Page 74 of Grizz

I’m not running.I’m showing up.

And this time, I’m not doing it alone.

Chapter 21

Daisy

Aftercatchingaconnectingflight in Toronto, the plane touches down in Regina with a soft, almost apologetic bump, and the first thing I notice is howquieteverything feels.Serene, even.We’re a long way from New York City.

No lines of aircraft stacked nose to tail.No frantic taxiing or skyline pressing up against the windows.Just flat land stretching outward in every direction, pale and endless beneath a washed-out prairie sky.

This is Saskatchewan.

I don’t know what I expected—some cinematic, snow-globe version of a small town, maybe—but the airport is modest and utilitarian, more functional than charming.One terminal.One baggage carousel.A handful of people waiting with coats already zipped and hats pulled low.There’s a charm to it all, even though I know this part of the country can be unforgiving.

Grizz and I move through the small airport, wheeling our carry-on luggage behind us.I let Grizz lead the way.I’m nervous, but I try hard not to let it show.This isn’t my family or my history.This isn’t my weight to carry, but I’m here to support Grizz, and I intend to be steady.

Beside me, Grizz seems anything but.His shoulders are locked, posture rigid in a way I’ve come to recognize.Every internal wall he’s built is up and reinforced.

We step out onto the curb and the air is far colder than New York.I glance at Grizz, but he’s already scanning the area.

Then I see her.A pretty woman with short brown hair, jumping out of a small white sedan pulled up to the curb.She glances at me and smiles but first moves straight to her brother with the trace of tears already in her bright blue eyes.“James,” she exclaims with clear relief to see him.

I startle at the use of his real name, smiling as she wraps her arms around him like she’s been holding herself together purely for this moment.The sound that leaves her chest is half laugh, half sob.Grizz stiffens on instinct, then folds into her, arms coming up around her back.

I take a small step to the side, giving them space, suddenly aware of my presence during this intimate family moment.

Eliza pulls away just enough to look at him, hands still gripping his jacket.Then her eyes flick to me.

Grizz clears his throat, already uncomfortable.“Uh—El,” he says, gesturing vaguely in my direction.“This is Daisy.She’s… PR from the team.”

I blink.

“Uh, okay, Grizz,” I say, meeting Eliza’s gaze.“I’m a little more than that, and we both know it.”

Grizz groans quietly under his breath, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.Does he think he’s already lost control of the situation?

Eliza, on the other hand, lights up.Her face softens, her mouth curving into a warm, surprised smile as she steps closer.“Oh,” she says, eyes going between me and her brother.“Well.I’mveryglad you came.”

She offers me a hug—easy, genuine, welcoming—and I let myself return it, relieved by the uncomplicated kindness of it.

“I’m Eliza,” she adds.“Thank you for being here.”

“Of course,” I say.“I’m really glad I could come.”

When I glance back at Grizz, he looks like a man who’s already completely out of his depth, caught between his sister, his past, and a present he didn’t plan for.

But to my delight, he doesn’t look angry about it.He just looks… exposed.

Eliza insists I take the front seat.“Grizz is brooding so he can ride in the back,” she says lightly as she pops the trunk.“Which is… often.”

“Hey,” Grizz mutters from behind us.“That’s not—”

“It’s exactly true,” she cuts in, smiling.I like her already.

I slide into the passenger seat and she pulls out of the tiny airport lot, the road opening into long, quiet stretches.Flat land.Big sky.Ahead of us sits a horizon that makes me feel very small.

“So,” Eliza says.“What do you think of Saskatchewan so far?Have you ever been here?”