Page 2 of Redemption in Misty Mountain

I chuckle, already picturing the chaos. “I’m ready for the full recap. I’ve got a whole office to put back together.”

As Maisie launches into a breathless retelling, I get to work, letting her words wrap around me like a story I’ll be stepping into soon. Her laughter is contagious, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like things are falling into place.

Then I hear it.Boom. Boom. Boom.Three sharp knocks at the inn’s front door make my stomach drop.

“Maisie, I have to call you back.”

Boom. Boom.

Sliding my phone into my back pocket, I move cautiously toward the entrance. My pulse pounds in my ears.A guest arriving late? Is it someone who can’t see the obvious snowstorm rolling in? A delivery? Or something else entirely?I scan the room for a weapon.Fire poker? Kitchen knife? No, I’m being ridiculous. But then again… maybe I’m not.

In a last-minute decision, I pick up a small, cast iron frying pan as I pass through the kitchen… Just in case I have to go Rapunzel on someone.

My pulse pounds against my ribs as I grasp the doorknob, the cold metal biting into my palm. One deep breath. Then another. I tell myself it’s just some stranded traveler, someone who didn’t check the weather report before heading up the mountain. Nothing more. I’ve got to get out of my own head. I twist the knob and pull.

The storm howls outside, a rush of icy air curling around my ankles, but it’s nothing compared to the chill that races down my spine when I see who’s standing on the other side. My jaw falls open.

It’s Dawson. I blink a few times to make sure I’m not actually insane. But he’s still here. Dawson is broader now. His shoulders are cut with strength and age. His presence is commanding even in silence. But there’s no mistaking that it’s him. It doesn’t feel real.How? Why? What the hell is he doing here?

The ground shifts beneath my feet. Time stretches and snaps, twisting around me like a rubber band about to break. My body remembers him before my mind can even catch up—before it can summon the walls I spent years building brick by brick.

I see flashes of a life I’ve worked hard to forget. My first kiss. Our first reckless night together. The way he made me feel beautiful for the first time in my life. My heart slams in my chest, it's racing one million miles per minute.

Dawson’s jaw is dusted with scruff that sharpens the angles that were always devastating. His deep-set eyes lock on mine. They gleam with that same streak of rebellion that once made me lose myself until there was no going back.

“Are you going to let me in?” His voice is a grumble. The snow clings to his dark hair and then melts against the heat of his skin and drips from the line of his heavy coat. “Or are you gonna hit me with that frying pan.” He lets out a smug chuckle.

The sound of his laugh sends a flurry of rage tingling through me. I take a half step away from the door, because what else canI do? He steps into the inn and just like that, the past shoves its way between us… bold and completely uninvited.

Infuriatingly, Dawson Stone is still the most handsome man in any room. Apparently, he’s still the one who can steal my breath without trying. But he’s also the man who made me believe in forever only to prove I was nothing more than an afterthought.

He’s the man I begged to love me and the one I had no choice but to leave. He’s the other half of the divorce that forced me into putting myself first and now he’s standing in front of me and I think I might be sick.

I let out a heavy, frustrated sigh. His timing is unbelievable. I’m finally ready to move to a place where I can lay down roots. I’m at peace in my life, or at least I’m about to be… And now this. A thousand thoughts flicker through my mind, tangled and sharp. But only one finds its way past my lips as I shove the door closed.

“Perfect.”

CHAPTER 2

DAWSON

The shockof seeing Rosalie slams into me like a lightning strike burning through every nerve ending. Having her right in front of me again is surreal.

Less than twenty-four hours. That’s how long it’s been since I finished my time in the Navy. I walked away from a life built on discipline, routine, and never staying in one place too long. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got back to Misty Mountain… But it sure as hell wasn’t Rosalie standing here like a living, breathing reminder of everything I lost.

Rosalie—my Rosalie.

Only, she’s not mine anymore.

I fucked that up. I let the most incredible part of my life slip through my fingers and I own it. But knowing that doesn’t change the way she still fills the hollow space inside me, the part of me that’s never felt whole since the day she walked away. She looks exactly like the last time I saw her, stunning, fierce, and impossible to ignore.

She feels like home in a way nothing else ever has. But from the look she’s shooting me, I’d guess the feeling isn’t exactly mutual.

Her hand settles on the curve of her full hip. It’s a stance I know too damn well. She’s stubborn, defensive, and bracing for impact. And yet, all I can think about is how many times I’ve had my hands there. I’m lost in memories of gripping her tight and holding on like she was the only solid thing in my world while I claimed her.

Her lips press into a full pout, and fuck if my body doesn’t remember every damn thing about that mouth. How it felt against mine, how it whispered my name, how it wrapped around my pulsating length. I exhale sharply, forcing myself to look away, to think about anything else, but some things you don’t forget. Some things stay carved into your bones no matter how much time passes.

And Rosalie? She’s in every part of me.

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