Page 26 of The Pucks We Freeze
“You sure?”
“I think I’m overdue for a nap anyway.” He leaned back dramatically and closed his eyes with a fake snore.
I smiled as I stood, grabbing the phone. Before stepping out, I glanced back at him one more time. He was relaxed and content, and I realized the pain we carried was finally starting to ease for both of us.
Maybe this wasn’t the home I remembered, but I’m starting to think that perhaps we’re learning how to make it one again.
I reached the porch of the guest cabin as the last streaks of sunlight dipped behind the trees, painting the sky in gold and dusky lavender. The cool air was laced with the scent of pine and a faint hint of woodsmoke from a nearby fire pit. I wrapped my arms around myself, cradling my phone to my ear as I hit the call button to dial Everly back.
“Hey,” I said softly.
Everly didn’t miss a beat. “Don’t youheyme.”
I winced, already bracing myself.
“You’ve ghosted me for two whole days,” she said with faux outrage. “Do you understand the level of betrayal? That’s felony-tier friendship neglect. You’re lucky I didn’t organize a search party or show up at your door wearing a ‘Free Willow’ T-shirt.”
A laugh escaped me, tension in my shoulders finally easing. “Alright, you’re right. I deserve that one. I’m sorry, it’s just… a lot’s been going on.”
“No kidding. You text me you’re stuck in Rixton helping your dad recover from surgery, then drop a casual bombshell about how you’re shacked up with Kade Brooks, your ridiculously hot ex-hookup. Right as I brace for that trainwreck of a reunion, you hit me with the whole ‘our parents got married’ reveal and then go radio silent.”
“I didn’t technically go silent,” I murmured.
“Girl. I’ve sent you memes, voice notes, three Buzzfeed quizzes, and ‘You good?’ at least five times. Don’t act like you wouldn’t call that silent.”
“I know. I know. I’ve just been… processing.”
“Are you processing in closets?” she asked, her voice lower, suspicious. “Because I need to know whether this is a breakdown or a slow-burn romance finally catching fire.”
I sank into the rocking chair on the porch, tucking one leg underneath me. “Neither, I think. It’s… well, it’s complicated.”
Everly scoffed. “You are living in a cabin in the woods with your stepbrother and secret ex-fling, and you expect me to believe this isnotcomplicated? Please. This is every forbidden romance trope detonating at once.”
I smiled, tracing a knot in the wood grain of the armrest with my thumb. “So you understand why I needed a hot minute to wrap my mind around everything?”
“Willow.” Her tone dipped, teasing. “What’s happening? On a scale from innocent forehead kisses to full-on soul-searing sex, where are we?”
I paused, eyes drifting to the gravel drive and the lodge’s outline through the trees. “I think I’m falling for him, Ev.”
There was a beat of silence.
“Oh,” Everly whispered. “That’s not a forehead kiss. That’s full-heart-on-the-floor territory.”
“I know.” My voice cracked slightly. “It’s different this time, though. It’s not just remembering why I liked him. I’m realizing I never really stopped.”
Everly let out a dramatic, wounded noise. “Why are you like this? Do you understand the emotional damage you're causing me? I need a hoodie, a bowl of popcorn, and total silence just to recover.”
She sighed. “Spill it.”
I laughed, the sound catching in my throat. “Everly—” I started, trying to slow her down.
“Nope. You’ve opened the book, nowread me the pages.Every detail. What happened, what he said, what you felt, and don’t leave anything out. This is like catnip for me. Youcannotleave me hanging.”
I leaned my head back and let the sky blur into stars. Somehow, the ache in my chest felt easier to carry with her on the line.
“All right,” I murmured. “You asked for it.”
And I started from the beginning.
