I lift her carefully. Carry her out of the warehouse and into the daylight. The mountain waits up there. Our cabin. Our life. And this time I’m never letting her out of my sight.
CHAPTER 15
Hannah
I sit in the passenger seat of Silas’s truck, wrapped in one of his spare jackets that still carries his scent of pine and leather. My hands shake even though the heater blasts warm air across my lap. The warehouse sits behind us now, lights flashing blue and red as local deputies swarm the scene. The two men who took me lie zip-tied in the back of a squad car. Their black Ford gets towed away. Everything winds down slow and steady, like the mountain itself exhales after holding its breath too long.
Silas drives with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on my thigh. His thumb strokes slow circles through the denim, grounding me. I lean my head against the window and watch the trees slide past. Safe. I am really safe. The word repeats in my head but it still feels new, like I might wake up any second and find myself back in that chair with duct tape across my mouth.
“You’re quiet,” he says after a few miles. His voice stays low and gentle, the same tone he used when he cut the ties off my wrists and carried me out of that building. “Talk to me, baby girl.”
I swallow hard. The words sit heavy in my chest. I can go home now. The threat is gone. The men who blackmailed me face charges that will keep them locked up for years. Dad stays safe in his new facility with round-the-clock guards. The payments stop because the people behind them no longer exist. I could pack my things, drive back to Seattle, pick up some normal life again. But the thought of leaving this mountain makes my stomach twist.
“I’m okay,” I answer finally. My voice cracks a little. “Just… processing.”
He glances over. Those dark eyes see straight through me. “You sure? You’ve been through hell today. If you need to talk about what happened in that warehouse, I’m right here.”
I nod but the worry keeps growing. Now that he saved me, maybe this is the end for him. He stepped in because he is the sheriff and because I needed help. He protected me the way he protects everyone on this mountain. But forever? I don’t know how to ask. I don’t know if he wants the same thing I want. Staying here. Building a life with him. Waking up every morning in his bed and knowing I belong.
The truck climbs higher. The road narrows and the pines close in. I watch his profile in the dashboard glow. Strong jaw. Steady hands. The man who carried me out of danger twice now. My throat tightens. I love him. I love him so much it hurts to think this might be temporary.
He slows the truck and pulls onto a wide shoulder overlooking the valley. The engine ticks as it cools. He shifts into park and turns to face me fully. “Hannah. What’s wrong? You’re pulling away and I feel it. Tell me.”
Tears burn behind my eyes. I blink fast but one slips free anyway. “I can go home now. Everything is over. The men are arrested. Dad is safe. You did exactly what you promised. You saved me.”
He waits, patient as always.
I twist my fingers in my lap. “But I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here. With you. At the cabin. On the mountain. I want mornings where you make pancakes and evenings where we sit by the fire. I want forever, Silas. But I don’t know if you do. Now that the danger is gone, maybe you’re ready for things to go back to normal. Maybe I was just the case you had to close.”
The words tumble out fast and shaky. I can’t stop them once they start. “I’m scared to ask because I don’t want to hear that this was only temporary. I love you. I love you so much it terrifies me. And I don’t know how to leave if you don’t feel the same.”
Silas reaches over and cups my face with both hands. His thumbs brush my tears away. His eyes hold mine, dark and certain. “Baby girl, listen to me. This was never temporary. Not for one second. From the moment I caught you on that runway, something in me clicked into place. I knew you were mine. I knew I would protect you, fight for you, build a life with you if you’d let me.”
He leans closer. His forehead rests against mine. “I love you, Hannah. I love the way you fought back even when you were terrified. I love how you trusted me enough to turn that plane around. I love waking up with you in my arms and knowing the cabin finally feels like home because you’re in it. I don’t want you to leave. I want you to stay forever. Marry me. Build a family here. Grow old on this mountain with me. That’s what I want.That’s what I’ve wanted since the first night I carried you to my bed and sat guard in that chair.”
My breath catches. Fresh tears spill but these feel different. Light. Relieved. “You mean it?”
“I mean every word.” He kisses me soft and slow, like he’s sealing a promise. “I already talked to Rafe this morning before everything went down. Told him I planned to ask you properly once the dust settled. He laughed and said it was about damn time. The whole crew knows. They’ve been waiting for me to make it official.”
He reaches into the console and pulls out a small black box. When he opens it, a simple diamond ring sits inside. Not flashy. Just perfect. A single stone that catches the dashboard light and throws it back warm and bright.
“It was my mothers. I was going to wait until we got home,” he says, voice rough with emotion. “But I can’t wait another minute. Hannah, will you marry me? Will you let me keep you safe and loved for the rest of our lives?”
I laugh through the tears and nod so hard my head spins. “Yes. God, yes. I’ll marry you. I’ll stay forever. I love you, Silas. So much.”
He slides the ring onto my finger. It fits like it was made for me. Then he pulls me across the console and into his lap. His arms wrap around me tight. We kiss right there on the side of the mountain road, deep and hungry and full of every promise we just made. His hands slide under my jacket, warm against my back. I thread my fingers through his hair and hold on like I never plan to let go.
When we finally break apart, both of us breathing hard, he rests his forehead against mine again. “We’re going home now. Our home. And tomorrow we start planning the rest of our lives. You, me, the cabin, maybe a couple of kids running around Haven 7 someday. Whatever you want. It’s yours.”
I smile so wide my cheeks hurt. “I want all of it. With you.”
He kisses me once more, quick and firm, then shifts me back to my seat and buckles me in. “Let’s get you home, baby girl. Harper already texted that she’s got dinner waiting and the whole crew wants to celebrate. But after that, it’s just us. My bed. My arms. The way it should be.”
The truck rolls forward again. The road climbs higher and the trees open up to show the compound lights glowing in the distance. I look down at the ring on my finger and feel the last of the fear melt away. Dad will be thrilled when I call him tomorrow. The women at the lodge will squeal and hug me when they see the ring. The men will clap Silas on the back and tease him about finally settling down.
But right now none of that matters as much as the man beside me. Silas reaches over and takes my hand. Our fingers lace together. The ring presses cool against his palm.
“I love you,” I say again, because I can say it now without worry.