Page 116 of Resisting Isaac

It’s supposed to be temporary.

All of this is.

But damn if I’m not wishing it were permanent.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

isaac

Tomorrow Elena Ortega is going to marry me at her cousin’s house in Santa Fe.

We got a certificate, and I have a ring burning a hole in my pocket. It feels like a clock is ticking in my head. I have one hundred and eighty days to prove to her this should be real. Not temporary.

Tonight, we’re having dinner with my family to go over our travel plans and so I can keep Wyatt up to date on the work that I’ll need someone to cover while I’m gone.

I knock once on Elena’s cabin door, then try the handle.

It’s not locked.

“Elena?” I call out gently, tucking the paper sack of snacks under my arm. “Brought you your weird sparkling water and those fancy crackers and dark chocolate covered almonds you asked for.”

And a ring I hope you’ll wear for the rest of our lives.

No answer. Just the sound of water cutting off and the soft scuffle of bare feet on tile.

She’s getting out of the shower.

I almost turn back. Give her some privacy.

Almost.

But the light’s low, the air smells like cinnamon and citrus and her, so I hang out in the living room and wait.

I spot a notebook sitting open on the kitchen counter. Small with spiral-bound pages bent and weathered like it’s been shoved into bags and sat on a few times too many.

I take a peek. Just to see if there’s anything on her to-do list I can help with. She’s always carrying more than she needs to. And I know her well enough to know she won’t ask for help, even if she needs it.

I tilt my head, expecting bullet points—call times, script notes, maybe something like “eat lunch” if she’s feeling particularly rebellious.

Instead, I read:

3 Real Things

1. The way the air smells after it rains on the ranch

2. The way Isaac Logan looks at me.

3. I’m growing a human. A real, actual human.

I blink.

And read it again.

My throat goes dry.

It’s dated today.

I flip through a few more pages. They’re all the same but with different lists. One of my favorites is the one that reads1. My favorite black lace thong is missing. 2. Isaac Logan is too handsome for his own good (and mine). 3. My period is late.