Updated Nov 7, 2025 • ~7 min read
New York City was overwhelming in the best possible way.
Magnus stood in the middle of Times Square, turning slowly to take in the towering screens and endless crowds, and Briar watched him with a smile.
“Too much?” she asked.
“It’s… a lot.” But he was grinning. “I can smell about ten thousand people at once. My bear is very confused.”
“Want to head somewhere quieter?”
“No.” Magnus took her hand. “I want to see everything. Show me your city.”
It wasn’t really her city—Briar had only visited twice before, always for work, always rushed. But exploring it with Magnus made it feel new. They wandered through Central Park, visited the Met, ate pizza from a street vendor that Magnus declared “surprisingly good.”
“You’re a tourist,” Briar teased, watching him take photos of everything.
“Damn right I am. When’s the next time I’m going to be in New York?” He pulled her in for a selfie with the Empire State Building behind them. “My mom is going to lose her mind over these pictures.”
The interview was scheduled for the next morning. Briar spent the evening pacing their hotel room, anxiety eating at her.
“What if I freeze?” she said for the tenth time. “What if I can’t talk about Tyler without breaking down? What if—”
“Come here.” Magnus pulled her into his lap. “You’re going to be brilliant. You’ve told your story dozens of times on the blog. This is just a conversation with a slightly bigger audience.”
“A few million people slightly bigger.”
“Who are all going to see how strong and brave and incredible you are.” He kissed her forehead. “But if you get up there and decide you can’t do it, that’s okay too. We’ll leave. No one’s going to force you to share more than you’re comfortable with.”
Briar pressed her face into his neck, breathing in his familiar scent. “Thank you for being here.”
“Nowhere else I’d rather be.”
The next morning, Briar sat on a bright yellow couch across from a perky host, cameras pointed at her face, and felt surprisingly calm. Magnus was just off-stage, his presence steady through the bond.
“So tell us about your blog,” the host said. “‘Life on the Mountain.’ It’s become quite popular.”
“It started as a way to process my own healing,” Briar said. “I’d left an abusive relationship and moved to a small town to start over. The blog was just me, figuring out how to live again. I didn’t expect anyone else to care.”
“But they did care. Your posts about surviving abuse, about learning to trust again—they’ve resonated with thousands of people.”
“I think because I don’t pretend to have it all figured out.” Briar smiled. “I write about the hard days, the setbacks, the moments when I still struggle. Healing isn’t linear. And I wanted people to know that’s okay.”
“You also write about finding love again. After abuse, that must have been terrifying.”
Briar’s eyes found Magnus off-stage. “It was. I almost didn’t let it happen. But I met someone who was patient enough to let me heal at my own pace. Who never made me feel weak for being scared. And slowly, I learned that love doesn’t have to be a trap. It can be a refuge.”
“That’s beautiful.” The host leaned forward. “And now you have a book coming out. ‘Finding Home: A Memoir of Survival and Second Chances.’ What made you want to expand your story into a full book?”
“Because I kept getting messages from people saying my blog had helped them leave bad situations, or trust again, or believe they deserved happiness.” Briar’s voice grew stronger. “If my story can help even one person realize they’re not alone, that healing is possible, then it’s worth telling.”
The interview lasted twenty minutes. Afterward, Magnus pulled her into his arms backstage.
“You were perfect,” he said fiercely. “Absolutely perfect.”
“I didn’t cry.”
“Nope. You were strong and honest and inspiring.” He kissed her. “I’m so proud of you.”
They spent the rest of the week exploring the city. Magnus was enchanted by everything—the subway system, the street performers in Washington Square Park, the view from the Top of the Rock. Briar fell in love with watching him experience it all for the first time.
“Thank you,” Magnus said on their last night, as they sat on the hotel balcony overlooking the city lights. “For asking me to come. For sharing this with me.”
“Thank you for coming. For being brave enough to leave your mountain.” Briar leaned against him. “I know cities aren’t your thing.”
“They’re growing on me.” He kissed her hair. “Or maybe I just like being wherever you are.”
“Sap.”
“Your sap.” Magnus pulled her closer. “Ready to go home tomorrow?”
“So ready.” As beautiful as New York was, Briar found herself longing for the quiet of the mountain. “I miss the cabin.”
“I miss the quiet. And the smell of pine trees. And not having ten thousand people within a mile radius.” Magnus sighed contentedly. “But this was good. Different. Important.”
“Yeah?” Briar looked up at him.
“Yeah. It reminded me that the world is bigger than my fear. That I can leave the mountain without falling apart. That there’s still so much to see and experience.” His arms tightened around her. “As long as I have you with me.”
They flew home the next day, and Briar felt her whole body relax when they started the drive up the mountain. The pine-scented air, the towering trees, the familiar curves of the road—this was home.
“I missed this place,” Magnus said, pulling up to the cabin. “More than I expected to.”
“It really is home now,” Briar said softly. “Not just your cabin. Our home.”
Inside, everything was exactly as they’d left it. But somehow it felt different—more solid, more permanent. Like by leaving and choosing to return, they’d claimed it as truly theirs.
“The ground should be thawed enough to start the foundation next week,” Magnus said, unpacking their bags. “You ready to start building?”
“I’m ready.” Briar wrapped her arms around him. “Ready to build our cabin, our life, our future. All of it.”
“Together,” Magnus said, like a vow.
“Together,” Briar echoed.
That night, they made love slowly, savoring being home, being together. And afterward, wrapped in each other’s arms, Briar felt something settle deep in her bones.
This was right. This life they were building, one brave choice at a time. This love that had terrified her and healed her in equal measure. This man who’d been just as broken as she was and had somehow helped her become whole.
“I’m glad the storm trapped us together,” she murmured against Magnus’s chest.
“Best storm of my life.” His hand stroked through her hair. “Changed everything.”
“Do you ever regret it? Claiming me so fast? Not giving yourself more time to be sure?”
“Never.” Magnus said it without hesitation. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Briar. The absolute best. I’d claim you again tomorrow, and every day after that.”
“Even when I’m difficult?”
“Especially then.” He pulled her closer. “Love isn’t about easy. It’s about choosing someone even when it’s hard. Even when they’re scared or spiraling or pushing you away. That’s what makes it real.”
Briar felt tears slip down her cheeks. “How did I get so lucky?”
“We both did.” Magnus kissed her forehead. “Two broken people who found each other and decided to be brave enough to heal together. That’s pretty damn lucky.”
“I love you,” Briar whispered.
“I love you too.” Magnus’s voice was thick with emotion. “Now sleep. We have a cabin to start building next week, and I need you well-rested for manual labor.”
Briar laughed, settling more comfortably against him. “Yes, sir.”
“Don’t ‘yes sir’ me unless you want to stay up for round two.”
“Noted for future reference.”
They fell asleep tangled together, home in every way that mattered.
And in the morning, they’d start building their future.
One beam, one nail, one brave choice at a time.
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