Page 35 of Broken on the Mountain
"You want what's best for you, darling. That's what we all want."
"No. You want what looks best. There's a difference."
The water in my fridge may as well freeze solid, because the room goes ice-cold.
Mom closes her phone slowly. "Piper. You're twenty-nine years old. You have a nursing degree you fluff around with, atrust fund you can't access until marriage, and a life that could be extraordinary if you'd just make an effort."
"Iammaking an effort, just—"
"You are not making an effort, Piper."
"Yes. I am." My voice grows sterner, shocking Mom with some defiance. "Just not the one you and father planned out for me."
"Is this about a man?" Her eyes sharpen. "Please tell me you didn't fall for some mountain... person."
The way she sayspersonlike it's a communicable disease.
"In fact, Ididmeet someone. His name is Chase. And yes, I like him. A lot."
"I'm sure he's very... nice." She picks up her purse, shoulders squared for battle. "But nice doesn't pay for penthouses or fund hospital wings or secure your future. Maxwell Pemberton can offer you—"
"Nothing I want." The room falls in silence as I stand and hold my hand out to the door. "Now if you don't mind, I'm tired. You know… from all myrollickingaround I did this weekend."
Mom smooths her suit jacket, composure sliding back into place like armor. "We'll discuss this at lunch. Wear the dress, it's beautiful. And Piper?" She pauses at the door. "Whatever this is, it's not real life. Real life is here. The sooner you remember that, the better."
The door slams shut, and I stand in my beautiful cage, feeling the bars tighten around my own life.
I stare at the garment bag for a full minute, choosing not to unzip it.
Instead, I walk to my bedroom, pull out my laptop, and book a flight. Friday. Four p.m. Returning Sunday night because I still have a job and responsibilities and a life I can't completely abandon.
But I can choose where I spend my weekends.
I can choosehim.
After the confirmation comes through, I set my alarm for four-thirty a.m. Tomorrow I'll watch the sunrise from my balcony.
Wearing his flannel.
I'll treasure the morning in a new landscape, prove to myself that Stone River isn't just geography. It's a choice.
My phone remains on the counter, and I pick it up before I can overthink it.
The skyline glitters outside my window, and as I drape Chase's flannel over the railing so the sleeve hangs in frame, I snap a photo.
City lights and mountain comfort. Two worlds that shouldn't fit but somehow do… only when he's involved.
Me:[photo] Missing the mountains. And the mountain man.
Three dots appear immediately.
Chase:That flannel's getting more travel than I do.
Chase:Four more days.
Chase:I'm counting already.
My chest cracks open and something warm spills out.
