Chapter 10
Garrett
The drive back to Crystal Falls is the longest fucking ride of my life. I keep replaying that moment in my head…her face, those tears, the way she told me she needed time. I told her I’d give it, even though it felt like I was ripping my own heart out and handing it over for safekeeping.
But fuck, I really thought this was going to turn out completely different from what it did. I thought she’d drop her world like I’d drop mine for her. She didn’t. I get it, but it still feels like shit.
My cabin looks like a bomb went off. Broken mug pieces everywhere, dented cabinets, blood stains on the wood—all reminders of how hard I lost it when I woke up and realized she was gone.
I spend the next day cleaning up, putting everything back, but the place still smells like her shampoo and the ghost of her laughter.
Every time I pick up her hair tie, I have to grit my teeth not to fall apart.
The ache in my chest never lets up. I try to distract myself, busying myself chopping wood until my hands blister, hiking to the ridge and back, anything to avoid thinking about her. But she’s everywhere.
My girl.
My Annie.
The one who turned my boring, silent world upside down and then left me. I’m desperate to hear her voice just one more time.
She wants time. Fine. I’ll give her time.
But I don’t know how fucking long I can last. I count the hours, the minutes, every damn second.
My phone never leaves my hand. Every time it buzzes, my heart leaps, and then plummets when it’s just a spam call or Aubrey sending some meme she thinks will cheer me up.
Two days go by. Nothing.
Maybe she’s scared. Maybe she’s waiting for me to come back, to fight for her. Hell, I’ll drive to Charlotte every day if that’s what it takes. I’ll camp outside at her job, show up with flowers, whatever the hell I have to do to make her see we’re meant to be together.
But for now, I bury myself in work. I spend hours in my workshop, sanding, hammering, building a new table from scratch, like it’s going to fix the hole in my chest.
It doesn’t.
My hands move, but my head is a mess. Sometimes I catch myself talking to her, muttering shit I wish I’d said when she was actually here with me.
Thunder begins to roll in as dusk settles.
The wind picks up, and raindrops start to hit against the tin roof of the shop.
I should pack it up for the day, but I don’t want to be alone in that house with my thoughts.
I’m wiping down the workbench, lost in my thoughts, when I hear gravel crunching outside.
I freeze.
Nobody comes up here in the middle of a storm, not unless something’s wrong.
I step to the door, heart thudding. The headlights cut through the rain, and I notice a truck pulling up quickly. At first, I think it’s Aubrey…only her and Warren bother with me on a night like this.
The door flies open, and there she is. Aubrey, soaked to the bone, hair plastered to her forehead, grinning like an idiot.
She jerks her thumb at the passenger side. “Look who I found wandering around like a lost puppy.”
My heart stops and then explodes. Annie jumps out, rain soaking through her shirt, jeans plastered to her legs, hair wild and dripping in her eyes. She’s breathing hard, staring at me like she’s afraid I might vanish.
I stand there, stunned. “Annie?”
She runs to me, not even bothering to shut the truck door behind her. Her sneakers splash through puddles as she throws herself into my arms. I catch her, lift her clear off the ground, burying my face in her wet hair.
She’s shaking. Laughing and crying all at once. “I made a huge mistake.” She gasps, clutching my shirt like she’s afraid I’ll disappear. “God, Garrett, I’m so fucking sorry. I was a coward. I let you leave the event, and I’ve regretted it every second since.”
I set her down, taking her face in my hands, searching her hazel eyes. “What are you doing here, Annie?”
She laughs, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I quit. I told Elliot to shove his job up his ass. Told him I’d rather shovel shit in the woods than fetch his coffee one more day. I couldn’t do it, Garrett. I couldn’t breathe in that city without you.”
The rain is pouring, thunder cracking overhead, but I don’t care…I don’t fucking care. I pull her in and kiss her, hard and desperate, like I can’t breathe and she’s my only source of air. She melts into me, her hands in my hair, her mouth hungry and wild.
“You’re here,” I whisper against her lips, breathless. “You’re really here.”
She nods, laughing through her tears. “I love you, Garrett. I love you so fucking much it hurts. I was so scared, but I want you. I want all of this. I’m not running again.”
Aubrey leans out the truck window, hollering, “You two gonna do this in the rain or take it inside?”
I flip her off, never breaking the kiss. Annie laughs, shivering in my arms. I scoop her up and carry her into the house, kicking the door shut behind us. She’s dripping everywhere, leaving puddles on the floor, and I can’t bring myself to care.
I set her down in the kitchen, eyes locked on hers. “Say it again.”
She smiles. “I love you, mountain man.”
My head starts to spin. All the loneliness, the fucking heartbreak, the rage…it’s gone. All that’s left is her.
“I love you so damn much it hurts, Annie Silver.” I yank her wet shirt off, toss it aside.
She gasps, but her hands are already stripping off my clothes.
I back her against the counter, my mouth on hers, every inch of me aching for her.
“I missed you,” I growl, kissing down her neck. “Thought I’d lose my mind without you.”
She arches into me, nails digging into my back. “You’re not getting rid of me. Ever.”
I drag her jeans off and drop to my knees, spreading her thighs.
I press my mouth to that sweet, smooth cunt of hers, tasting rain and all Annie, working her clit till she shudders and moans.
Her hands go straight to my hair, fisting it, riding my tongue as she chases her release.
I latch on to the tiny ball of nerves one last time before releasing it with a pop.
“I want to feel you come on my cock, Annie.”
Standing, I turn her around and bend her over the marble countertop, thrusting into her, hard and deep, my world dissolves to nothing, but getting lost in the heat of her pussy, and the way her body accepts me, taking me just right. The way my name sounds on her lips…like it’s a prayer.
She reaches around, grabbing my ass, pulling me against her frantic and desperate. We are completely lost in the moment…in each other. She comes first, crying out, and I follow, burying my face in her back.
Afterward, we collapse in a heap on the floor, laughing and crying, holding each other like we’ll never let go.
The storm rages outside, but inside, it’s all peace.
She cups my cheek, eyes shining. “You’re stuck with me now, Garrett Hall. I’m not going anywhere.”
I kiss her, slow and deep, letting her see everything I feel. “Good. Because I’m never letting go.”
Aubrey pounds on the door, yelling, “If you two are done, I’m stealing your whiskey and making myself a sandwich!”
We both bust out laughing, for the first time in what feels like forever.
We made it. Against every damn odd, we made it. And I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure she never regrets it.