The thought of being trapped for days was almost too much to bear. Gina closed her eyes and tried to focus on practical concerns instead of the horror of their situation.
“We have supplies,” she said. “Food, water, fuel for the camp stove. We can keep warm.”
“And we have each other,” Nick added quietly.
Something in his tone made Gina open her eyes and look at him. He was watching her with an expression she couldn’t quite read.
“Do we?” she asked.
The question hung in the air between them. After everything that had happened, after all the doubt and fear and accusations, did they have each other?
“I don’t know,” Nick said honestly. “That’s up to you.”
Gina realized he was talking about more than just their immediate survival. He was talking about trust, about whether she could accept him as he was, without guarantees about his future or promises about stability.
She’d been so focused on what Nick couldn’t offer her that she’d missed what he could. When George had grabbed her, Nick had risked his life to save her. When the tree was falling, he’d thrown himself between her and danger without a second thought.
He’d been there when it mattered. Not because he had a steady job or a permanent address, but because that’s who he was. He protected the people he cared about, even when it cost him something.
Her whole life, she’d prided herself on being self-reliant. After her father left and her mother fell apart, that seemed like the only safe choice.
Fear of being disappointed. Fear of being abandoned. Fear of trusting someone who couldn’t take care of themselves, let alone her.
But Nick had shown up when it mattered. Maybe not with stability or guarantees, but with action when they needed it most.
“I think we do,” she said quietly.
Nick’s face softened. “You sure about that?”
“I’m sure that you saved my life today. I’m sure that when things got dangerous, you put yourself between me and harm. I’m sure that you’ve been honest with me about who you are and where you’re at in life.”
“I’m still a guy sleeping on his cousin’s couch,” Nick pointed out.
“I know. And I’m still a woman who’s terrified of depending on anyone else.” Gina took a breath. “But maybe we can figure it out together.”
The wind still howled around the old building, relentless and wild. But inside, something warm was growing between them. Not certainty about the future, but something more important: trust—the kind that might just weather whatever came next.
Chapter 16
Nick
The wind was finally dying down. Nick leaned back against the wall, Gina’s shoulder warm against his. Darkness pressed in around them, broken only by Joe’s flashlight illuminating the notebook in his lap.
Once they’d settled after the final ordeal and George’s death, the group, excluding Kelsey, moved the blankets, sleeping bags, and supplies into the hallway, shutting the dining room door behind them.
They set up the tent in the hallway, and Kelsey promptly claimed it, zipping it tight around herself. Nick tried to summon some sympathy but came up short. She might have believed she had no choice, yet he still held her responsible for putting them all at risk.
His gaze shifted to Brooke. She leaned against the wall with her eyes closed. His cousin seemed to be holding up well. The version of her from earlier, when she’d been shaken and spiraling over not finishing the trail run, had been replaced with someone intent on surviving. That anxious stranger had faded, and in her place was the capable person he knew, the fierce woman who could handle anything.
Gina was similar—steady and sure of herself. Even with danger closing in, she’d fought like a warrior.
“Storm’s passing,” he said quietly.
Joe lifted his head from where he sat across the hall. He’d found a notebook in his truck and had been scribbling franticallyfor hours. “About time. I was starting to think we’d be stuck here forever.”
“Maybe it’ll stay gone this time,” Brooke added. “Not tease us like before.”
“Even if it does, we might still be stuck for a while,” Nick pointed out. “The road conditions are going to be rough. And there’s probably more than one tree down between here and town.”
