Chapter 2

I stayed planted in the doorway.

Jason glanced down the hall. "Nora, don't let the neighbors see this. Just let her in."

"When I got rushed to the ER, didn't that count as sick?"

He looked away. "Don't drag up old fights. You just got out of the hospital. Go rest."

In the end, I stepped aside.

Mabel rubbed her eyes. "Don't blame Jason. He was struggling with the altitude too, and he still stayed with me all night."

She looked at him. "Out there, I was the only one with him."

I pulled up that video.

Jason was using the satellite phone to livestream the sunrise for her.

"When she had chest pain and couldn't breathe, you stayed. When I was on my knees outside the ER from the pain, who stayed with me?"

Jason reached for Mabel. "Sit down."

He used to help me the same way whenever I had a fever.

"Do you still have that medicine? Mabel needs a couple too."

"It's fine, Jason. I can handle it."

He handed her a glass of water.

"Don't push yourself."

I watched in silence.

Then Jason set the bag of roasted chestnuts on the table.

"I remembered they're your favorite."

I opened it.

Half were gone.

Mabel held the top of the bag. "My blood sugar dropped on the way here. Jason told me to eat some."

Jason frowned. "You never used to care about stuff this small."

I pushed the bag back toward them.

"That was before."

Mabel took the guest room.

Late that night, my incision hurt so bad I got up for water.

Her door was cracked open.

She was livestreaming from a backup account, panning the camera across the room.

"After being on the road so long, Jason finally brought me home."

The comments poured in.

[They're meant to be.]

From beside the camera, Jason said, "Don't film Nora. She'll be uncomfortable."

He never told her to stop streaming.

I stood outside the door for a long time, gripping my glass.

***

The next morning, I told Jason to get Mabel out of my apartment.

He was pouring her another glass of water when he looked up.

"She's still not doing well. Give her one more day."

"This is my apartment."

He kept pouring. "It's mine too. Nora, stop overthinking it. She's only here temporarily."

Then the manager of our wedding venue called. "Ms. Neil, we had two event options ready and were waiting for Mr. Collier's approval."

"Last night, he confirmed that the wedding hall booked for three days from now will be used for a fan meet-and-greet instead.

"He said you're recovering from surgery and the wedding will be postponed. He didn't want the venue to go to waste."

"I never agreed to that."

I turned to Jason.

He wouldn't look at me.

"It's not canceled. We're just using the venue for one night. When this is over, I'll make it up to you and plan a new wedding."

Mabel stood by the dining table, still holding her glass.

"Nora, you can't keep him here. He wants to keep moving."

My gaze dropped to her phone.

The event schedule was open.

First, a joint interview with Jason and Mabel.

Then a special film about their trip through the mountains.

***

A message popped up from the bridal shop.

[Ms. Neil, Mr. Collier said the bride won't be in the wedding promo, so Ms. Jibb will fill in for the shoot. Do you approve?]

I took my pain meds like I was supposed to.

Still, cold sweat covered me as I rushed to the hotel.

I pressed one hand to my stomach, stopping every few steps.

In my bag were the collection notice, the wedding contract, and the old dashcam hard drive.

The debt. The wedding. The apartment.

I was ending it all today.

But Jason's RV posters were already plastered outside the hotel.

The welcome sign with our names was gone.

In its place:

[Never Alone on the Road.]

The poster showed Jason beside the RV, Mabel in the passenger seat.

Behind them was the wedding backdrop I'd picked.

Jason rushed over. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"My wedding gets postponed, and I need your permission to show up?"

He glanced at the staff around us.

"We're just using the venue for tonight. The fans are already here. We can't shut it down now."

"Then what am I?"

Jason looked away.

"Don't make a scene."

Mabel stepped out of the dressing room in my wedding dress.

The day I tried it on, Jason had wrapped his arms around me from behind and smiled.

"This one's for my wife."

Now Mabel was wearing it.

Fresh pins cinched the waist.

The bridal shop employee clutched the hanger and quickly explained.

"Mr. Collier said it was for the wedding promo. Ms. Jibb was only testing camera angles. Her face won't be shown."

"Who told you to take in the waist?"