“Mable,” she rubbed her eyes as a yawn escaped her.
“That’s a fine name,” Jake smiled. “We will need to take Scout to meet her tomorrow.”
They talked animatedly about kittens until,gradually, the tension drained from Nora’s small frame, her eyelids growing heavy as she leaned against me.
“I think someone’s ready for bed,” I murmured, taking her empty mug.
“Can Scout sleep in my bed tonight?” she asked drowsily.
“Of course,” I said. “And I’ll leave the hall light on.”
“And you’ll be close?” She looked between Jake and me.
“Right down the hall,” I promised. “Both of us.”
This seemed to reassure her. Jake scooped her up effortlessly, carrying her to her bedroom while I followed with the dog trotting at my heels. We tucked her in together, Scout curling up at the foot of her bed like a furry guardian.
“Sleep tight, kiddo,” Jake said, smoothing her blanket. “No more bad dreams, okay?”
“Kay,” she mumbled, already half asleep. “Night, Mom. Night, Jake.”
“Goodnight, baby,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
We left her door ajar and the hall light on as promised, making our way back to the living room.The emotional weight of the past few days seemed to crash down on me all at once, and I sank onto the couch, suddenly exhausted.
Jake sat beside me, pulling me against him so my head rested on his shoulder. “She’ll be okay,” he said quietly. “Kids are resilient.”
“I know,” I sighed. “I just hate that she had to go through any of this. That she’ll have these memories now.”
“She’ll also have memories of being rescued,” he pointed out. “Of her mother moving heaven and earth to find her. Of people who loved her enough to risk everything.”
I looked up at him, struck by the truth of his words. “When did you get so wise?”
He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Must be all that clean mountain living.”
I laughed softly, “Must be.”
We sat in comfortable silence for a while, the fire crackling in the hearth, the house settling around us. Outside, snow fell gently, cocooning us in our own world.
“What are you thinking?” Jake asked, his fingers tracing idle patterns on my arm.
I considered the question, trying to sort throughthe tangle of emotions inside me. “That I’m grateful,” I said finally. “For this moment. For you. For having Nora safe at home.”
“And?” he prompted gently.
“And I’m scared,” I admitted. “Of what comes next. Of Mikhail being back in our lives. Of how complicated everything’s suddenly become.”
He nodded, understanding without need for elaboration. “One day at a time,” he suggested. “That’s all any of us can do.”
I turned in his arms, needing to see his face. “Stay with me tonight,” I said, the words both a request and a promise. “Not just to sleep.”
His eyes darkened as they met mine, his hands coming up to frame my face. “Are you sure? After everything—”
I silenced him with a kiss, pouring everything I couldn’t articulate into the press of my lips against his. When we broke apart, both breathless, I rested my forehead against his.
“I’ve never been surer of anything,” I whispered.
“So… about my hat.”
∞∞∞
Later, much later, I lay in my bed with Jake’s arm draped over my waist, his breath warm against my neck. The familiar weight of him beside me felt right in a way I couldn’t quite explain; it was something I’d never felt with Mikhail. It was then that it dawned on me. It was love. Something I had never felt for Mikhail. I was in love with Jake.
Outside, the world was quiet, blanketed in snow and darkness. Tomorrow would bring new challenges—explaining my relationship with Jake to Nora, figuring out how Mikhail would fit into our lives, and rebuilding the sense of security shattered by Alexei’s actions.
But for tonight, in this moment, everything was as it should be. My daughter was safe in her bed down the hall. The man I loved was beside me, his heartbeat steady against my back. And for the first time in longer than I could remember, I wasn’t running from anything.
I was exactly where I was meant to be. Home.
