Page 54 of Single Mom’s Navy Seals (Claimed by the Alphas #2)

And that was the God’s honest truth. So much so that the words felt a bit heavier than I intended them to.

All the doubt and insecurity that Marcus had stirred up were really doing a number on me.

Had I been a bad girlfriend? Had I not been enough for him?

Had I been so focused on my career that I'd missed the signs that he was pulling away?

Was I the reason he’d cheated?

"Text me when you land," Riley said, her voice thick with emotion as she opened up the front door. "And when you get to the cabin. And probably a few times in between."

"I will,” I laughed, rolling my eyes.

"And Em? Get some bomb ass pictures.”

I nodded, not trusting my voice to bother saying anything when I headed to her floor’s elevator. It was pretty quiet in the building at this time of day. Early afternoon. Most people were still at work.

I was glad not to be at work, and even more than that, I was glad that I’d convinced my boss to let me work from “home” ever since it all went down. I knew I’d have to face the office again. And Serena.

I just hated having to tell Shaun about it. I was sure HR would get involved somehow. And honestly, I didn’t want to deal with the humiliation of all of it.

The drive to the airport gave me time to think. A little too much time to think, honestly.

Too much time to remember all the plans Marcus and I had made for this trip.

The bottle of wine we'd picked out together from the little shop down the street.

The restaurant reservations he'd made at some fancy place in the resort town, just a fifteen-minute drive from the cabin.

The menus we had already gone through and discussed in detail, and which ones would photograph the best.

The way he'd smiled when he talked about spending a whole week just the two of us, no distractions. I scoffed. I guess Serena had been that one distraction he just couldn't resist.

The radio station had mocked me with songs that reminded me of him. So much so that I growled low in anger and switched it off, allowing myself to finish the drive to the airport in silence.

The city traffic washed over me.

I zoned.

I'd lived in New York City for five years now, ever since I graduated from journalism school and landed my first job at a local magazine.

It was supposed to be temporary, just a stepping stone to something bigger.

But then I'd met Marcus, and suddenly the thought of putting down roots didn't seem so scary.

Now, I felt like an idiot.

Horns honked, pulling me out of my trance. I was nearing the airport. Traffic was insane.

At the airport, I couldn’t help but scowl as I people-watched bitterly.

Couples were headed off to their own little romantic getaways while I waited in line to check in. I was the only person traveling alone, from the looks of it, although I knew that couldn’t be true.

It just seemed like I was a bit hyper-aware of everyone else who had someone with them.

And how much better all the men were than Marcus had ever been.

Like one man, a broad-shouldered, muscular man who could have pinched Marcus’s entire head off, helped his girlfriend or wife or whatever she was, grab her bags with one hand, and held the small of her back protectively with the other.

There was a couple sharing headphones at another gate. Her head was on his shoulder, and they both watched something on his phone. I almost laughed at my own stupidity. Marcus never let me get on his phone. Probably because Serena was texting him tit pictures or something.

Once upon a time, that had been me and Marcus. The protective touches, the shared intimacy. I shook my head, and my eyes fell on another couple. They were arguing. I smirked. Maybe it wasn’t just me in less than paradise.

Even the arguments used to be ours. We hadn’t even argued in forever.

Stop it, I told myself as I found myself already settling into my window seat on the plane. This is exactly why you need this trip.

Stop thinking about him.

The flight was pretty smooth when I finally got in the air and stopped looking at all the couples. Comparing. Sulking.

Was I still the Emma from a week or so ago?

A total loser, crushed and helpless?

I was going to need to cut it the hell out.

It was nice watching the landscape below change. From the big city to farmland to mountains, as we headed west.

By the time we landed, I felt a little lighter. Perhaps I had tossed some of the heavy parts of myself out of the plane on the way over here. Maybe somewhere over some of the plains. I chuckled to myself, awkwardly. Plane. Plain.

Shaking my head, I grabbed my bag and took a deep breath. I couldn’t smell the mountain air yet. Not in the airport, but this was it.

A fresh start.

No Marcus.

All I had to do now was get to the rental counter to pick up my car.

The clerk was a kid who couldn't have been much older than twenty. Not even old enough to rent a car himself.

He popped his gum and looked at me with heavy lids, like he was bored to death. The kind of enthusiasm that made me feel ancient at just twenty-eight years old.

“Reservation?” he asked in the most monotone voice he could muster.

“Yeah, it’s under Stewart. Emma Stewart.”

“SUV?” he asked, typing on the computer.

I nodded.

“You know there’s a storm coming, right?” he sighed, heavily.

My brows twisted. “A storm?” I asked. “You mean snow?”

He pointed to the TV behind him. There were weather alerts on. The truth was, this was all in counties, and I had no idea what county I was in. “A big blizzard is coming in. You really probably shouldn’t head up there today.” He leaned forward, his eyes wide. “You might not make it.”

The way he said it was straight out of a horror movie.

“Okay!” another man said from behind him, moving in between the young man and the counter. This guy was a little older. Mid-thirties, if I had to guess. “Sorry about that. You picked a great time to visit," he said, handing me the keys. “I think you’ll enjoy the extra snow! Perfect for skiing."

"I'm actually not much of a skier," I admitted. "More of a sit-by-the-fire-with-a-book type."

"That works too. Just be careful on the roads if it starts coming down heavily. These mountain passes can get a little tricky.”

That was the kind of warning that I’d expected. Not a full-blown you’re gonna die omen sort of thing. I nodded, signing the last of the paperwork. "How's the drive to Pine Ridge?"

"About two hours in good weather. Little longer if it's snowing, which it will be.

" He pulled out a map and traced the route with his finger.

"You'll want to stay on the main highway until you hit the turnoff for Copper Canyon Road.

From there, it's pretty straightforward. Your GPS should pick it up fine."

“Thanks,” I said before grabbing my bags.

It was now or never.

I was behind the wheel of the SUV before I knew it, and it felt roughly the size of a small apartment.

Hell, I was pretty sure it was bigger than my first two apartments in New York.

I took a deep breath as I tried to adjust the mirrors where they needed to be and figure out where all the controls were.

It had been years since I'd driven anything bigger than my Honda Civic, and everything felt oversized.

The steering wheel was positioned differently, the gas pedal more sensitive, and the whole vehicle even sat a hell of a lot higher off the ground than I was used to.

However, it was equipped for mountain driving, and being a little elevated off the ground was probably beneficial considering the weather.

I programmed the cabin's address into the GPS, and boom, it immediately calculated the route. Two hours and seventeen minutes, Siri announced cheerfully. Arrival time: 7:43 PM. Plenty of time to get settled before it got too dark.

I could crack open a bottle of wine and dip into the hot tub when I got there.

Pulling out of the airport, I noticed how well-maintained the highway was and how pretty it was.

There were mountains on either side of me, their peaks dusted with snow that caught the early evening sunlight just so.

I rolled down the windows for a few minutes, taking in crisp, clean air. So different from New York.

It almost reminded me of home.

Minus the cow shit.

I sighed deeply. This was exactly what I needed. Space to think, room to breathe, distance from all the reminders of Marcus and the life I'd thought we were building together in New York.

My phone, mounted on the dashboard, showed three bars of signal. Good. I could call Riley when I got to the cabin and let her know I'd arrived safely. Maybe even video chat so she could see the view from the windows. Show that I was just fine, and that this trip was a good idea.

I stopped for gas in a small town about an hour out, stretching my legs and checking my phone. No messages from Marcus, which was probably for the best, if I was being honest. But the fact that I kept half-expecting, half-wishing for it made me a little sick to my stomach. How pathetic was I?

After hanging up the gas pump, I went in for snacks. I was hankering for a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels. The clerk, a middle-aged woman with graying hair pulled back in a ponytail, glanced at my New York license when I handed over my credit card.

"Heading up to the mountains for some skiing?" she asked, making conversation while the payment was processed.

"Pine Ridge area. I've got a cabin rented for the week. No skiing for me, though,” I finished with a laugh.

Her eyebrows rose slightly. "Just you?"

"Just me."

She studied me for a moment, sizing me up in a way that made me feel uncomfortable.

I felt like the lonely traveler in every horror movie known to man. The one who stopped in at some podunk gas station, who was headed to her doom.