Page 52 of Protective Refuge

Seeing how much it had helped Xavier had also convinced her it was the right thing for her. It seemed nothing short of a miracle to Hannah that he had changed so much in these last few months, and she knew Sarah was a big part of that.

He had put in so much work, learning all these techniques to ground himself and pull himself out of a flashback when one hit him. She could only imagine how tough it had been to relive all those memories again in order to work through them.

But the person she had seen in the woods on that fateful day, she never laid eyes on again. The man who seemed so lost to his memories, to the bad dreams and his past, was gone now. When she looked at him, she saw his softness, his kindness—his dedication to making sure that nobody had to suffer the same way he had.

He had been an amazing support as she got back on her feet after the attack, and to the guests at the lodge, too. He understood so well what a lot of them had been through, and he did whatever he could to help them through it, encouraging them to get therapy and able to tell them exactly how it had helped him. His strength and kindness never failed to amazeher, and she was so proud to be able to call such a good man hers.

He talked a lot about his brother these days, which was such a nice change from before. For so long, he had hardly spoken Max’s name out loud, but now, it was different. The happy memories he shared with her made her wish that she’d had a chance to know Max properly, but at least she could get to know him through his proud older brother’s memories. That was something.

She had put up a picture of Max and Xavier as kids in their cabin, one that she’d dug up from his old room. It wasn’t much, but it was some kind of reminder of him, of their happy times together.

She had never been happier, not in her whole life. Helping Bailey organize her wedding, coming up with fun wedding favors with River, watching the flowers she had planted bloom over the course of the summer, sharing the evenings with all of her friends, including her brother, who was totally accepting of her relationship with Xavier. It was everything she could have asked for, everything she could have dreamed of, and she wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Well, maybe one thing. As she dried herself off, she pulled a face as she looked down at the flip-flops she’d brought with her.

“What’s wrong?” Xavier asked, noticing her annoyance.

“Those things gave me blisters on the way out here,” she complained. “It’s going to hurt like hell getting back to the cabin to warm up. I should have brought something else with me.”

“Well, maybe you can next time,” he suggested.

She laughed. “Oh, you want a rematch already, huh?” she asked, pretending to square up to him.

He grinned and put his arms around her. “How about I carry you back?” he suggested.

She smiled, leaning into him. “I guess I could manage that,” she agreed, and he swooped her up into his arms. “When did you become such a romantic?” she asked, and he lowered his mouth to hers.

For a moment, she forgot all about the bet he’d made and the fact she’d won. When he kissed her like that, nothing else in the world mattered to her.

“When I realized I could drop you back in the cold plunge tub,” he murmured.

Her eyes widened. “Wait, what?”

But before she could get another word out, he dropped her back in the water—robe and all—and took off running.

“You’resodead!” she yelled after him, but she was laughing so much she could hardly get the words out. The freezing water rushed through her again, and she scrambled out as fast as she could. She took off her soaked robe and fished her flip-flops out of the water, then took off after him. She didn’t care who saw her as she sprinted in the direction he had gone, robe and shoes in hand.

She saw him vanish down the path into the woods, just past the row of flowers she had planted before the first frost the year before. She put on a burst of speed, rushing to catch up with him, laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath.

When she finally caught up to him, he was already back at their cabin, sitting on the porch swing with a triumphant grin on his face.

“What took you so long?” he asked as nonchalantly as he could while still trying to catch his breath.

She matched his tone, stepping onto the porch. “Oh, I was just doing a little extra cold plunging. It has a lot of health benefits, you know.”

“Does it?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Sure does. It reduces inflammation, increases circulation, improves metabolism and mood… I’m pretty much a champ at it.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “Okay, champ, what do you say we warm up together in a hot shower? I hear that can have a few health benefits, too.”

Hannah agreed enthusiastically, and as she followed him into their cabin, she realized that she was living her dream. She was safe, she was loved, and she was so incredibly happy.

She couldn’t ask for anything more.