Page 13 of Noel with the Mountain Man

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She sets down her phone and holds out her hand. "Dance with me."

"I don't—"

"Yes, you do. You danced in the kitchen with Maren. So, dance in the living room with me." Her eyes are gentle but determined. "You don't have to forget her to move forward, Kyler. You just have to take one step."

I stare at her outstretched hand. At this woman who showed up and turned my whole world sideways in less than twenty-four hours.

Then I take her hand.

She steps into my arms, and we sway by the firelight. It's not smooth—we're both sliding on the floor in our socks, and there's barely enough room between the couch and the fire. But it doesn't matter.

Because for the first time in two years, Christmas doesn't feel like a wound.

It feels like a beginning.

"Thank you," I murmur against her hair.

"For what?"

"For not letting me hide."

She pulls back to look at me, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "Thank you for letting me in."

I kiss her as the song fades into the next one. And in that moment, in this storm-wrapped cabin on Christmas Eve, I realize something.

I'm not just surviving anymore.

I'm living.

Chapter 5

Noel

IwakeuponChristmas morning wrapped in Kyler's arms, and it feels like the best gift I've ever received.

Sunlight streams through the bedroom window. Actual sunlight, not the gray half-light of the storm. I blink at it, disoriented, then realize what it means.

The blizzard's over.

My stomach drops.

Kyler's still asleep, his face relaxed in a way I haven't seen while he's awake. He looks younger like this. Peaceful. I trace the line of his jaw with my fingertips, memorizing it.

His eyes open, immediately finding mine.

"Morning," he says, voice rough with sleep.

"Merry Christmas."

Something warm flashes in his eyes. "Merry Christmas."

He pulls me closer and kisses me, slow and sweet and thorough. I sink into it, trying not to think about the sunlight. About what it means.

When we finally come up for air, he brushes his thumb across my cheek.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." I force a smile. "Just... the storm stopped."

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