Page 127 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
But she needed more than courage to take that first leap. Bravery and strength alone weren’t enough—not if she didn’t have faith.
45
Dahlia’s apartment was just as tiny as ever… but it felt like a cavern without JJ filling up space and making it feel all warm and cozy.
Every sound seemed to echo as she cleaned up after her dinner. It was too empty. Too loud. Too cold.
She reached for a throw blanket on the sofa with a frown. Not even the thought of watching the game tonight could cheer her because it just wasn’t the same watching the game by herself.
For weeks now, she couldn’t seem to get comfortable. Her routine, which she normally could immerse herself in when she was feeling low, just felt monotonous.
Pointless, even. What was the point of working so hard when no one even noticed?
And what was the point of rushing home after a long, grueling day only to sit here alone and in silence?
Dahlia nearly jumped off the couch at the sound of her phone’s ringer. She leapt for the device with an eagerness that would have been pathetic if there’d been anyone there to see.
But she was alone, of course, so no one did see her overly eager lunge… or the crestfallen look on her face when it wasn’t JJ’s name flashing on her screen.
She swallowed down the disappointment and cleared her throat. “Rosie, hey. Is everything okay?”
“Of course.”
She held the phone away from her ear in honest confusion. “Do you have any updates on the baby? Are you and Dex all right, or—”
“Dahlia,” she interrupted.
“Yes?”
“Everything is fine. I just…” She went quiet for a moment. “I was thinking about how you’re always checking up on Daisy and me and thought maybe I should check up on you sometimes too.”
“Oh.” Dahlia leaned back into the couch cushions as her tensions eased. “That’s nice of you.”
“How’ve you been?” Rose asked.
But Dahlia tensed all over again at the simple, benign question. Rose hid her concern well, and she’d been really great about not asking too many questions about JJ’s visit, but Dahlia knew that was what had prompted this call.
“Oh, you know… same old, same old.” She hurried on to questions about Rose and the baby before her sister could ask anything that would hurt too badly to answer.
Rose seemed content to do most of the talking, and Dahlia curled up on the couch, finding some comfort in not feeling so alone for the first time in weeks.
“Hey, Dahlia?” Rose said after a lengthy pause.
“Yeah?”
“I really love you.”
Dahlia lost her breath. Rose sounded so genuine, her sweet voice pure and confident. Dahlia didn’t know how to reply.
“I know we don’t say that kind of thing to each other very often, but I just… I was praying for my little baby girl, and I just got this overwhelming urge to call and tell you.” She paused, and Dahlia could hear the smile in her voice. “I want you to know that I really love you, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without you.”
Rose’s speech was so unexpected, so sudden, that Dahlia didn’t stand a chance against the crashing wave of emotions that had tears welling in her eyes.
“You raised me and cared for me,” Rose continued. “You gave up so much for me… even going to community college instead of moving away when you could have gotten a scholarship to any school you wanted. But you stayed close so I could still rely on you.”
The silence that followed was filled with the sound of Dahlia’s sniffles.
“Where’s this coming from?” she finally managed to whisper. Her throat was so thick it was hard to speak properly. “Did JJ put you up to this?”
