Her words ease my mind somewhat. I understand her relationship with Eric, but I still can’t shake the feeling of protectiveness. I reach out, stroking her cheek gently with the back of my hand. She looks up at me with a mix of tenderness and vulnerability.

“I think we should get some sleep,” I suggest, trying to ignore the nagging feeling that I need to be closer to her. “We’ve had a long day, and the journey back is going to be tough.”

I can see the weariness in her eyes, the worry. She’s been through a lot. “I feel like we should be doing something.”

“Sleeping,” I laugh. “We can figure out what to do in the morning.”

She rolls to her other side once again. I pull her close to me, snuggling into her. She stiffens at first but then relaxes against me. The warmth of her body against mine is comforting. I close my eyes and try to sleep. Once again, my stomach starts to growl. At first, I assume she’s already fallen asleep.

Then she laughs softly.

“Sorry,” I murmur.

“It’s fine.”

“Are you hungry?” I ask suddenly. “I know we just ate, but I’m starving.”

“I kind of am,” she admits. “After everything we’ve been through, a couple of cans of stew just didn’t cut it.”

I grin at her. “Don’t be embarrassed,” I say. “We worked up an appetite.”

She nods, her smile widening. “Okay, then. Let’s see what we can find.”

I get up, wearing just my boxers, completely unabashed. Mia pulls a blanket around her, which I find funny, considering I’ve already seen it all. But she’s modest. I appreciate that about her. She follows me into the kitchen area. We search through the cabinets to see what else we can find. It’s all canned food and a few staples.

We go with a couple of cans of chicken noodle soup and some crackers.

“I am going to eat a whole pizza, a cheeseburger, and maybe a bunch of tacos,” she says with a sigh as she munches on a Saltine.

I chuckle at her enthusiasm, scratching the back of my head. “That sounds like a feast I’d like to join.”

The cold wind howls outside, nipping at the cabin’s wooden walls. We eat in relative silence. Mia has a dainty way of eating, which is endearing. She finishes before me, leaving me to my thoughts as I sip the last of my soup.

“What do you think happened to Eric?” she asks out of nowhere.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” I say, giving her a reassuring smile. “Maybe he was a little smarter than the two of us and recognized that a bad storm was coming in. He probably assumed you were going to delay your flight.”

“That would have been the smart thing to do,” she laughs.

“I guess we were both feeling invincible.”

After we finish eating, Mia cleans up the dishes while I tend to the fire. I find myself thinking this isn’t too bad. Being here with her was definitely worth that hike. I can’t say I’d be excited to do it again, but the reward was fantastic.

“Do you know if he’s got any dry wood somewhere?” I ask.

“There’s a shed, but I have no idea how much wood is in there.”

I look at the stack against the wall. “We might want to slow down. If there isn’t a backup pile, we’re going to be stuck here freezing our asses off. It’ll barely be a step above being outside. Unless we start burning furniture.”

“Just when I think things are good—like maybe we are finally out of the woods—so to speak.”

“I don’t want to go out there looking for wood right now,” I tell her. “It doesn’t mean we are screwed. Not yet. I’m sure your friend is prepared for a week-long stay. Or however many days you thought you were going to be here. This pile seems like enough for one or two days.”

She looks thoughtful, a crease on her forehead as she processes my words. “Right,” she says eventually. “We’ll just conserve our resources until morning.”

I squeeze her hand in reassurance, giving her a small smile. “We’ll be fine, Mia. I promise. We’ll figure out something. I’m not worried.”

“You look worried.”