?—”
Wyatt makes a noise deep in his throat, his hands gripping my shoulders as he eases me off his chest, forcing me to look at him.
“Fuck that, Pixie. Either you’re staying here with me in my cabin, or I’m moving to Denver with you.”
My heart stutters at the intensity in his eyes. “I…really? You would do that?”
“Of course.” He lifts his hands to my face, cupping my cheeks. “I love you, Isabelle. You’re all I care about, and I’ll do whatever it takes to be with you. I’d move to fucking Antarctica for you if I had to.”
Butterflies erupt inside my chest, the cabin dissolving until there’s nothing but Wyatt’s touch, his pale blue eyes brimming with emotion as he looks at me.
I love you, Isabelle.
With a burst of happiness, I throw my arms around him, grinning as he sweeps me off my feet.
“I love you too, Wyatt,” I tell him breathlessly.
“You don’t need to move to Denver. I want to stay here with you.
” Saying the words makes me tingle with delight.
Cherry Hollow has captured my heart just like this mountain man, and I’m ready to leave the suburbs behind and build a new life here with Wyatt.
My perfect Wyatt.
He’s grinning at me beneath his beard, his handsome face lighting up as he says, “Then it’s settled. This is your home now, Pixie. Forever.”
Then he leans in to kiss me, his lips warm and firm against mine.
It’s a kiss full of love. Full of promises.
I melt into him, breathing in the smell of sandalwood, my fingers threading through his hair as the world falls away, leaving nothing but Wyatt—the man who has changed my life.
The man I love with all my heart. He’s my home.
My future. And our forever is only just beginning.