My heart is pounding, and I'm not sure if I'm breathing.
"But I was wrong," she continues. "I didn't need space. I needed this, I needed you. I came here expecting to be alone, and instead I found home."
The word hits me like a punch.
"I want to stay," she says, her fingers tightening around mine. "Not just for today or a week or until the novelty wears off. I want to stay because this… it feels right. It feels real."
I can't speak. I don't trust my voice not to break.
So instead, I stand and pull her up with me, wrapping my arms around her and holding her tight. She buries her face in my chest, and I feel her arms come around my waist, holding on just as tightly.
"I'm scared," I admit quietly, the words muffled against her hair.
"Me too."
"But I want this."
"So do I."
We stand like that for a long time, wrapped in each other, the cabin warm around us and the world quiet outside. And for the first time in twelve years, I don't feel like I'm hiding.
I feel like I'm home.
Later, after we finish breakfast and clean up together, we step outside into the cold morning air.
The world is blinding white, the snow thick and untouched except for the path I cleared yesterday. The sky is pale blue, and the sun is just beginning to break through the trees, casting long shadows across the snow.
Demi stands beside me, her hand in mine, and we look out at the mountain together.
"It's beautiful," she says softly.
"Yeah. It is."
But I'm not looking at the mountain. I'm looking at her.
She turns to me, catching my gaze, and smiles. "What?"
"Nothing. Just… I'm glad you're here."
"Me too."
The mountain is still wild. The winters are still harsh. The isolation is still real.
But I'm not alone anymore.
Epilogue – Demi
Three Years Later
The fire pops softly, sending a small shower of sparks up the chimney, and I shift my weight against the counter, one hand resting absently on the curve of my belly.
Joseph moves behind me, his hand settling briefly at my waist as he reaches past me for the cutting board. He presses a kiss to my temple before stepping away, and I smile into the warmth of the cabin.
"You need to sit," he says, glancing at me over his shoulder as he sets the board on the counter. "You've been on your feet too long."
"I'm fine."
"Demi."
