Page 48 of In Too Deep
“No.”Her voice was soft, surprised.“I’m okay.”
“Good to hear.”He shifted her weight slightly.
Her throat tightened.Not with panic but with something warmer.Softer.Noah’s belief in her, his calm presence, grounded her.Made her feel capable instead of broken.
For the first time in months, she felt in control.Not waiting for the next wave of anxiety.
Maybe she was getting past it.Like she had years ago with therapy.
Maybe this place, these people, weren’t breaking her but building her back up.
They reached the opposite bank.Noah set her down gently, his hands steadying her shoulders.
Teague and Liam climbed out, shaking water from their gear.
Within minutes they were back on the path.And in another thirty minutes they’d made it to the cave.The entrance loomed ahead, a jagged black opening in the canyon wall.Dark.Hungry.
Meg’s breath caught.
The warmth left her.
The darkness.The tight walls.Lydia’s chest stilling.It all flooded back.Sharp and vivid.Like it was happening again.
“You good?”Noah’s hand brushed her arm.
“I was wrong.”Meg swallowed.Her eyes fixed on the entrance.“I don’t know if I can go in there.”
Teague glanced back, his expression softening.“We’ve got you, Meg.One step at a time.If you don’t want to go where…ya know.”
Where Lydia died.
“Yeah, no rush.”Liam adjusted his pack, voice gentle.“We’ll check the entrance first, make sure it’s stable.”
Of course they thought this was just about Lydia.
But Noah knew.Saw deeper.
Noah turned her to face him, his eyes locking with hers.“You don’t have to go in there?—”
She started to speak.
He lifted his hand, stopping her.“You don’t have to.But if you want to, I’ll be with you every step.”
Meg nodded, her hands trembling as she gripped her bag.
The cave’s darkness seemed to stare back.
But Noah’s steady presence anchored her.His hand on her arm.His body between her and the entrance.
Just like in the river.Just like on the trail.Just like always.
She wasn’t alone.He knew her secrets.And he was still here.Still standing beside her.Still believing she could do this.
Her rock.Her anchor.
Then why couldn’t she make her feet move?Why was her body frozen?She sat on a nearby boulder.Head between her knees.
Perfect.
