A moment later, Jade pulled out of the parking lot, one hand still holding Maddox’s as she drove. They didn’t talk much on the drive, but they didn’t need to. Maddox leaned her head against the window and watched the streets pass. She felt the weight of exhaustion in her bones, but there was also space to breathe now. Space to grieve Titan properly.
The work wasn’t done, but this was her first breakthrough. It was finally manageable now.
And this time, she wasn’t doing it alone.
14
The trail climbed through Douglas fir and western hemlock, the air thick with the smell of evergreen and damp earth. Jade’s legs burned in that good way, her muscles working, lungs pulling in the cool morning. Ahead, Maddox moved with that ground-covering stride—efficient, purposeful, not slowing down—and Zeus bounded between the trees like the trail was made for him.
It’d been three weeks since Maddox’s breakthrough in therapy, three weeks of watching Maddox breathe a little easier.
Jade adjusted her pack straps and pushed up the incline. Thick roots crossed the trail like veins under the skin, slick with morning dew. She planted her boots carefully and found her groove. The forest sounds settled around them with birdsong high in the canopy, the rustle of something small moving through underbrush, and the steady percussion of their footsteps on packed earth.
Zeus circled back, his tongue lolling and eyes bright. He nudged Maddox's hand with his nose, then broke away again, chasing whatever scent pulled him off the path.
"He's showing off," Jade called ahead.
Maddox glanced back, and there it was—that small smile that still caught Jade off guard. Not the careful, controlled expression from those first therapy sessions together, something real. "He knows you're watching."
The trail leveled out briefly, and Jade closed the distance between them. Maddox slowed without being asked, matching her pace. They fell into step, shoulders nearly brushing.
"How are you feeling?" Jade asked.
Maddox paused, and Jade waited. That was new. A few months ago, Maddox would've deflected immediately.
"Good. Tired, but good tired."
"Carla working you hard?"
"EMDR's no joke." Maddox's jaw tightened slightly, then released. "We did another session on the warehouse call on Tuesday."
Jade nodded, but she didn't push. She trusted that Maddox would tell her more when she was ready.
They walked in comfortable silence for a while. That was new too. The silence didn't feel loaded anymore. There were no walls between them, just the easy quiet of two people who didn't need to fill every moment with words.
The trail steepened again, and Jade focused on the climb. Her calves protested, and she ignored them. Beside her, Maddox's breathing stayed steady and controlled. Even now, she moved like someone who could ruck twenty miles without breaking a sweat.
Zeus appeared on a boulder ahead, surveying his domain. He barked once playfully and launched himself down to greet them.
"Show-off," Maddox muttered, but her hand went automatically to his head, scratching behind his ears in his favorite spot. The gesture was loose, unguarded, different from the careful control Jade had watched her maintain those first few months.
Jade watched them together, the ease that existed between them now. Zeus leaned into Maddox's leg, tail wagging, and Maddox's whole posture softened. Then Zeus turned those intelligent eyes on Jade, prancing over with that bounce in his step that meant he'd decided she was worth greeting.
"Hey, buddy." Jade crouched, let him sniff her hands, then rubbed the thick fur at his neck. He licked her cheek—quick and affectionate—and she laughed. "Yeah, I missed you too."
When she looked up, Maddox was watching them, something warm and open in her expression.
"What?" Jade asked.
"Nothing." But Maddox's mouth quirked. "He just really likes you."
"The feeling's mutual."
They kept climbing. The forest thinned as they gained elevation, glimpses of sky appearing through the trees. Jade's shirt stuck to her back as the sweat cooled in the morning air. Her water bottle was half-empty already, and she realized that she should've brought more.
Maddox pulled ahead slightly, then stopped at a switchback, waiting. When Jade reached her, Maddox offered her water bottle without a word.
"Thanks." Jade drank, then passed it back, their fingers brushing briefly. But Maddox's touch lingered just a second longer than necessary.
