"And you're sure you’re safe?"
"Completely."
Another pause. "Are you happy?"
The question catches me off guard. "Yeah, Mom. I really am."
"Then that's all that matters." Her voice softens. "Just be careful with your heart, honey. Office romances can be complicated."
"I know. But I think this one's worth it."
When I hang up, Justin's standing in the doorway.
"Everything okay?" he asks.
"Yeah. My mom's worried but supportive." I cross the room to him. "What about your family? Will they care?"
"Probably. But they'll deal with it." He cups my face. "You're not some secret I'm keeping, Holly. You're someone I'm choosing. There's a difference."
"Good. Because I'm choosing you too."
We hear an engine outside, it’s loud and close by. The snow removal team, finally making their way up the mountain road.
"That's our cue," Justin says quietly.
He leaves me to warm up the car and then drives it to the gate. We load up his SUV in silence, checking the lodge one last time to make sure everything's secure. As we pull away, I look back at the building through the rear window.
"It looks bigger somehow," I murmur.
"Because we filled it with memories." He reaches over, takes my hand. We pass my car, abandoned in the employee lot, and Justin makes a note to have it towed to a shop.
"I'll cover the tire," he says.
"You don't have to?—"
"I know. But I'm going to anyway. Stop arguing."
I grin. "Bossy."
"You like it."
"I really do."
The drive down the mountain is slow, careful, the roads still treacherous in spots. As we reach the base of the mountain and turn toward town, reality starts creeping back in. Emails will be waiting. Calls to return. Explanations to give. Will I be offered another job? A career? My heart aches thinking about leaving the park, leaving Justin.
"You okay?" Justin asks, noticing my tension.
"Just thinking about what comes next."
"What comes next is we take it one day at a time. We talk to HR together. We're honest with people who matter. And we keep building what we started."
"What if it's hard?"
"Then we handle hard." He squeezes my hand. "Together. That's the point, remember?"
I nod, some of the tension easing. "Okay."
He pulls up outside my apartment complex. It’s a modest building on the edge of town, but I don't move to get out immediately.
