And that kiss. God. That kiss. My lips still tingled from it.
I stood before I could sink too far into the memory and crossed the room to the mirror above my dresser. My reflection looked like someone who had barely slept with flushed cheeks, out of control curls, and glassy eyes that might start leaking tears at any second.
“Pull yourself together,” I muttered at my reflection. But my chest ached anyway.
I wandered to the window, looking out over the town square below, where the big Christmas tree stood, workers prepping the rest for the tree lighting festival tomorrow. Strings of lights dangled from ladders, swaying in the wind.
The town was moving on with its life. Business as usual. But underneath the twinkling lights, there was a tension I could feel from here. People were whispering, and Kingston was up on that mountain, spiraling alone.
My stomach twisted. I didn’t leave because I was scared of him. I left because I was scared of what loving him again wouldcost. He said the town wouldn’t forgive him. He was right, but part of me didn’t care.
I closed my eyes, letting the window’s cold air cool my heated skin. When I opened them again, the decision hit me fast, clear, and terrifying. I wasn’t done. Not with him. Not with us. But I couldn’t go running back because I was lonely tonight.
I needed to see him in the town, where everyone could see him. Where the whispers had power. I needed to know if he could stand tall in the face of the judgment he feared most. I needed to know ifhewas willing to fight.
My phone buzzed again. Not Ruby this time.
Kingston: Scarlett… if you’ll let me, I want to fix this. All of it.
My breath caught. A shaky exhale left my lips. Another message followed.
Kingston: Tomorrow. Meet me at the tree lighting ceremony. Please.
I pressed the phone to my chest, my eyes burning. Tomorrow. Under the tree where he once told me forever. A minute passed. Then I typed the only thing that felt right.
Me: I’ll be there.
I curled onto my pillow, pulling the blanket tighter around me. Outside, snowflakes drifted past the streetlamp, slow and lazy. The kind that promised another storm. The kind that made the world quiet. Tomorrow, everything would change… the town… Kingston… us.
Whether it broke me or saved me… tomorrow, I would find out.
CHAPTER 9
SCARLETT
By morning,Mustang Mountain Elementary looked like nothing had changed. It was still the place where hallways smelled like crayons and disinfectant wipes, where backpacks thumped against lockers, where kids burst through the doors wearing puffy coats and smiles too big for their faces. Except everything had changed. Or maybe it was me.
I pushed inside and forced a smile at Madge when I stopped to grab my mail from my cubby. Her eyes softened like she felt sorry for me.
“Cold one today,” she said.
“It’s December in Montana,” I replied with a shrug. “It’s always cold.”
She nodded, but the look lingered. Knowing. A little sympathetic. A little pitying.
I hated it.
I tucked the mail under my arm and walked down the hallway, my boots tapping against the linoleum. Kids’ artwork lined the walls in a parade of construction paper ornaments and crooked gingerbread people. The school heater rattled overhead. Somewhere, someone dropped a box of markers. It was all normal. And none of it felt normal at all.
I hadn’t slept much. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Kingston standing in his cabin watching me leave, pain written in the tight lines of his shoulders, that quiet devastation he thought he was hiding. And the letter. The words still echoed in my chest, too tender and too honest to pretend away.
As I approached the staff lounge to grab a cup of terrible coffee, I heard low voices inside. Two women were talking. I didn’t know who they were, but their words made me stop.
“…the petition’s already got forty signatures.”
“People are nervous. You can’t blame them.”
“I heard Scarlett Monroe has been up at his place. Can you imagine?”
