Chapter 47

I curse the alarm on her phone when it goes off at 5:30 a.m. and wrap my arm tightly around her middle, not ready to let her go. I gotta remind myself she’ll be back after her shift, but after hearing about her conversation with Jonathan yesterday, I worry. I barely slept last night, but it had nothing to do with my memories and everything to do with him asking her to go back. There’s no way I’m subjecting her to that life. I saw the defeat in her eyes. I won’t let anyone steal the peace she’s found here.

Scottie is my home, the same way Sky Ridge is hers.

She belongs in whatever place makes her happy, where she can live fearlessly and thrive. If that was back in Arkansas, I wouldn’t stop her, but she’s sacrificing herself when she’s already sacrificed enough.

The thought of Scottie returning to the people who broke her is enough for me to steal her away to the top of Quell’s again. We can stay in our lookout, putting logs on the fire, and spending afternoons in each other’s arms.

She stretches in my embrace and groans. “I feel like we just went to bed. ”

“Me too.” I press my lips to her neck. Scottie’s sleep was as restless as mine, but even in the short intervals of rest, her body sought mine out in the sheets every time we strayed too far from each other. There’s a comfort in using up the same amount of space we had in the fire tower. But, as much as I want her to stay here all day, I have a lot I need to accomplish in the next twelve hours.

My grip loosens. “Time to get up, baby.”

She hums, and flutters her lashes, pulling away from me. I ignore the empty feeling of her absence. She’s coming back.

Her hand slaps the bedside table until she feels her phone. Squinting, she checks the time. “Shoot,” she mutters. “I’m gonna be late.”

I sit up and scrub a palm down my face. “You want coffee?”

She shakes her head. “I’ll grab some at the station.”

I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stretch, my joints popping and clicking like I’ve added forty years onto my age.

She snatches up her navy EMT uniform and hops around as she clumsily wrangles her foot into the pant leg. In the bathroom, she’s brushing her teeth with one hand and awkwardly buttoning her shirt with the other. I stand behind her, resting my chin on her shoulder, then push her fingers aside and finish the rest of the buttons.

“’Hank yew,” she says around her toothbrush.

“Hey, last night? We didn’t use protection.”

Her brow furrows, and she extracts her toothbrush, tilting her head up to keep the frothy toothpaste from dribbling out. “I’m on birth control.”

“What?” I nearly shout. “Since when?”

“I said I didn’t want kids, remember? My injection is good for another year.”

“And you’re just now telling me? ”

She shrugs and continues brushing her teeth, then spits into the sink. “Sorry, I just thought you wanted to use condoms as an extra precaution.” She rinses her mouth with water.

“No… God, no! Nobody wants to use condoms.”

“Oh, well, then we can stop using them.” She grins, showing off her pearly smile.

Shaking my head, I chuckle. “I’m gonna go warm up the truck,” I say, kissing her cheek.

I throw on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve tee and grab my keys. Within five minutes, she’s climbing into the cab of my truck with a fresh face and her hair in a tight bun. I’m impressed with the short amount of time it took us to go from bed to vehicle. Must have been less than ten minutes.

“Got your car keys?” I ask. I make a mental reminder to add my house key to her keyring.

She nods, and we’re pulling up to that piece of shit apartment in no time. “Can I have your apartment key? I’m going to take care of a few things today. I’ll lock up on my way out.”

“Oh,” she says with raised eyebrows. “Sure. But don’t feel like you have to do anything. I can take care of it after work.”

The corner of my mouth curves up, and I hold out an open hand while she wiggles the brass key off the ring. It’s not like she has a ton of stuff. I’ll be shocked if it takes more than one trip once I get everything loaded up in boxes.

As soon as she presses it to my palm, I wrap my fingers around hers and grasp her chin with my other hand to give her a kiss. “I’ll see you tonight,” I say. It’s a promise.

“Yeah.” Her eyes have a shine to them when she swallows. “I’ll see you tonight.”

My throat burns hearing the doubt in her voice, as if we only have a few see you tonights before our time runs out.

“It’s going to be okay.”

Scottie weakly hums in agreement, but there’s no conviction in it. She pops the handle on her door and hops out. I watch her get into her car and back out of the parking lot.

Time to get to work.

I’m halfway through packing up the things in her apartment when my gaze lands on a piece of paper with the name of a local hotel and a room number. Jackpot. That saves me time having to call around to find where Jonathan is staying. I rip the piece of paper off the notepad and shove it in my pocket, then drop the blank pad of paper into the box next to the single pot and pan she owns. I clock a rat in the corner of the room, not sure if it’s the same one from yesterday or his buddy.

“Ya know, usually I’m not a big fan of rats,” I tell him, “but you were a great wingman yesterday, so I’m gonna let it slide. Looks like you’ll live to see another day.”

It only takes me an hour to pack up her belongings. We will have to deep clean all this shit thanks to the rodent roommates she acquired while she was absent.

Once everything is loaded in the truck and I’ve locked up her studio, I find the rental office. Naturally, there’s a security buzzer on his door but not the other apartments.

I hit the speaker button. “Dropping off keys.”

The door clicks as it’s unlocked, and I enter the office without a courtesy knock and stand at his desk. He seems startled to see me. “Does Prescott Timmons owe you anything for rent?” I’ll pay any outstanding debt she has to get her out of this place.

“Well, I’ll have to look...” He turns to his computer.

He clicks around, scrolling his mouse a few times, but at last shakes his head. “No, she’s up-to-date.” Of course she is .

“Great. Here’s her key.” I drop it on his desk and steal a Post-it Note and pen, scribbling down my address. “She’s moved out?—”

“Now wait, she needs to give a written sixty-day vacancy notice,” he argues with a smirk.

I laugh, impressed he has the balls to ask for a sixty-day notice on that rat sanctuary. “Yeah, she’s not doing that.”

I slap the sticky note in front of him. “Here’s the address you can send her security deposit to.” I glare at him until I get a reluctant nod. I’ll be watching for that check in the mail. The fact he even took on a tenant in that studio is upsetting, knowing it was Scottie? Now, that straight-up pisses me off. He took advantage of her situation.

I drop the pen on the desk and walk out. “You’ve got rats, by the way,” I call out as soon as I reach the exterior door, loud enough for the renters checking their mailboxes down the hall to hear.

I swing through a drive-through and scarf down some fast food while I sit in my truck outside the hotel. I’m not sure how long this visit will last. I’ve practiced what I want to say at least a dozen times since Scottie told me how their conversation went. If it ends up being anything close to that, it will be a long one. I play it over in my mind once more, then take another sip of my soda before I hop out.

Automatic doors part from the center, and I stroll through the lobby toward the elevators.

I extract the piece of paper in my pocket after pressing the up arrow and wait. Room 415. After a loud ding, I step inside, selecting the button for his floor. My reflection glares back at me in the silver doors. I look the same as I did a week ago, but I couldn’t be further from the old me. As soon as the elevator climbs to the fourth floor and I exit, I’m hit with the smell of bleached towels and carpet deodorizer. I reach his hotel door and stand outside, taking one last cleansing breath, then knock twice .

Footsteps fall on the other side of the door, then the chain slides across the track. One turn of the knob later, I’m standing face-to-face with the man who’s trying to take Scottie away from me. This guy is her friend, but he’s not mine.

“Hey.”

The moment he recognizes me, his face falls ever so slightly. Something tells me I took a big shit on his day. We regard each other in silence before he eventually moves aside.

“Come in,” he offers.

I’m hoping we can remain civil, but there’s no way to get through this conversation without at least some disagreement. I stuff my fists into my pockets and stride past him. He takes a seat on the edge of one of the queen-size beds and leans forward, scrubbing a palm down his face before straightening his spine and resting his hands on his thighs. I lean against the desk across from him, crossing my ankles. “Not sure if you remember me?—”

“Callahan, right?”

“Yes.”

He nods, an understanding of who I am to Scottie passes between us.

I clear my throat. “I don’t know you. You don’t know me. But we have something in common, we both love Scottie. I’m not sure what your plans are for heading back home, but there’s something we have to discuss… I think you know why I’m here and what I’m about to tell you.”

His chest expands as he takes in a breath. He must have known this was coming.

“If you care about that woman in any way, I need you to divorce her.”

“I will, as soon as?—”

“No. Divorce her now. Let her go.”

His eyes turn glassy. “I can’t.”

I cross my arms. “You can. ”

“How much did Scottie tell you about where we come from?”

Sighing, I bow my head. I don’t care if they escaped from a state penitentiary, Scottie is not going back there. “She’s told me enough.”

“She must not have,” he argues. “I assume she at least told you about our arrangement. Here’s the thing, I’m being blackmailed. They are threatening to out me to our community?—”

“ Your community. Scottie doesn’t belong to them anymore.”

He opens his mouth in rebuttal but then thinks better of that decision. “I’ll be exiled, I will lose my job, my medical license, my home, my friends, my family, my safety—everything. If I don’t return with Scottie, I will lose everything .”

“And what will Scottie lose by returning? What about her life?”

His expression turns sympathetic as tears swell. He can’t even look at me right now. He knows this is wrong. “I love her.”

“If you love Scottie half as much as you say you do, you’ll do this for her. She’s covered for you her whole life, this is your chance to return the favor.”

He stands and crosses his arms. “What do you want me to do?”

I throw my hands out to the side. “Call their bluff! Look, you are obviously important to her, which means you’re important to me.” And he’s lucky as hell that’s the case, or we’d be meeting under very different circumstances. “We will do everything we can to help you, but you have to take the first step. Who you choose to love is nothing to be ashamed of or fear. Staying in that community is far more damaging than leaving it.”

He shakes his head.

“Scottie has always cared for you as you are, that doesn't change. From where I stand, she’s your real family, so what are you really going back to?”

He draws in a breath, releasing it before speaking. “I understand our relationship is hard for most people to understand, but I just need to get her back until things calm down. After that, we can leave together?—”

“No.” My tone is sharp. “She gave you that opportunity months ago, you didn’t take it. You may not like the sound of this, but Scottie is not leaving Sky Ridge. She’s not safe with The Fold. She may be too fucking selfless to guard the home she’s found here, but I’m not.”

He scoffs, dropping his arms and looking away.

“Scottie lives in Sky Ridge, and Scottie’s all you have. You deserve a life as much as she does, so maybe it’s time to come to her. We will support you while you make your separation from the church and help you get established out here, but you can’t expect her to do all the work. It’s going to take effort from you too. She’s fought too hard to get to where she is.”

“I would be risking everything if I left.”

“She’d be risking everything if she went back. You have the chance at a real start here. Take it. ”

Jonathan stands and paces as he runs his hands through his hair. He pauses, glaring at me.

I shrug. “Aren’t you tired of feeling trapped? I’m not telling you to come out, that’s on your own time, but I am asking you to at least honor her request for a divorce before you leave town.”

“I don’t understand what the rush is?—”

“Because I can’t marry her until you divorce her,” I spit out, jabbing a finger to my chest. The words catch me off guard, but now that they’re out in the open, I don’t regret them. It’s the truth.

“She’s still my wife, this is a discussion she and I should be having privately. Our faith doesn’t concern you.”

I bark out a laugh. He can’t be serious. When her faith becomes something she needs to be protected from, it’s of my concern. And referring to Scottie as his wife triggers something inside me, so I raise my voice. “And what’s in the best interest of your wife , huh? What about what she wants? What about her safety? If you want to play the husband card, then act like one! Stop being a coward and protect her , because from where I stand, I’m doing a better job than you are.”

He doesn't deserve her.

I exhale some of my anger and calm my demeanor. “Do what’s best for her,” I plead. “Let her go.”

The silence between us is deafening while we stare each other down, and his jaw tics.

He crosses his arms in front of his chest. “I need to think about it.”

I speak my next words clearly. “Here’s what you need to think about: I’m offering you a chance to start over, and that offer has an expiration. I don’t want to make an enemy out of you, it’s obvious you’re an important person to the woman I love, but I will bring hell to your doorstep if you fight me on this.”

He smirks. “Is that a threat?”

“It’s a promise.” I straighten. “You will not be leaving with Scottie. She’s staying in Sky Ridge.”

My anger has reduced to a simmer by the time I’m walking down the aisles of the grocery store with my sister. I had to get some of this shit off my chest, but I also had to restock my fridge and pantry. Since I never got around to calling her yesterday, I figured I could make it up to her now. It’s been a lot to catch up on. She’s still reeling from the whole thing with Jonathan when I drop another bomb on her.

She grabs the side of my cart, stopping it in the middle of the aisle. “You told her you loved her?! ”

“Yeah.”

Her eyes widen, and she grips my arm. “Did she say it back?”

A small grin creeps onto my face. “She did.”

Teddy slaps my shoulder. “Oh my God. This is like serious-serious. And now she’s staying with you? Do you think it’s too fast?”

I shake my head. “I know how it looks from the outside, but it doesn’t feel rushed.”

Her smile grows. “That’s really great. I’m happy for you, Cal. You needed this.”

I needed her. “Thanks,” I say, pushing the cart forward again. “I’m thinking of making her that garlic chicken thing we used to have.”

“Nice. I just made it last week for Logan and the kids.”

“How are the kiddos?”

We exit the aisle, and move toward the poultry section while Teddy regales me with Dalton’s latest funny story. I’m deciding on a pack of chicken when we’re interrupted by the last guy I should be seeing when I’m in a mood.

“Hey Cal. Good to see you and Scottie made it back down safely,” Dave says, stepping up next to me. “Sounds like you had quite the adventure.”

I swear the universe is testing me.

“Yup.” I clench my jaw.

“It’s been nice to have her back at the station.” He’s baiting me.

“She missed a day, not a week,” I remind him.

His smarmy smile grates on my nerves. “Well, when you’re used to having her around, one day can feel like a lot.”

Teddy sighs. “Shit.”

We spin to look at her, and she holds up her spread fingers. “I’m just here for the violence… and—and… this turkey.” She smil es innocently, wrestling a sixteen-pound bird from the refrigerated bay next to us and dropping it in my cart.

Great.

I roll my eyes at her and turn back to face Dave, briefly checking our surroundings before I continue.

Leaning toward him, I lower my voice. “I didn’t fight you when you slept with Molly, I hope she’s happy with you, truly. But if I find out you try to interfere with my Scottie, or spend extra time with her, or make her feel uncomfortable, I will feed you your fucking teeth.”

I flip the chicken over in the skillet as it sizzles, and the scent of garlic is mouthwatering. Scottie should be home any minute. Overall, I think I made some progress today. I moved Scottie into my house, gave her notice at her apartment, had a nice chat with her future ex-husband, and even made an appointment with a therapist. Which, after leaving the hotel and grocery store today, I’m going to need.

Jonathan and I remained civil during our discussion, but unfortunately, I didn’t walk away with a solid answer from him. Regardless of what he decides, Scottie isn’t going anywhere.

Her car pulls into the driveway just as I glance out the window. My shoulders relax at the sight of her. I should be concerned with how fast I’ve adjusted to the idea of moving her in here, but it feels normal. There’s a peacefulness about her. She has a soothing presence whenever she’s near. It’s been like that since the beginning, even when I wasn’t ready to receive it.

I meet her at the back door, opening it up.

“Don’t hug me yet, I gotta take a shower. Had a pretty messy call today.” She toes off her shoes at the door .

“Thought you weren’t going on calls?”

“I’m not, but I still cleaned the rig afterward.”

I wince, baring my teeth. “Do I wanna know?”

“Nope,” she exclaims, popping the P.

She drops her bag at the door, then steers past me. “I don’t know what you’re making, but it smells amazing!” she yells as she sprints up the stairs. Less than a minute later, I hear the shower turn on.

On the way to the stove, I grab tongs and click them twice before removing the chicken breasts from the pan and setting them aside. Then I pour in some chicken broth and heavy cream, stirring it around. This might not be the healthiest thing in the world, but damn is it delicious. And after a season of eating prepackaged food, I’m ready for something homemade. While the sauce thickens in the pan, I remove the salad I made earlier from the fridge and set out a few plates.

I pause at my actions. “Holy shit. This doesn’t even feel weird,” I mutter, then laugh, amused at the entire ordeal. “Why doesn’t this feel weird?”

Scottie returned to my house after work—we practically had a Honey, I’m home! moment, I’m making dinner, we’re going to eat in the dining room, then probably watch a movie, and go to bed. She lives here now. There’s a good chance I’ve been running off instinct since I went after her on Quell’s. We were in survival mode. Now, it’s all hitting at once. The interesting part is that I’m fine with it. All of it. Maybe keeping Scottie close is part of my survival.

When the shower turns off, I pluck a couple wine glasses from the rack, pour us each a glass, and place them on the dining room table. She meets me in the kitchen with wet hair, snaking her hands around me from behind as I plate the food. Spinning in her arms, I grab under her thighs and lift her up. She instinctively wraps her legs around my waist, and I steal her lips with mine. Her delicate fingers skim over the scruff on my cheeks, and she brushes her thumbs over my temples. Scottie pulls away, and we stare at each other. She’s drinking all of me in, like she’s memorizing every feature.

“What are you thinking?”

Her eyes shine, and she cocks her head to the side with a reluctant smile. “That I’m going to miss this.”

“It’s going to be okay.” I press my forehead to hers. “I promised I wouldn’t let you go. I’m keeping that promise.”