Ten minutes later, we were definitely not where we were supposed to be.
“You lost?” she asked, eyeing the dense brush out the passenger window.
“I prefer ‘momentarily directionally challenged.’”
She snorted. “Grumpy and charming. Must be exhausting.”
Despite everything, she smiled. Just a little. And for once, I didn’t mind the detour.
The road narrowed again, weaving between groves of mesquite trees and cattle fencing. A small creek glimmered off to the left, still flowing despite the cooler weather.
“It’s kind of pretty out here,” Ella murmured.
I glanced over. She was watching the trees now, something soft in her expression. That same softness that slipped through her guard when she thought no one was looking.
“Yeah,” I said. “It is.”
We slowed to a stop at a fork in the road, the sun beginning to dip low behind the trees. The horizon glowed a quiet amber, and the smell of cedar and earth filled the cab.
She looked over at me. “Max?”
My breath caught. My heart started a heavy beat against my ribs. I gripped the wheel tighter, the worn leather digging into my palms. “Yeah?”
“Why haven’t you asked me to stay?”
That caught me off guard. Completely.
“I mean,” she went on, softer now, her eyes raw and waiting, “you act like you want me to, but you don’t say it.”
I stared straight ahead, my mind racing for an answer that wasn't selfish. “Because I don’t want to guilt you into staying somewhere you’re not meant to be. I can’t offer you the kind of security that firm in Austin can. It feels… selfish to ask.”
“And if I am?” she pushed, her voice barely a whisper, forcing me to truly look at her vulnerability.
I turned to look at her, really look at her. Her hair was falling loose from her ponytail, cheeks flushed, eyes waiting.
I opened my mouth to answer—
But Duke let out a sharp bark from the backseat, startling both of us. The sound ripped through the heavy moment, pulling us apart just as I was about to confess everything.
She laughed, breaking the spell. “Saved by the dog.”
I chuckled too, but part of me wanted to throttle that mutt.
We sat there a moment longer in the golden light, neither speaking, both aware something profound had shifted.
The heater clicked on with a groan, blowing out a puff of warm air that instantly fogged up the windshield, a sudden, unexpected warmth mirroring the one that had begun to bloom between us. Ella leaned forward, swiping a circle clear with her glove.
“Max,” she said quietly, her hand resting near mine on the worn gearshift. I could feel the subtle heat radiating from her fingertips, a magnetic pull that held my gaze even though our skin didn’t touch. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I really don’t. But something about this place... it’s different. It’s starting to feel like more than just a stopgap.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice, feeling a fragile new hope unfurl in my chest.
She leaned back in her seat, still smiling.
“Let’s find our way back,” I said, putting the truck in gear. And as the tires crunched forward, I couldn’t help thinking that maybe—just maybe—that detour wasn’t such a bad thing after all, and perhaps, for the first time in a long time, my life was heading exactly where it was meant to be, with her right beside me.
Chapter 15 - Christmas Lights and Quiet Nights
Ella
