She stops and looks back.
"Thank you," I say. "For helping me breathe."
Her smile is small and heartbreaking and hopeful all at once. "Anytime."
I watch her go, unable to shake the feeling that I just crossed a line I can't uncross.
And the worst part is that I'm not sure I want to.
By the timeI get home that night, the wildfire alerts have escalated. The fire has jumped the containment line, and the wind is pushing it northeast. Toward Valentine.
I check my phone obsessively while getting Maddie ready for bed. She senses my tension and climbs into my lap, wrapping her small arms around my neck.
"Daddy, are we safe?" she asks.
I hug her tight. "Yes, bug. We’re safe. I promise."
She nods against my shoulder, trusting me completely. That trust feels like both a gift and a weight I'm not sure I can carry.
After I tuck her in, I go back downstairs and talk to Piper, she hasn’t gone back to her rental yet, she’s still staying here with us.
“I want you to stay in my room and not in the guest room."
I trail off, and she raises an eyebrow. "Your room?"
"Not for.I just don't want you to be alone tonight, and I don't want to be alone either."
Her expression softens. "I would like that."
Relief floods through me.
It feels surreal, having her here in my space. Intimate in a way that has nothing to do with sex and everything to do with trust.
We get ready for bed in companionable silence. Even though she brought what looked like clothes, she borrows one of my T-shirts, and seeing her in it does something to my chest that I'm not prepared for.
When we finally climb into bed, she curls up on her side facing me, and I lie on my back staring at the ceiling.
"Thank you for letting me stay here with you," she says softly.
She reaches out and takes my hand, threading her fingers through mine. The simple contact anchors me in a way I did not know I needed.
"Dylan," she says after a moment. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"What scares you more? The fire, or losing someone again?"
The question cuts straight to the heart of it.
"Losing someone," I admit. "The fire is just the trigger, but the real fear is that I'll let someone in and then they’ll be taken from me. Again."
She squeezes my hand. "I can't promise that nothing bad will ever happen. But I can promise that I'm here right now, and I'm not planning on going anywhere."
I turn my head to look at her. In the dim light from the hallway, I can see the sincerity in her eyes.
"What about Seattle?" I ask quietly.
She hesitates. "I've not decided yet. But Dylan, even if I took that job, it doesn't mean I would be gone forever. We could figure it out."
