But the reality was I was alone. Alone in a life of my own making.
I stopped and sagged against a tree that provided a decent amount of shelter. I had one person I could tell about this hike who would actually care if I never made it back. My online friends would be sad, but we never met in real life. It would be so much easier to compartmentalize the loss in the constant bombardment of terrible news shared online every day. Kevin might be sad but maybe also a little smug in thinking that I would have been safe if I had just chosen him.
My poor father. To lose us both. He would be okay. He had his friends.
I wiped a hand over my face, unsure what was tears from my imagined death or the weather.
The absurdity hit me all at once.
I cackled loudly in the now-pounding weather. I was really sitting here planning out my own funeral?
“You. Are. Fine.” I gritted my teeth. I pushed myself off the tree even though my leg was smarting now. The break gave my adrenaline a chance to settle down, and the pain in my extremities sank in.
“You have an article to finish and an ex-boyfriend to prove wrong.”
I quickened my pace. As I rounded a tight bend, a flash of light caught my attention. Up ahead, a tall, dark figure, hooded under a heavy poncho, shone a flashlight in the clouded-over afternoon.
A shout was muffled as it carried on the wind.
Was that for me? I stumbled ever closer, warning myself not to be too hopeful or let my guard down.
“Claire!”
“Levi?” I gasped out.
It was him. The closer I got to him, the more clearly his sharp features, long hair, and tall figure focused.
I was close enough to see his worry as he yelled.
“Here!” I shouted with my whole being.
His gaze shot straight to mine. Several yards and swirling snow, and he found me instantly.
Levi had come for me. The relief was so all-consuming and instant that my knees almostgave out.
I couldn’t help myself. I started bawling.
I totally would have been okay on my own, but now, I didn’t have to be.
The same relief coursing through my body just moments ago was written all over him as he ran my way. I wanted to shout to him to go slow and be careful, but all I could do was stumble in his direction, arms reaching like an unsteady toddler.
My teeth chattered, my body shivering so hard I almost couldn’t talk. “H-hi,” I said and threw myself against him.
He made anoomphof surprise as he absorbed my impact.
I held on like I had any right to. I wrapped myself up in him, his body heat infusing my bones with warmth I thought I’d never feel again. His scent, like home, overtook the wet, earthy smell of the world around us, a balm to my panic. I sank into his strength, protecting and comforting. His arms banded tight around me; my ear pressed against his chest, listening to the solid and erratic beat of his heart. His large hand cradled my head, pressing me into him like he was also seeking comfort in the knowledge that I was okay and safe. His fingers stroked my soaked hair, soothing even as they snagged.
And it all felt so right.
Chapter 13
Levi
Every single ounceof fear gripping me melted away as her arms squeezed me tight around my core. Her arms shook as she held me with all her might.
Every possible worst-case scenario that had played rapid-fire through my brain for the past hour—poof. Gone.
When her text sharing her location came through, my blood went icy. There was no way she’d be back before the storm, and my response went undelivered.
