Sable Peak (The Edens)

Thunder shook the house, waking me from a dead sleep. I lifted my head, holding my breath as I listened for Allie’s cry. But other than the clatter of rain on the roof and the grumble of lingering thunder, the cabin was quiet.

So I sagged into my pillow, stretching for Vera on the other side of the bed.

The empty bed.

This time when I sat up, it was all the way. “Vera.”

My room was empty.

I tugged the covers away to slide out of bed, swiping my sweats off the floor from where she’d stripped them off me earlier. With the waistband hanging low on my hips, I searched for her in the living room and kitchen.

“Vera,” I murmured.

Nothing.

What the fuck? Had she left?

After I’d picked her up from the loft, we’d driven to the cabin. She’d wanted to bring her car—I’d driven at turtle speed so she wouldn’t feel rushed.

Then she’d studied while I’d gone through Allie’s bedtime routine. When my daughter had been tucked into her bed, sound asleep, I’d waited for Vera to finish with her schoolwork. The minute she’d closed her textbook, I’d picked her up from the chair and carried her to my bed. While the rain poured outside, I’d worshiped her body.

It was the best damn sex of my life. She came alive under my hands. She was shy but playful. She let me take control, let me teach her what I liked. It was easy to learn what sent her over the edge. The noises she made … just thinking about her moans made my cock twitch.

So where the hell was she? I walked to the door, peering outside. Her car was still parked beside my truck, its paint glossy from the rain. I turned, dragging a hand through my hair.

Allie’s bedroom door was cracked.

I padded across the house, peering inside my daughter’s room. And there was Vera, wearing my T-shirt and standing at the window, staring into the night. One arm was wrapped around her middle. The other clutched the wooden rail of Allie’s toddler bed.

She gasped when I came to stand behind her, arms wrapping around her shoulders.

“Sorry,” I whispered. “Thought you heard me. You okay?”

She kept her eyes trained forward, her pale face reflected in the glass. “I don’t like thunderstorms.”

Like the heavens had heard her whisper, lightning flashed and then a crack of thunder boomed, threatening to cleave the sky.

Vera’s entire body jerked. The hold she had on Allie’s bed tightened into a death grip.

She was in here, standing guard, wasn’t she? She was protecting my daughter from the storm.

My heart split down the middle. One half, so fucking full that she loved Alaina enough to act as her guardian. The other half, devastated for the terrified woman in my arms.

I didn’t know the whole story about the day her life had changed, the day her father had murdered her family. I wasn’t even sure if Vance and Lyla knew that whole story. But I’d bet every penny to my name that it had stormed that night.

“Come on, Peach.” I peeled her fingers off Allie’s bed and forced her away from the window. Then I swept her into my arms, cradling her against my chest as I carried her back to bed.

Beneath the covers, I curled my body around hers, my chest to her back. With our legs twined, I held her so tight that when the next thunderclap rattled the house, I absorbed her flinch.

“Breathe,” I whispered into her hair.

“I hate this.”

It was agony, hearing the pain in her voice. How had she handled storms before now? Alone? The image of her huddled in a corner, shaking, popped into my mind. Even in my arms, she trembled.

“What can I do?” I asked.

“My dad used to talk me through them. He’d make up a story or sing a stupid song. Anything to keep my mind off the thunder and lightning.”

He’d comforted her through thunderstorms, even though the reason for her terror was a nightmare of his making?

Unless the trauma from her past wasn’t tied to a thunderstorm and her fear was rooted in some other horrific event. Unless I’d gotten it wrong. Maybe these storms had been awful when she’d lived with him in the woods.

The only way to know was if Vera opened up. It wasn’t happening tonight, not when she was locked up tight.

There was a chance she’d never share the details of her past.

But maybe it was time to share mine.

“How much did Lyla or my parents tell you about Alaina’s mother?”

This time when Vera jerked, it had nothing to do with the weather. She twisted in my hold, easing away just enough that she could see my face. “Not much.”

“You never asked?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Why not?”

“I wanted to hear it from you. If you wanted to tell me.”

Spoken like someone with secrets she didn’t want to share. Secrets she’d been pressured to share. But secrets she’d keep until she was ready to reveal them on her terms.

“Do you want the short or the long story?”

“Long.”

“Long it is.” I hadn’t given my parents and siblings the choice. They’d received the condensed version. But I wanted Vera to have it all, start to finish. To be the one person on earth who didn’t get the shortcut because it was hard to discuss.

Vera snuggled closer as a flash came outside. But when the thunder rumbled, this time she only tensed.

“I was living in Alaska when I met Allie’s mom. I was working out of Fairbanks, flying supplies to remote areas of the state.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Most of the friends I’d made were other pilots who worked for tourist companies. They’d fly people around to see bears or glaciers. Drop groups off at a remote cabin to fish for a week, then go back to pick them up.

My buddies had flown people while I’d transported cargo. My employers were an older couple who’d owned their company and small fleet for over twenty years. They reminded me a lot of my parents. Completely in love, even after having been married for decades. Hardworking. Honest. Kind.

When I’d put out feelers for jobs in Alaska, I hadn’t known what to expect. It was lucky that they’d called me first, that we’d hit it off so well on our initial phone call. And when they’d offered me a job to fly one of their cargo planes, I’d accepted and moved my life to Fairbanks.

“I liked the town,” I told Vera. “It was similar to Quincy. A little bigger.”

Tourism was a driving force in the local economy, and for the most part, the people were friendly and welcoming.

“My friends and I would go hiking in the summer on an off day. We’d meet up for drinks at our favorite bar. That’s where I met Madison.”

“That was her name?” Vera asked. “Allie’s mother?”

I nodded. “She had blond hair and hazel eyes. Her nose turned up at the tip. Allie looks nothing like her.”

Because she was mine. Even if Madison’s family hadn’t insisted on a paternity test, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind. One look at Alaina and those Eden genes shined bright.

Vera curled closer as the thunder continued, seeking comfort and offering it too as she listened.

“Our relationship was casual. We’d cross paths and hook up for a night. That went on for a few months. Then the occasional night together became not so occasional. Every weekend turned into three or four times a week. Then we were seeing each other every night. And I just … fell for her.”

It was the first time I’d fallen for a woman. I’d never seen the end coming. No matter how many times I replayed our relationship, I still couldn’t spot the warning signs. There’d been no hints that she was growing tired of my company. She’d appeared just as committed. Just as addicted.

“One night, I showed up at her house, thinking it would be like any other night. We’d have dinner. Hang out for a while. Go to bed. She answered the door and stared at me like I was a stranger. Wouldn’t even let me inside. Told me it was fun but she didn’t want anything beyond sex.”

The way she’d stared at me, like I’d meant nothing. I’d never felt used before that moment.

“It was …” I blew out a long breath. “Shocking. I cared for her.”

“Did you love her?”

“I don’t know,” I murmured. “Maybe. Too much has happened since. Too much that’s tainted what might have been love. Does that make sense?”

“Perfect sense.”

Did Vera feel that way about someone? Her father, maybe?

I buried my nose in her hair, breathing in that floral and apple scent. It made telling this story easier. It made me realize how much Madison and I had been missing. How we never would have worked, despite my best efforts.

Because I was meant to be here in this bed. With Vera.

“I came home the week after Madison ended it. Quit my job. Gave up my apartment. I hadn’t planned to leave Alaska, but I realized just how alone I was up there. My friends were fine, but they weren’t my family. I got homesick for Montana. Alaska is beautiful. But it’s not home.”

So I’d returned to the ranch and picked up exactly where I’d left off.

Maybe I still wasn’t sure what exactly I’d been searching for in Alaska. But when I’d come home, my expectations had changed. I’d realized that working for my parents and siblings was better than being alone.

“I helped Griffin on the ranch. Pitched in at Mom and Dad’s. Did whatever Eloise needed at the hotel.” Especially after the shooting that had happened in the lobby. She’d had a hard time coming back to work after a disgruntled ex-employee had tried to kill her. Would have killed her, had Jasper not jumped in front of the bullet.

“That first year back, I was busy. Besides work, there was a lot to be done on the cabin. I put on a new roof and expanded the clearing. If I got a whim, I’d go fly. And then Lyla got attacked.” Vera’s father had nearly strangled my sister. He’d let her go, but not without leaving bruises all over her throat. “We all searched for him. Did you know that?”

Vera stiffened. “Mateo, I—”

“Later.” We’d talk about that incident and her father later.

She nodded.

That had all happened before Vera had escaped and shown up in Idaho on Vance’s doorstep.

She’d been in Montana then, hadn’t she? She’d lived in the mountains where she still loved to hike. Did she ever revisit their old campsites? Had she found him already? Was she meeting him on her hikes?

Curious as I was, this wasn’t the time. Not as the loudest blast of thunder shook the walls and the rain pelted the tin roof.

Vera jerked, nuzzling closer. I listened for Allie again. If this storm kept up, it would wake her too. But there wasn’t a sound.

“A buddy of mine, another pilot, was getting married that June, so I flew back for a quick weekend trip to go to the wedding. After the reception, I went to my favorite old bar for a drink. Madison was there. We hooked up.” Try as I might, I’d still cared for her. Still wanted her. “I knew the score.”

And she’d made sure to remind me the minute I’d climbed out of her bed to deal with the condom.

A condom that had broken.

“I came home after the wedding. Put her out of my mind for good. Until months later, when I was about to come to a family dinner, and got a call from one of Madison’s friends. We’d met before. She’d go with Madison to the bar from time to time. I’m not even sure how she got my number, but I’m glad she had it.”

When she’d told me her name, I hadn’t even remembered who it was.

“Mateo?”

“Yes.”

“This is Leesa.”

“Who?”

“Leesa. Madison’s friend.”

“When I left Alaska after that wedding, I hadn’t expected to hear from Madison again. We were done. She was done. I’d already moved.” I’d given her up.

Maybe that had been my mistake. Maybe I should have stuck around. So much would be different if I’d stayed.

Madison might still be alive.

“Leesa told me to get to Alaska. Right away. That Madison was … gone. I didn’t understand it at first. I thought she was asking me to get there to help find her, like a search and rescue.”

But when Leesa had started crying, when she’d said that Madison was dead, I’d dropped to my knees on the cabin’s kitchen floor.

“Madison started hemorrhaging after Allie was born. The doctors couldn’t stop it. She died in the delivery room.”

“Oh, God,” Vera gasped. “Mateo. I’m so sorry.”

My throat was thick, the words hard to choke out. “She didn’t tell me. Nine months and she never told me she was pregnant.”

I took a minute, breathing through the tightness in my chest. Madison’s death had been a tragedy. But everything else had been a betrayal. It was harder to talk about than the rest and was the part that didn’t make the story short.

“Allie was two days old when Leesa called me.”

“Wait. What?” Vera pushed back, eyes wide.

I nodded. “Madison’s family was going to take Allie. Only a few people knew I was her father, and they decided after Madison died, they weren’t going to tell me. Because Madison was never going to tell me. Leesa thought it was wrong. So she went behind their backs and made that phone call.”

Thank fuck. I wouldn’t have known my daughter otherwise. I’d have missed out on her entire life.

“When I showed up in Alaska and marched into the hospital, well … it was a mess. Madison’s family refused to acknowledge me. They said I wasn’t Allie’s father. I had to fight to get a paternity test.”

“Seriously?” Vera’s eyes bugged out. “How could they do that?”

“They wanted her.” I shrugged. “I’m just glad I was able to make it there so fast. Before they let anyone take Allie home.”

If not for my own plane, I wouldn’t have made it. That had been another harrowing flight, riddled with nerves and shock and adrenaline. Exactly the mental headspace they teach pilots to avoid.

“When the dust settled, after the paternity test results came in, the hospital released Allie to me. Madison’s parents were furious. Threatened to go to court for custody. I knew I needed to get the hell out of Alaska. But even then, I promised they could have a relationship with her. That they were welcome in Quincy at any time.”

“Have they ever visited?”

“Not once.” No visits. No birthday cards. No Christmas presents. No phone calls. They were as dead to Allie as her mother. “I haven’t spoken to them since the hospital.”

“Idiots,” Vera scoffed. “They don’t even know what they’re missing.”

“Yeah.” I breathed her in, a smile ghosting my lips. God, I loved that she was mad. That she knew how special Allie was. That she’d fight to stay in my daughter’s life.

This woman. She was spinning everything around, like I’d been wearing a shirt backward for years and she’d finally made me turn it right.

“Do you think Madison would have ever told you?” Vera asked. “About Allie?”

“I don’t know,” I murmured. “I spent a lot of time with Leesa at the hospital. She was the one who’d brought Madison to the hospital when she’d gone into labor. She’d stuck around after Madison died. When I asked her the same question, she just stayed quiet. I think she wanted to give her friend the benefit of the doubt.”

Vera gave me a sad smile. “Understandable.”

“Someday, Allie will ask about her mom. I hope by then, I’ll know what to say.”

“You will.” She lifted her hand to my cheek. “Thanks for telling me.”

Thunder boomed again, but Vera didn’t so much as blink. She kept her eyes locked on mine, and when I bent to take her mouth, she sank into the kiss.

My sweats were stripped to the floor once again. The T-shirt she was wearing was dragged over her head. And when I slid inside her tight body, the world faded away. The storm. The past. All that mattered was Vera.

When we broke apart hours later, limbs tangled and skin sweat-slicked, the thunder’s roar had faded to a rumble. The wind had stopped whipping against the walls. The rain was slow and steady, white noise that followed us both into sleep.

The next morning, when I woke to find Vera in the kitchen with Allie again, the sky was blue. The sun was shining.

The weather today, inside and out, was clear and a million.