Month: December 2025

Chapter twelve Holly Morning came soft and quiet. I was warm. Wrapped in strong arms and heavy blankets, pressed against a heartbeat that didn’t scare me. For a long time I just lay there, breathing him in all soap, pine, a faint trace of sawdust. It smelled like safety. Blake shifted behind me, his chest

Chapter eleven Blake Headlights swept the cab as Duke’s truck caught up behind us, his horn giving a short warning blast. My phone buzzed against the console. I tapped the speaker button.“Yeah?” Rafe’s voice came through, low and urgent. “I’ve got my college buddy Tony on the line. Might have snowed them about my brother-in-law,

Chapter ten Blake The call came in just after ten. It had taken some time to charge my phone. I’d spent the whole morning driving through town, checking bus stations, diners, anywhere someone scared and alone might stop to breathe. No one had seen her. Biscuit was restless in the passenger seat, whining every time

Chapter nine Blake I’d stayed late at the site, longer than I needed to. The crew had left early and I’d wished them Happy Holidays, then sat in the truck for a good ten minutes staring at the wheel. I wasn’t avoiding going home. I just didn’t know what the hell I was walking into.

Chapter eight Holly I’d listened as Blake left for work and I knew I’d screwed up. I didn’t just make cookies this time, I made a huge chocolate cake, then left it cooling and grabbed everything for dinner and put an Italian chicken meal together in the slow-cooker, using a recipe I knew by heart

Chapter seven Blake I was in the kitchen wiping down the counter before turning in when I heard her behind me, so quiet I almost missed it. She was standing in the doorway, bare feet and that ridiculous yellow blanket wrapped all the way around her shoulders, trailing at the sides like wings. The bunny

Chapter six Holly The house felt too quiet after Blake left the next day.Biscuit followed me everywhere, nails clicking on the floor, tail sweeping like a metronome. I told myself I was just cleaning, just keeping busy—but my hands itched for something to do. When I opened the closet in one of the spare rooms,

Chapter five Blake I wasn’t used to having someone else in my house. Even with Biscuit, the place was always quiet. Predictable. I liked it that way—wake up, work, eat, sleep, repeat. No surprises. Then came Holly. Now there were crumbs on the counter, flour on the stove, and the smell of something warm and

Chapter four Holly When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the light. Soft and gray, sneaking through the curtains. The kind of morning light that made everything look gentler than it really was. The second thing I noticed was the weight across my legs was warm, heavy, and breathing. Biscuit. He was

Chapter three Blake I padded back down the hall after an hour of doing paperwork, running a hand through my hair. Biscuit had always been a sucker for company, but it surprised me to see him curled right up next to Holly, the pair of them half-buried in my jacket, like they’d been together forever.