Chapter 10 Sophia
TEN
SOPHIA
The moment the cabin disappears from sight, I feel the emptiness in my chest grow with Noah’s absence. Is it possible to love someone after a week? To feel their absence so deeply that it’s like you’re missing a limb?
It feels impossible, and yet my heart aches with a ferocity I can’t explain, one I know is tied to the quiet, scarred man on the mountain.
I’ve been in love with him for years, but is it possible to actually love him after everything?
I know it isn’t his fault we couldn’t reach Cooper. Deep down I know that’s true.
But for a moment, I was terrified. And I can’t even explain why.
Coop fills me in on everything I missed during my week on the mountain.
He doesn’t ask about Noah, though I can’t tell if that’s out of respect for his privacy, or if it’s because Cooper knows something happened between us.
My brother may be a little thick headed, too flirty for his own good, and jaded from his ex, but he still knows me better than most.
And he can probably sense something is off. I have to remind myself he’s Noah’s friend, too.
Which is why the mountain man was always off limits.
But is he now? Or have I chased him away?
Each mile away from the cabin is like another cut to the tether between me and Noah. But if he wanted me to stay, he would have said something, wouldn’t he? He would have fought for me, would have come with me.
We get dropped off at the fire station by the ranger, who takes off without another word.
Those guys are as quiet and sullen as the men who live exclusively on the mountain, and they’re just as mysterious—maybe even more reclusive.
I’ve only dealt with them on a handful of occasions in the ER, and most times they just want to leave.
After that, everything is a blur. I’m taken to the hospital—mostly against my will since the only proof of the accident is the bruising around my eyes—and given the all clear.
Instead of going home, Coop gets the night off to care for me at his place, which feels almost foreign and uncomfortable after a week in the cabin.
I end up tossing and turning in his spare bed, unable to find comfort in a place I’ve always felt safe.
And even though he checks on me throughout the night, I feel less and less like myself.
Like I belong.
By morning, I’m ignoring Coop and going back to my own place. Not even showering in my own bathroom feels right, not after the last few days with Noah and his gentle hands rubbing shampoo through my hair, his fingers tracing my stretch marks and the sensitive parts of my body.
I release a heavy breath as I curl up on the sofa, an unfinished knitting project sitting in my lap, wearing one of Noah’s t-shirts. I don’t remember putting it in my bag, but I don’t want to think about the idea that maybe he’d put it there.
“You like him, don’t you?” Coop asks as he lets himself into my place—with a key I’m tempted to take back. “You’ve been a sappy mess since I picked you up, and it’s because you like Grey.”
I stare at him in irritation as he shucks off his winter coat and toes off his boots like he owns the damned place.
“No,” I say, watching as he starts for me. I can’t hide the damned t-shirt—he knows it’s Noah’s as soon as he sees it. “You don’t know anything.”
Cooper raises a brow as he joins me. “You sure about that? Because I saw the lovey-dovey way he looked at you. And the way you tried to stay ten feet away was also a dead giveaway.
I run a hand down my face and groan. “It’s so dumb.”
“No, it isn’t,” he states quietly. “You’ve had a crush on that man since you met.
” I open my mouth to rebut that—even though it’s painfully true—but Coop holds up his hand.
“Sorry, Soph, but I’m not an idiot. He might be, though, since he’s also been in love with you for as long as he’s known you, and he was stupid enough to let you go. ”
I stare at him for a long moment, heart pounding. “You actually think he could feel that way about me?” I ask quietly.
“Who wouldn’t?” he replies with a shrug. “But you won’t know until you go back there.”
“My truck is dead,” I point out. “And I doubt the rangers will take me back up.”
Cooper gives me a wide smile. “Who said the ranger had to be the one to take you?”
My heart races as Cooper puts his truck into park out front Noah’s cabin. There’s a quiet—a peace—about this place I missed as soon as we left, and now that I’m back, I’m terrified to break it.
As if sensing us, Noah exits the cabin. In the late afternoon sun, he’s beautiful. If I were to tell him that, I knew he wouldn’t believe me, but he is.
The light dances across his masculine features, highlighting how sharp his jaw is, revealing the permanent downward set of his brow and lips. The light makes his hair look almost golden.
I’m moving before I know it, ignoring Coop and everything else as I run through the snow to reach him. Noah is off the front porch in an instant. Every step he takes has a pronounced limp that makes my heart ache.
As soon as we reach one another, Noah pulls me into his arms, breathing in deeply. He shudders, arms tightening around my waist, and I can’t help but melt into him.
I wind my arms around his shoulders. Each breath I pull in is tinged with his scent. “I’m sorry—”
“Are you okay?” he asks, at the same time as me. I can’t help but laugh into his shoulder, nuzzling my cold nose into the crook of his neck.
“I’m okay,” I reply quietly. “Completely cleared of any injury.”
Noah releases a shaky breath and pulls away to cup my cheeks. The urge to kiss him is overwhelming, and I want to give in—but with Coop a few feet away, I try to hold myself back.
But then his lips part, and before I can stop myself, I rise onto my tip toes and crash my lips into his. Everything around us completely falls away, and nothing else matters as I sink into his warmth.
This kiss is even better than the ones we’ve already shared. Explosive. Permanent. It’s more than just a promise, but an anchor holding us in place.
When I finally pull away, lips swollen and belly all fluttery, I grin up at him. “I brought you more boardgames and books,” I whisper. “Something for us to do.”
Noah tugs me back into his embrace. “All I need is you, Sophia,” he murmurs. “Nothing else matters.”
A lump forms in my throat. “You mean that?”
“Of course I do.” He looks down at me with that same reverence as before, only this time there’s something else in his gaze.
“I don’t want to let you go, Sophia. Never again.
I’ve been yours since the moment we met, and I’ll be damned if I make the same mistakes again.
I should have been upfront with how I felt before, but I was terrified that you wouldn’t want me.
Not with these scars, or this darkness. But I’m not letting you leave here again without you knowing how much I love you. ”
My breath catches in my throat as tears roll down my cheeks. “Of course I want to be with you. Of course I want all of this with you. I’ve never wanted anything more.” I cup his cheek as the almost hidden scars beneath. “I love you, too.”
He dips his head for another kiss, and I welcome him completely. Before I can make another move, he swings me up into his arms bridal style.
“I hope you brought more than boardgames and books,” he says, “because I don’t intend on letting you go again.”
My grin widens, and every hesitation—every fear—washes away at the look of love in his eyes. It’s undeniable now. “But I like borrowing your clothes. They’re so comfy.”
“Then take them all. They’re yours for as long as you’ll stay.”
As he starts carrying me towards the cabin, Cooper shouts, “She’s not moving in until you put a damn ring on her finger!”
Noah chuckles, while I feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment, silently apologising for my brother as Noah carries me up the front porch steps.
“Don’t worry,” he murmurs, almost too low for me to hear, “I’ll make it right.”