CH 4 THE MORNING AFTER
1384 Words
Nova woke slowly, pulled from sleep by the soft glow of morning light spilling through the curtains. For a moment she forgot where she was. The bed beneath her was warm, the air smelled faintly of pine and cinnamon, and somewhere nearby she could hear soft humming.
Then everything came back —
the storm,
the cabin,
Ellie falling asleep on her,
and Liam’s voice in the firelight,
low and honest,
telling her she didn’t have to run.
Her chest tightened at the memory.
Nova sat up, brushing her fingers through her hair. Her legs felt a little weak, her heart even more so. She pulled on a sweater and stepped out into the hallway, the wooden floor warm under her bare feet.
The moment she opened the door, she heard a burst of soft giggles.
Ellie.
Nova smiled automatically.
She followed the sound into the kitchen — and froze in the doorway.
Liam stood at the counter, hair messy, wearing a dark hoodie and sweatpants. He had Ellie sitting on the counter beside the mixing bowl, her legs swinging as she happily stirred something sticky and chaotic. Batter speckled the counter, the bowl, and a good portion of Liam’s hoodie.
He looked… impossibly soft like this. A man who didn’t care about the mess because his daughter was happy.
Ellie spotted Nova first.
“Novaaaa!” she squealed.
Liam startled, then turned — and the shy smile he gave Nova hit something deep inside her.
“Morning,” he said.
“Good morning,” she breathed.
She stepped closer, noticing how gently Liam kept one hand on Ellie’s back to steady her. Her heart melted a little more.
“We’re making pancakes,” Liam said. “Well… attempting to.”
“It’s mostly me!” Ellie declared proudly. “Daddy makes the pancakes funny-shaped.”
Liam gave an exaggerated sigh. “She means perfectly-shaped.”
Nova laughed, and the sound warmed the room.
Ellie held out the spoon, batter dripping dangerously. “Nova, stir with me!”
She didn’t even hesitate. She stepped beside them, taking the spoon carefully while Ellie clapped her hands. Liam watched, leaning against the counter, eyes softening as he took in the scene.
“You sleep okay?” he asked.
Nova nodded. “Better than I have in weeks.”
Liam looked relieved. “Good. You seemed… tired last night.”
Emotion fluttered low in her stomach. “It was a long day.”
His gaze held hers for a moment longer, something unreadable but warm flickering behind it. Then he cleared his throat and stepped back.
Ellie nudged Nova’s arm. “Make a big one! Daddy can’t make big ones. They look like… like potatoes!”
Nova bit her lip to hide a laugh. “Well, potatoes are nice.”
“Not for breakfast!” Ellie declared dramatically.
Liam pressed a hand to his heart. “I feel very attacked this morning.”
Nova smiled. “I’ll defend you if necessary.”
Ellie gasped. “Nooo, Nova’s on my team!”
“I can be on both teams,” Nova said lightly. “I’m talented.”
Liam chuckled under his breath, and the sound wrapped warmly around her.
He handed her a spatula. “You want to flip the first one?”
She nodded, stepping closer to the stove — closer to him. Their arms brushed, a gentle contact that sent a soft spark up her skin.
She pretended not to notice.
He also pretended not to notice.
Ellie absolutely noticed and giggled about something she didn’t understand.
They moved around each other easily.
Comfortably.
Like they had done this a hundred times before.
And that scared Nova a little.
Because it felt too natural.
When breakfast was finally done, Ellie demanded they sit together — “Nova sits next to Daddy because I wanna sit in front of you both!” — and neither adult dared to argue.
Ellie talked the most, of course. About snow, about her bunny, about how “Daddy snores like a bear,” which made Liam groan and drop his head into his hands.
Nova laughed until her cheeks hurt.
Halfway through breakfast, the wind outside howled and the lights flickered. Liam glanced at the window.
“Storm’s still going,” he murmured.
“That bad?” Nova asked.
“We’re definitely snowed in,” Liam said, sipping his coffee. “Might be stuck here another day. Maybe two.”
Nova stared at him, her stomach fluttering.
Trapped.
With Liam.
And Ellie.
In a warm cabin that already felt too dangerous in all the soft, tempting ways.
She should’ve felt anxious.
Panicked.
Eager to leave.
But instead…
Her chest filled with something warm.
Liam noticed the way she quieted. “You okay?”
Nova smiled, a small one. “Yeah. Just… adjusting.”
He nodded, studying her for a second too long. “We’ll make the best of it.”
She didn’t doubt that for a second.
---
Later that morning, Ellie dragged Liam to help her build a fort in the living room.
Nova watched from the couch as they rearranged pillows and blankets, Ellie giving orders as though she were a miniature queen.
Liam crawled on his hands and knees across the floor while Ellie shouted, “No no no, Daddy, the big pillow goes there! No, the other big pillow! Move your body, Daddy!”
Liam looked up at Nova with a desperate expression. “Send help.”
Nova laughed so hard she nearly fell off the couch.
“Come on,” Ellie whined, “Novaaaaa, help us!”
“I think Nova’s smarter than to walk into this chaos,” Liam muttered.
But Nova got off the couch anyway and dropped to her knees beside him. “Teamwork?”
He blinked at her.
And smiled.
It was small, gentle… real.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Teamwork.”
Together, they built the biggest blanket fort Ellie had ever seen. She squealed and crawled inside, taking her bunny and half the pillows with her.
Liam brushed dust from his palms and looked over the fort, impressed. “She’s going to make us live in there now.”
Nova chuckled. “Could be worse.”
Their eyes held.
The air warmed.
Something unspoken passed between them again — something soft and dangerous and familiar.
Liam cleared his throat, breaking the moment. “Uh… want some coffee?”
“I’d love some.”
They moved into the kitchen. Liam leaned against the counter again while the coffee brewed, arms crossed lightly over his chest.
“So,” he said. “What were you doing in that storm alone last night?”
Nova hesitated.
Then she sighed. “I… wasn’t running away from anything. But I wasn’t exactly heading toward something either.”
Liam tilted his head, listening.
“I got overwhelmed,” she admitted. “With work. With life. With feeling stuck in a place I never meant to stay. So I took a trip. Just me. To clear my head.”
“And fate shoved you into a blizzard and onto my doorstep,” he said softly.
Nova smiled. “Something like that.”
Liam looked down at his hands, thumb tracing a slow circle. “I’m glad you’re here, Nova.”
Her breath caught.
He lifted his eyes, meeting hers with a softness that made her heart stumble.
“I don’t know what it means yet,” he said gently. “But I’m… really glad.”
The coffee machine beeped, breaking the silence.
But Nova didn’t move.
Because all she could feel was his sincerity — warm, deep, and terrifying.
“Liam…” she breathed.
He stepped closer.
Not touching her.
But close enough to pull at her in every direction.
Before she could speak, Ellie’s voice echoed through the cabin:
“DADDY! NOVA! COME SEE THE FORT!”
Liam let out a breathy laugh. “Saved by the queen.”
Nova shook her head, smiling, her pulse racing.
He handed her a mug.
Their fingers brushed — soft, barely-there — but it sent a shiver up her arm.
They stood there, holding coffee, eyes lingering too long.
And slowly…
slowly…
the storm outside didn’t feel like the dangerous thing anymore.
It was what was happening between them.
- Writer
