A Place to Belong

Valerie POV

I pull the thick woolen blanket tighter around my shoulders. The crisp evening air bites at my cheeks, but I do not mind the chill. The scent of pine needles and damp earth surrounds me. I sit beside Bryce on the wrap-around timber porch of his family’s lodge. The distant, rushing sound of the Cold River provides a soothing background noise to the quiet night. I stare out into the dar