The Secret.

Laying him down to rest.

Three weary days later the funeral finally came, and Nicole was finally able to lay her father to rest. It was surprisingly easier than she initially expected, but she wasn't doing it alone, Matt was with her every step of the way, comforting her, and giving her what she needed when she needed it. She was surprised to see the whole brown family come to her fathers funeral, I mean she had only just met them, and they had taken her in like she was blood family.

After the funeral, Nicole had walked to her fathers house with Matt, to pack her things. She didn't want to but she had to go back to Texas. Wether she liked it or not, her daughter depended on her, and she wasn't gonna let her down.
As she started packing her suitcase Matt was standing in the doorway of her bedroom.
"I wish you didn't have to go back Nicole."

"I have to... my daughter needs me."

"Well if you and your daughter ever come back to Alaska, your more than welcome to stay with me in the tire shack for as long as you need, I mean I know the bank is taking your dads place, and I know the tire shack isn't much but it's all I have."

Nicole felt her eyes begin to burn with tears. She wished things could be different, she wished that she could go pick up her daughter and live with Matt in Alaska forever, but she knew nothing was that easy. She closed her suit case an turned to him.
"Thank you for kindness and generosity...I promise, if I ever get away from him, I'll come here, so I can be with you... I love you Matt...but I have to go now."

He sighed and let his tears fall down in front her.
"I love you too Nicole."

She felt tears well up in her eyes, she held his face and kissed him goodbye, reluctantly pulling away, before she ran out the door he grabbed her arm pulling her back to him.

"Wait Nicole... take this." He pulled his bear claw necklace off his neck and put it in her hand.
"Don't ever forget me, I'll always be with you." He whispered gently in her ear kissing her cheek one last time. Before she completely lost it she was out the door and gone back to Texas...

He stood in her fathers house for a moment... his heart was torn.

As Nicole boarded her plane, she kept thinking about Matt, she looked down at his necklace still buried in her hand, her heart broke for him, cause that's all she wanted... was him, but she couldn't leave her daughter. If she did she would never be able to forgive herself. Her heart was torn in two, but If she did get her daughter and leave, Jason would kill her, that was the only thing making her stay.