“I’m tired of pretending,” he says, stepping closer, the snow crunching under his boots. “With him. With you.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key, holding it out between us. “But I’m starting with you, Holly. Starting and ending with you.”
I stare at the key, my throat thick and tight. “What’s it for?”
“The Shred Shack.” His voice softens, and something flickers in his expression—hope, maybe? Or desperation. “I know what it meant to you, always being shut out of it. I’m done with that, Holly. I’m done keeping you out.”
The words crack through something I thought was solid. My fingers twitch at my sides, wanting to reach for the key, but not trusting it. Not trusting him.
“Why now?” My voice wavers, but I hold his gaze. Because I need to know. Need him to give me something real.
“Because, thanks to you, I know what it feels like to have the most important person in your world let you in.” His voice is low, steady, and painfully sincere. “I want you to know what that feels like too.”
I blink, the ache in my chest splintering, but I keep my tone light. “I’m the most important person in your world, huh?”
“Yeah.” His lips twitch, something almost like a smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah, you are.”
A breath catches in my throat. My pulse stutters and trips because—what the hell do you even say to that?
He takes a shaky step closer, the snow crunching under his boots. “And I can’t lose you—not like this. Not because of my own fucking fear.”
The ache shifts, softer now, quieter. Waiting. My fingers move almost on their own, brushing his as I take the key. The cold metal presses into my palm, grounding me in the moment as I finally look up at him.
And for the first time since this whole thing started, I don’t feel like I’m the one standing on the outside.
“You’ve got one shot,” I say, my voice stronger now. “Don’t screw it up.”
His lips curve into a small, almost shy smile, and something in my chest stirs. “I won’t,” he says simply.
I climb onto the snowmobile, gripping the handlebars as he swings on behind me. His arms settle on either side, and the heat of him seeps into me, making my pulse stutter.
“Trust me,” he murmurs, his breath warm against my ear. “I’ve got you.”
I almost believe him. Because I’m pretty sure, I love him too, and I don’t want to let him go. I will if I have to—but God, I don’t want to. Maybe this time, he’ll prove me right for believing.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Holly
"Last chance tochange your mind, soldier boy."
The words come out steadier than they have any right to, considering getting here took exactly three pep talks, two shots of liquid courage, and a stern reminder that I am a grown-ass woman who does not run from her problems.
A six-foot-something problem of pure temptation wielding a key like he's about to unlock more than just the door.
He works the lock with practiced ease. "No more 'no girls allowed.'"
"Not that it was strictly enforced." The words slip out before my brain can pull the emergency brake.
“That’s just Sierra. She’s different.”
“Chance?”
“Yeah.”
“Make that the last time you say that.”
His swift grin tells me he sees right through me. “Jealous?”
“Bite me.”
