Chapter 5

FIVE

Ansel

“Have you told her yet?” Huxley asks me, and I sigh.

“No, not yet. I need to build up to it,” I explain, and he snorts.

“Dude, you’ve been building up to it all of your life,” he points out.

“Says the guy who has been in love with his girl for a year and hasn’t told her yet either.”

“I’m building to it. I’ll tell Cora.”

“When?”

“Soon. She’s moving in with me, and I’m going to woo her. I have it all planned out.”

“Well, so do I.”

“Yeah, but maybe you should speed up the timeframe. You never know what could happen or how much time you have.”

His usually happy tone trails off, and I know that he’s thinking about what happened to Kip. He was shot and blown up on our last deployment and it’s why they got out. I wasn’t there, but I heard about it, and I know that it was Huxley who was there with him, putting pressure on his wounds and trying to save him.

My eyes trail to the calendar, and I realize that today is the two-year anniversary of the attack.

Shit.

“How’s Kip doing?” I ask, my voice coming out just as low and somber as his.

“He’s good. He’s hanging out with Ginger today.”

“Good.”

Kip is a good dude and he deserves to be happy. I’m glad that he’s found it with his girl.

“Back to you and your girl problems,” Huxley says after a moment.

I clear my throat, glancing at the stairs to make sure that Noelle isn’t close by.

“I’m working on it. I’m making us dinner, and then I’m going to take her to see that new holiday movie playing in town.”

“Classic. Alright, good, let me know how it goes.”

“Will do, boss.”

He laughs, and I grin.

“I kind of like you calling me that. Maybe I’ll make you salute me when we’re at work.”

“It will be with my middle finger,” I warn him, and he lets out a bark of laughter.

“Alright, man, well, good luck. Be careful. With all of the snow that we’ve been getting, I’m not sure how the roads are.”

“I’ll be safe. See you soon.”

“See ya.”

He hangs up, and I hear Noelle’s footsteps above me. She must be done getting dressed, so I hurry to plate our food and set it on the counter. We spent most of today looking at furniture and home décor online. We ordered quite a bit, but none of it will be delivered until January, so we’ll have to make do with what we have until then.

She appears in the doorway, eyes bright and cheeks flushed, and I can’t help but think how right she looks here in my cabin. Like she belongs.

She spots the table and grins, eyeing the plates I’ve laid out with grilled chicken, roasted vegetables, and a side of garlic bread. “You made dinner?”

“Only for the best houseguest in the world.” I smile, pulling her chair out for her. She rolls her eyes, pretending not to be impressed, but I catch the little smile she’s trying to hide.

We sit down to eat and fall into easy conversation.

“The rugs should be here tomorrow or the day after,” she says as we both dig in.

“Good.”

“The floors have been so cold, so they will be nice to have, especially here in the living room.”

I nod, and the conversation changes to us laughing over memories from high school and talking about everything that happened while we were apart. I’m so lost in her stories, in the way her laughter fills the room, that I almost forget the plan I’d made to finally tell her how I feel.

We finish eating and she helps me clear the table. I take a deep breath, reminding myself that this is it. Tonight, I’m going to tell her.

“Noelle,” I start as I set the last dish down, my voice coming out rougher than I intended. “Would you want to… maybe go see that new holiday movie in town with me tonight?”

Her eyes widen, and her cheeks turn a soft shade of pink. “Like…a date?” she asks, voice barely above a whisper.

I nod slowly, my heart pounding as I watch her expression shift from surprise to something softer, almost hopeful. “Yeah. Like a date.”

She bites her lip, nodding with a smile. “I’d like that.”

Yes.

“Great! The next showing starts soon so we should probably leave soon.”

“Okay,” I’ll just go grab a sweater and get my shoes on.”

“Me too.”

We both head to our rooms to change, and I can’t stop grinning as I pull on a clean shirt and jacket. By the time I return to the living room, Noelle’s already waiting, looking as beautiful as ever in a cozy sweater and jeans, her brown hair cascading down her shoulders. I offer her my arm, and she takes it with a shy smile.

As we step outside, I realize the snow has picked up, blanketing everything in white. She carefully walks down the porch steps, but just as she reaches the last one, her boot slips on the ice. Instinctively, I reach out, catching her in my arms.

“Whoa,” she breathes, gripping my shoulders tightly.

She’s pressed up against me, her eyes locked on mine, and I can feel the rapid beat of her heart matching my own.

I lean down, my face inches from hers. “Are you alright?”

She nods, her voice a whisper. “Yeah. Thanks for catching me.”

“Of course.”

We stare at each other, neither one of us breaking eye contact and something passes between us.

Before I can stop myself, I close the distance, brushing my lips softly against hers. Her hands tighten on my shoulders, and to my surprise, she kisses me back, her mouth warm and sweet against mine. My heart swells, and I pull her closer, pouring every unspoken word, every bottled-up feeling, into that kiss. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of and so much more.

But then, her phone rings, shattering the moment.

She pulls back, glancing at the screen with a frown and I know right away who it is.

“It’s them, isn’t it?” I ask, my voice tight with displeasure.

She sighs, nodding. “Unfortunately.”

“Don’t answer,” I tell her, and she looks up at me miserably.

“If I don’t answer, they’ll just keep calling.”

I don’t want her to answer. I don’t want her to feel that obligation, that pull back to people who don’t deserve even a second of her time, but I can see the guilt in her eyes, the familiar weight her family always puts on her shoulders.

“You could turn your phone off,” I suggest.

“What if it’s an emergency?”

I sigh, stepping back a little bit. Her phone rings again, louder this time, and she pulls back, glancing between me and the screen. With a defeated sigh, she answers.

“Hello?” Her voice is small, almost fearful, and I hate that I can’t protect her from them.

I can’t hear what’s being said on the other end, but whatever it is makes her face fall, her shoulders sagging. “What? What happened? Okay... I’ll be there soon.”

She ends the call, tucking her phone into her pocket as she looks up at me with an apologetic smile. “I have to go. They… need me.”

“Noelle,” I say softly, reaching for her hand. “You don’t have to go back there. You don’t owe them anything.”

She hesitates, looking torn, but I can see the fear in her eyes. Years of being under their control, of being their scapegoat—it’s a hard pattern to break.

“Please, stay,” I plead, squeezing her hand. “You can move in with me. You deserve better than what they’re giving you, Noelle. You deserve to be somewhere you’re loved and respected, not used.”

She glances down at our joined hands, and for a brief moment, I think she might say yes. But then she pulls her hand away, shaking her head slightly.

“They said it was important,” she whispers.

“Noelle…”

“I’ll think about it,” she whispers. “But right now, I… I have to go.”

My heart sinks as I watch her walk back to her car. She glances over her shoulder, offering me a small, sad smile before she climbs in and drives away, leaving me standing alone in the snow.

I head back inside and clean up from dinner, my mind racing with everything that happened tonight. Sure, she left, but before that, she agreed to go on a date with me. Maybe tonight will still end up being a win.

I head upstairs to take a shower and get ready for bed. I take my time in the shower and then get dressed and climb into bed, but I can’t fall asleep.

I can’t stop thinking about Noelle. I lie awake, staring at the ceiling and wondering if I’ll ever be able to break through the walls her family has built around her heart. I’ve loved her for as long as I can remember, and I’d give anything to take her away from that life, to show her the happiness she deserves.

But I can’t force her to stay. All I can do is keep showing up, keep being here for her, hoping that one day, she’ll choose to stay.

In the quiet darkness of my room, I make a silent vow. I’ll wait for her as long as it takes, because loving Noelle is all I know how to do.