Page 80 of Into the Light

He chuckled as if he was remembering the conversation. “But damn, Ember, did you prove him wrong.”

I gave a breathless huff. “I did, didn’t I?”

His lips came crashing down to mine while he whispered, “You absolutely did.”

“Wait,” I pulled away. “So, what did Walsh say?”

“He agreed to it, but then Pico went outside to wait for me, and Walsh essentially did the same run around he gave you except this time he acknowledged that he was there when Ash died, but that he cannot say anything other than that.”

Of course he couldn’t. “I don’t fucking get it. He was never like this. Why was he keeping a secret that wasn’t even his to keep?”

“I don’t know, princesa.” He sighed, clearly frustrated, and I decided not to press because it was obviously agitating him.

“Anyway, he said that the answer is in front of us like he was delivering some words of wisdom or something, but anyway, you can see why the whole meeting really just irked me.” He grabbed my waist and pulled me tighter into him as his head nuzzled into my neck.

“Mmm, I am sorry for taking it all out on you. I just want to go away for the night.”

My ears perked up. “Oh, yeah?”

“Come on, Em,” he whispered as his lips came across mine. “Help me erase my day.”

My lips were dancing atop his. “Okay.”

I pulled away from him and grabbed a few extra sweaters and jeans, knowing where we were going without him even saying.

“Let’s go,” I whispered as I interlaced my hand in his. I looked up just as we walked out toward his bike and could have sworn I saw a little star above dancing in the night sky.

Hi Ash and Sol.

I glanced back at Rain on his bike handing me my helmet as he looked at what I was staring at.

“Are you ready?” he asked, and I looked at the man standing before me.

“Yes.” I got on the back of the bike and wrapped my arms around his waist. He caressed my arms before he started the engine and peeled out.

When we got off the ATV and pulled up to the familiar cabin, I went inside because it was far colder in the middle of the pines than back in town.

“It’s freezing,” I exclaimed, and Rain laughed as we were welcomed by the warmth of the cabin. But there was something . . . red?

I looked around the cabin and realized it was blanketed in red rose petals around the bed.

“Did you—”

“What the—”

We both said at the same time and then a sly grin raised on both of our faces.

“Pico.”

“Marissa,” I told him, and he agreed. I walked over to the kitchen where there was a bottle of champagne, my favorite seltzers, and already popped popcorn because this place did not have a microwave.

“Netflix and chill?” he asked, and I giggled, feeling a little out of place in the cabin because the last time we’d been here it was so hard for Rain to look me in the eyes. Almost as if he could read my mind, he walked up toward me and brushed a hair behind my ear.

“It’s different this time,” he murmured.

“It is.” I agreed. “Also, this is a little too cheesy for me.”

This time he burst into laughter that rang like a melody throughout the room.