Page 56 of Stuck with the Hero Next Door

“Yeah,” she agreed, but she didn't step back. “We should.”

We stood there for another long moment, neither of us moving, both of us apparently terrible at taking our own advice.

“Cassie,” my voice came out soft.

“Mmm?”

“I'm glad you're okay. I'm glad you're here. And whatever happens tomorrow—we'll handle it together. Okay?”

She nodded, her eyes bright with something that might have been tears or might have been joy. “Okay.”

“Good.” I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Now get some sleep. Doctor's orders.”

She laughed, stepping back finally but keeping her eyes on mine. “Goodnight, Levi.”

“Goodnight, Cassie.”

I watched her disappear into the guest room, listened to the soft sounds of her feet on the floor. Then I went to my own room and lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and listening to the silence.

Everything had changed tonight. Not just because of the tree or the cottage, but because of that kiss. Because of the way she'd looked at me when she said she was scared of not taking the chance.

I'd been waiting for her to choose—to choose Everwood, to choose staying, to choose me. Maybe that kiss was her way of saying she was ready to stop running from whatever this was between us.

Outside, the blizzard continued to paint the world white, but inside my house, with Cassie in the next room, everything felt different. Right.

The snow had taken down more than just trees and power lines. I hoped it had blown away the last of her doubts, the final barriers between us.

I drifted off to sleep with that thought, and for the first time in months, my dreams were full of possibilities instead of what-ifs.

When I woke, it would be to sunlight streaming through windows and the sound of Cassie in my home and snow blanketing the ground. When I woke, it would be to the beginning of everything I'd been hoping for.

Chapter 15

Community Support

Cassie

Iwoke up in Levi’s guest room to the sound of a single clock ticking and the silence encompassing the house.

After missing dinner last night—partly from shock, partly from the way my ribs ached every time I tried to take a deep breath—I was absolutely starving. Weak light filtered through the window, but the snow was still coming down so hard that it looked more like static than weather.

The cottage. The tree. That kiss.

My fingers drifted to my lips, and despite everything—the destruction, the uncertainty, the spectacular bruise covering half my torso—I couldn’t help but smile. The kiss had been worth waiting for, soft and gentle and full of promise, like Levi himself. It felt like coming home and starting an adventure all at once.

The smell of coffee and pancakes drifted under the bedroom door, and my stomach responded with an embarrassingly loud growl. I sat up carefully, testing the movement. Everything hurt, but in that way that meant I’d eventually heal, just not today.

I found Levi in the kitchen, standing at the stove with his back to me, humming something under his breath while he flipped some gorgeously browned pancakes. He was wearing a soft flannel shirt and jeans, his hair still messy from a shower, and the sight of him doing something so normal made my chest feel warm and tight.

“Good morning.”

He turned with a smile. “Morning. How are you feeling?”

“Like I got hit by a gigantic tree branch. But also starving. I forgot to eat dinner last night.”

He was beside me in two steps, his hand on my elbow as he helped me sit down. “You were in shock. That’s normal.”

“Are pancakes for breakfast also normal?”