Chapter 9
Nine
Paisley
I'm tucked into the side-by-side like I'm the younger brother from the Christmas Story, and I'm still cold.
The wind blowing around us is not for the weak of heart.
It's so loud the two of us can't talk to one another, and cold, so I've spent the time looking out at the surroundings.
The land is beautiful, and I have to wonder if Chase owns all of this. One question I'll need to ask later.
For the first time in the last eight months, I'm at peace. My stomach isn't upset and my nerves aren't completely shot all the time. Being with him, and out here? It's given me a sense of calm I haven't had in way too long.
None of what's happened since Chase took me out of my car has been expected.
When I woke up that morning, got in my car, and drove out to what I thought was an empty, abandoned field, I thought my life was over.
I thought there would be no Paisley after that afternoon, and I was prepared for it.
I wanted it. Life had made me so tired, and I felt like no one could see me, no one understood what I was going through, or even cared.
It's been a prayer I didn't know I had to live these past few weeks with Chase.
We come around a corner, and start to slow down, that's when I see a truck in a clearing.
When we come to a stop, Chase gets out, and motions for me to do the same.
"How's it going Eli?" He asks the man leaning against the grill of his truck.
Eli is wearing a dark shirt, dark jeans, a black Carhartt jacket, and there's a badge clipped to his belt. It reminds me that I've never seen Chase's. Not even the day he saved me. I think it might have been around his neck, but I can't remember for sure now.
"Good." He grins as he looks over at me. "Who's your friend?"
Chase rolls his eyes when I look over at him. "Eli, this is Paisley, Paisley, this is my boss, Eli."
"Nice to meet you." I reach out, shaking his hand.
"Nice to meet you." I reach out, shaking his hand.
"The pleasure is all mine." His grin widens, and I can see why he and Chase are friends. He puts me at ease immediately. "So you're the one who's been keeping this guy company out at the cabin."
"She's been snowed in," Chase says quickly, and there's a tone in his voice I can't quite place. Protective maybe? "Bridge washed out. You know how it is"
"Uh-huh." Eli's eyes bounce between the two of us, and I get the distinct impression he doesn't believe Chase for a second. "Well, I brought everything you asked for. There's six weeks worth of stuff here."
Six weeks. The words hang in the air between us, and I feel my stomach flip. Six more weeks with Chase, cut off from the rest of the world. Six more weeks of this peace I've found, this calm that's settled over me like a warm blanket.
"Appreciate it." Chase moves toward the back of Eli's truck. "You didn't have any trouble getting everything?"
"Nope. Though the cashier at the grocery store did give me some curious looks when I bought out half their meat department. Had to tell them it was time to restock for you." Eli follows him, and I trail behind, feeling a bit like a third wheel. "Got everything on your list."
"Good." Chase starts pulling boxes out of the truck bed. "I'd like to get back before the weather turns."
The three of us work in silence, transferring everything from Eli's truck to the side-by-side.
There's so much—boxes of canned goods, bags of rice and pasta, fresh vegetables that I know we'll need to use first, packages of meat, basic supplies that will keep us fed and comfortable for weeks.
I've never seen this amount in one spot before, and the reality of it presses on my shoulders.
We're going to be alone for a long time.
"This should hold you for a while," Eli says once we're done. He looks at me, his expression more serious now. "You doing okay out there? Everything good?"
I can feel Chase tense beside me, waiting for my answer. I could tell Eli the truth—that I wasn't okay, that I'm running from my pass, that maybe I need help. But that would mean leaving, going back to the world I tried to escape, and I'm not ready for that yet.
"Everything's good," I say, and I mean it. "Chase has been nothing but kind."
Eli studies me for a long moment, then nods. "Alright then. Chase, you've got my number if you need anything."
"I know."
"Good." Eli claps Chase on the shoulder. "Stay safe out there, both of you."
We watch as he gets in his truck and drives away, his taillights disappearing into the white landscape. When he's gone, Chase turns to me.
"You ready?"
"Yeah." I climb back into the side-by-side, but this time when the cold wind whips around us, I don't mind it as much. I'm thinking about six more weeks, about the way my stomach shifted when Eli said those words.
The ride back seems shorter than the ride out.
Maybe it's because I know what's waiting for us—the warm cabin, the crackling fire, the sense of safety I've found there, and Biscuit.
Or maybe it's because I'm hyper-aware of Chase beside me, the strong line of his shoulders, the capable way he handles the vehicle over the rough terrain.
The way his hands grip the steering wheel.
When we pull up to the cabin, the sun is starting to dip lower in the sky, painting everything in shades of orange and pink. It's beautiful, which makes my throat tight. I almost missed all of this. I want to remember this moment, this exact second, when everything feels possible.
"Let's get this stuff inside," Chase says, already grabbing boxes. "Another storm is supposed to hit in a few hours."
We work together, creating an assembly line.
He hands me boxes and bags from the side-by-side, and I carry them into the cabin, stacking them in the kitchen and living room.
It takes probably twenty minutes to get everything inside, and by the time we're done, I'm breathing hard and my arms are aching.
"Damn," I say, looking at the pile of supplies. "This really is six weeks' worth."
"Maybe more if we're careful." Chase starts organizing things, his movements showing he's used to doing this. "Perishables will go in the fridge and freezer. Everything else we can store in the pantry."
I watch him for a moment, this man who saved me, who's given me space and safety and a chance to breathe. Then I shake myself and start helping, putting away canned goods while he deals with the meat.
We fall into an easy rhythm. He's in charge of the heavy stuff, the frozen items that need to go in the chest freezer.
I handle the pantry, arranging things so we can find them easily.
The vegetables go in the crisper drawer, the fresh bread in a container on the counter.
It makes me think about my apartment, and how I lived previously.
There was never this kind of organization in my life before, and maybe that was part of why I fell under Stanley's spell.
"You ever think about how much planning goes into being snowed in?" I ask, putting away the last of the pasta. "I mean, before this, I would've just assumed you could always get out if you needed to. If someone were to ask me."
"Most people do." Chase closes the freezer door. "But out here, you have to think ahead. Have to be prepared. One storm can turn into three, and before you know it, you're stuck for weeks."
"Doesn't that scare you?"
He's quiet for a moment, considering. "Used to. When I first moved out here, every storm made me nervous. What if something went wrong? What if I got hurt? But over time, I learned to respect the land, work with it instead of against it. Now it's just part of life."
I think about that—learning to work with what scares you instead of running from it. Maybe that's what I'm doing here, in a way. Learning to face the thing I was so desperate to escape.
"Hand me those cans?" I gesture to the shelf above me, and he reaches up easily, his arm brushing mine as he passes them down. The touch is brief, but it sends a shiver through me that has nothing to do with the cold.
We finish putting everything away as the light outside fades.
Chase builds up the fire while I make coffee, and when we finally settle onto the couch, there's a sense of accomplishment I feel that I've never had before.
Here I'm part of a team. We did this together, prepared for what's coming, and there wasn't any arguing, blaming, or one person doing most of the work.
"That was your last chance," Chase says after a while, his voice quiet. "Eli could've taken you back to town, gotten you out before the storms hit. But now, with these supplies, with what's coming..." He trails off, looking at me. "You're stuck here for a while. I hope you made the right decision."
The words should scare me. Should make me panic, feel trapped. But instead, all I feel is that same sense of peace that's been following me since we left this morning.
"I did," I say, and I know it's true. I made the right decision.
Electricity and attraction passes between us. I can see his chest rise and fall with his breathing, can see the way his hands flex like he wants to reach for me but won't let himself.
Before I can talk myself out of it, before fear or doubt or common sense can stop me, I lean in and kiss him.
It's not graceful. I haven't kissed anyone in far too long.
Our noses bump and I nearly miss his mouth entirely, but then his hand comes up to cup my jaw, steadying me, and everything clicks into place.
His lips are warm and soft, moving against mine with a gentleness that makes my heart ache.
He tastes like coffee and something uniquely him, and I want more.
I pull back after a moment, my eyes still closed, my heart hammering in my chest. "I'm sorry," I whisper. "I shouldn't have…"
"Paisley." His thumb brushes across my cheekbone, and I open my eyes to find him looking at me with an intensity that steals my breath. "Don't apologize."
"But I—"
"I've wanted to kiss you since that first night," he says, and the confession hangs between us like a promise. "Since I brought you here and you looked at me like I was some kind of hero. I'm not a hero, Paisley. I'm just a man who couldn't let you hurt yourself."
My throat is tight with emotion. "You are a hero. You saved me."
"Maybe." His hand is still on my face, his touch impossibly gentle. "Or maybe you've started to save me right back."
The wind picks up outside, rattling the windows, a reminder of the storm that's coming. But in here, in this moment, we're safe. We're warm. And for the first time in longer than I can remember, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.
"Chase?"
"Yeah?"
"Kiss me again."
And he does.