Page 78 of On the Mountain

My body stiffened as we got closer and I noticed a police cruiser on the other side of my truck. I stopped Cyrus, putting him behind me, worried they were going to try to take him away, take me away.

“Crow?” he asked as Officer Paulson approached.

“I heard the two of you were in town. News travels fast.”

I growled, and he held up his hands. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

Cyrus stepped around me, gave me a comforting smile, then approached Paulson. I watched him, fought every instinct inside me to pull him close and keep him safe.

Cyrus reached out…and shook Paulson’s hand. “Thank you, for your help last year. It means a lot to us. I…I don’t know how to thank you.”

“It’s not necessary,” he replied. “It was the right thing to do. The two of you weren’t hurting anyone.” He looked at me. “You can trust me. If you need anything, just let me know.”

I couldn’t move, not at first. I studied him for any sign that he was lying, that he was waiting to pounce, but he wouldn’t do that, would he? Officer Paulson had helped us. There was a kindness in his eyes that couldn’t be faked.

I nodded.

He smiled. “Billy has been a bear to deal with lately. Be careful when you’re down here, okay? And if you want to call me before you come to town, you can. I’ll keep an eye on things.”

“Thank you,” Cyrus told him. “We appreciate that.”

Paulson nodded, told us goodbye, and then was on his way.

Cyrus came to me, held my face in his hands, and pulled me down for a kiss. “It’s all going to be okay. For the first time in my life, I know it’s going to be okay.” He kissed me again. “Come on, Crow. Let’s go home.”

“Home,” I told him. We put the bags in his car, then went home together, to the mountain, where we both belonged.

EPILOGUE

Cyrus

One year later

“Hi. How can I help you?” I asked the customer who stepped up to the counter at Tranquil Brew.

I’d started working here last year. Melody hired me part-time for summer and fall before the snow came. It was an adjustment. Neither Crow nor I were good at being away from each other, but I believed it was important. Crow struggled with it in the beginning. He feared I would want to leave him, that he wasn’t enough for me, but we’d worked through those fears together.

The woman ordered her latte and a smoothie for her child. They paid, her son hiding behind his mom’s leg, peeking at me around it with a shy smile. I’d been like that when I was young—quiet, hiding behind Mom because it felt like she could protect me from anything.

I signaled to the customer, quietly asking if I could give him a cookie. When she nodded, I pulled one out, wrapped it in a napkin, then handed it to him. He gave me a huge smile in return, one that looked too big for his face, and gave me a quiet thank-you before they went to sit down while I made their drinks.

I didn’t make a lot of money at the coffeehouse, but I liked the independence. It was important to me that I made some money too. Even though Crow mostly refused to take it, I needed to chip in.

And as much as I loved being on the mountain with Crow, the social aspect was good for me too. Or at least, that’s what my therapist said. Crow and I had both started virtual therapy sessions. It wasn’t something I was unfamiliar with, but it was definitely new for Crow. He was struggling with it a lot more than I was and still didn’t completely trust his therapist. When she’d mentioned that our obsession with each other might not be the best—that we could love each other, but that Crow shouldn’t be my reason for existing, nor me his—he’d nearly lost it. But she’d tried to make him understand, and it helped when I told him my therapist said the same thing. It was something we were both aware of and would work on. We were trying, and that’s what mattered. One step at a time. That’s all we could do.

I made the drinks and handed them over. There were more customers now, sitting at tables with their computers or talking with friends.

Melody came out of the back, wiping her hands on a towel. “Izzy and I are going furniture-shopping this weekend. I can’t believe I’m getting a house with my girlfriend. How exciting is that?”

“It is.” I liked Isabelle a lot. She was a nurse, and incredibly kind, and most importantly, she adored Melody and treated her great. My friend deserved the best, and she’d found it in Isabelle. I hung out with the two of them often, and a few times Crow joined us. It was different for him. He still didn’t eat at restaurants, and being in town made him uncomfortable, but we did things like go to quiet parks or spend the day at the lake.

But I could tell that Crow was getting more comfortable around them. The first couple of times, he didn’t speak at all, but now he would, though he was quieter than the rest of us. Melody and Isabelle were great about it, though, supportive, and never treated him like something was wrong with him. Again, one step at a time.

“I want to ask her to marry me. Will you go ring-shopping with me?”

“God yes. Just let me know when, and I’ll tell Crow.”

“Thank you.” She squeezed my hand just as someone came into the coffeehouse.