This is dangerous.
Not the house.
Not the situation.
Him.
Always him.
And as I slide into his bed, pulling the covers up around me, breathing in a scent that is unmistakably Benji—soap, sweat, something warm and grounding—I realize something I’ve been trying not to admit since I pulled onto this land.
I came here for a signature.
For closure.
For an ending.
But lying here now?
Wrapped in the ghost of everything we used to be?
I’m not so sure that’s what I’m going to get.
Not even close.
And before I fall asleep with tears tracking down my cheeks I wonder if coming here is more trouble than I bargained for.
Chapter 5-Benji
The first night Esme sleeps in my bed—in the house I built from conversations we’d had long before I could make it a reality—I don’t sleep.
I stay up walking the perimeter and texting Micah to dig into her accounts and track down whatever sick bastard’s been following her.
Yeah. Not exactly how I pictured my life twenty-four hours ago.
But here I am.
Boots crunching gravel in the dark, the ranch quiet except for the low shift of cattle and the steady hum of insects that never seem to sleep in this summer heat.
I make another pass along the fence line closest to the house, flashlight cutting across posts, wire, shadows.
Everything looks solid.
No breaks.
No tampering.
No sign anyone’s been stupid enough to test us tonight.
Still doesn’t mean they won’t.
My phone buzzes in my hand, and I look down. It’s a text from Micah.
Micah
Pulling what I can. She’s got a legit following. Big. Monetized. Clean revenue streams. No obvious red flags yet.
I stare at the message for a second.
