If only he knew. But I nod. I can’t bring myself to say anything else as he guides her to the door and takes her bag. The woman I love is walking away like nothing happened and there’s nothing I can do to stop her.
I step into the doorway, watching as Cooper throws her bag into the back of the rescue truck. The driver gives me a nod but nothing else, yet I still can’ttake my eyes off her. Not even as she gets into the back and she’s completely obscured.
Cooper gets into the passenger side with one last wave in my direction. I don’t move until the truck has completely turned around and taken off down the driveway. Even when it’s disappeared beyond the trees, I find myself still locked in place.
When I can’t hear the engine anymore, I stalk to the side of the cabin where I’ve been keeping most of my tools and pick up one of the large sledgehammers. The wood of the handle is icy in my hand, but I ignore the bite and carry it into the cabin. The door slams behind me as I stalk into the kitchen and take in the countertops and cabinets. I only see her and our broken future when I swing.
TEN
SOPHIA
The moment the cabin disappears from sight, I feel the emptiness in my chest grow with Noah’s absence. Is it possible to love someone after a week? To feel their absence so deeply that it’s like you’re missing a limb?
It feels impossible, and yet my heart aches with a ferocity I can’t explain, one I know is tied to the quiet, scarred man on the mountain.
I’ve been in love with him for years, but is it possible to actuallylovehim after everything?
I know it isn’t his fault we couldn’t reach Cooper. Deep down I know that’s true.
But for a moment, I was terrified. And I can’t evenexplain why.
Coop fills me in on everything I missed during my week on the mountain. He doesn’t ask about Noah, though I can’t tell if that’s out of respect for his privacy, or if it’s because Cooper knows something happened between us. My brother may be a little thick headed, too flirty for his own good, and jaded from his ex, but he still knows me better than most.
And he can probably sense something is off. I have to remind myself he’s Noah’s friend, too.
Which is why the mountain man was always off limits.
But is he now? Or have I chased him away?
Each mile away from the cabin is like another cut to the tether between me and Noah. But if he wanted me to stay, he would have said something, wouldn’t he? He would have fought for me, would have come with me.
We get dropped off at the fire station by the ranger, who takes off without another word. Those guys are as quiet and sullen as the men who live exclusively on the mountain, and they’re just as mysterious—maybe even more reclusive. I’ve only dealt with them on a handful of occasions in the ER, and most times they just want to leave.
After that, everything is a blur. I’m taken to thehospital—mostly against my will since the only proof of the accident is the bruising around my eyes—and given the all clear. Instead of going home, Coop gets the night off to care for me at his place, which feels almost foreign and uncomfortable after a week in the cabin. I end up tossing and turning in his spare bed, unable to find comfort in a place I’ve always felt safe. And even though he checks on me throughout the night, I feel less and less like myself.
Like I belong.
By morning, I’m ignoring Coop and going back to my own place. Not even showering in my own bathroom feels right, not after the last few days with Noah and his gentle hands rubbing shampoo through my hair, his fingers tracing my stretch marks and the sensitive parts of my body.
I release a heavy breath as I curl up on the sofa, an unfinished knitting project sitting in my lap, wearing one of Noah’s t-shirts. I don’t remember putting it in my bag, but I don’t want to think about the idea that maybe he’d put it there.
“You like him, don’t you?” Coop asks as he lets himself into my place—with a key I’m tempted to take back. “You’ve been a sappy mess since I picked you up, and it’s because you like Grey.”
I stare at him in irritation as he shucks off his winter coat and toes off his boots like he owns the damned place.
“No,” I say, watching as he starts for me. I can’t hide the damned t-shirt—he knows it’s Noah’s as soon as he sees it. “You don’t know anything.”
Cooper raises a brow as he joins me. “You sure about that? Because I saw the lovey-dovey way he looked at you. And the way you tried to stay ten feet away was also a dead giveaway.
I run a hand down my face and groan. “It’s so dumb.”
“No, it isn’t,” he states quietly. “You’ve had a crush on that man since you met.” I open my mouth to rebut that—even though it’s painfully true—but Coop holds up his hand. “Sorry, Soph, but I’m not an idiot. He might be, though, since he’s also been in love with you for as long as he’s known you, and he was stupid enough to let you go.”
I stare at him for a long moment, heart pounding. “You actually think he could feel that way about me?” I ask quietly.
“Who wouldn’t?” he replies with a shrug. “But you won’t know until you go back there.”
“My truck is dead,” I point out. “And I doubt the rangers will take me back up.”
