Chapter 45 – Begin Always
The next morning was gentle, wrapped in the smell of cinnamon and the hush of early light. Marissa woke to the sound of Mason humming in the kitchen, the faint clink of ceramic mugs, and a warmth that hadn't existed in her mornings before him. For a moment, she lay still memorizing the calm. The promise.
When she stepped out, his eyes found hers immediately. "Coffee's hot," he said, voice still rough with sleep, "and the cinnamon rolls are slightly less burnt than yesterday."
She laughed softly, moving toward him. The smell of fresh coffee, the quiet confidence in his smile it was becoming her favorite part of the day. She took the mug he offered, their fingers brushing.
"You're getting dangerous," she said. "I might start expecting this."
"Let me be the thing you expect," Mason said, so simply that it stilled her.
They sat on the porch steps, the forest breathing quietly around them. The sky above was soft and open, like it hadn't yet made up its mind about rain or sun. Marissa leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Do you ever wonder," she began, "how many little things we missed while chasing the big ones?"
Mason took a long sip of his coffee. "All the time. But I think we're finding them now."
They stayed out there long enough for the cinnamon rolls to go cold. But they didn't care.
Later, they drove to the edge of town, to a place Mason called the overlook..a rocky ledge that kissed the sky. Below them, the valley sprawled in golden greens and shifting mist.
"I used to come here when everything felt too loud," he said. "To remind myself the world was bigger than the noise."
Marissa knelt at the edge, staring down at the vastness. "It's beautiful. Overwhelming, but beautiful."
"Like you," Mason said.
She smiled without turning around. "You keep saying things like that and I might never leave."
"Good," he said.
The wind picked up slightly, tugging at her hair. She turned back to him, heart full in a way she'd never known.
"I'm scared," she admitted. "That this won't last. That something will come and ruin it."
"Then let's not think about forever," Mason said. "Let's think about today. Let's choose now."
She stepped into his arms, her voice a whisper. "Then I choose you. Today. And if tomorrow comes, I'll choose you again."
He kissed her...slow, deep, reverent.
And there, on that quiet edge of the world, they began. Again.