Frigid Affair(30)

“You said you wouldn’t do this.”

He glanced down the mountain. “You’re right, I did. Look, I didn’t sleep at all last night. I couldn’t.”

“That’s a personal problem.” I stated rudely.

“Amantha, please let me in.”

“Go home, Jensen. Don’t make me call Eve.”

He stared at me for a second, shook his head, and then started to walk away. I let him get a few feet away before calling out for him. “Hold on.”

He spun around, a half-smile forming across his handsome face. “I won’t stay long.”

I shoved open the door and allowed him entrance. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t be ignorant forever. I was really stuck between a rock and a hard place. He was the father to my son. One-night-stand or not, his blood ran through my son’s veins. I couldn’t deny that.

“I won’t let you.” I hoped it was the truth, because if it wasn’t I was about to go against everything I believed in.





Chapter 12


A lot can change in two years time. Men grow beards or mustaches, while women become fickle with their hairstyles. Jensen had a goatee now. It was short and traveled around his chin in a perfect shape. He seemed like he was tired, although I suppose it could have been my mind playing tricks on me. We’d spent one night together, probably not enough for me to memorize every detail about him. The parts I vividly remembered I vowed to keep to myself, because they’d left me knocked up.

Watching him remove his boots and coat left me worried I’d made a terrible decision. I wanted him to be the enemy, albeit seemed like the harder I tried for that outcome, the more it appeared I was falling victim to my own guilt. “I just heated up some water. Do you want tea?”

“Yeah, sure. I could use the caffeine.”

“It’s pretty bad out there. To be honest, I didn’t even know this storm was happening.”

“You need to pay more attention to the forecast.”

“Why? I have everything I need for the winter. We don’t need to go outside to survive.”

“What if something happened? How would you get help?”

I hated he was asking me questions I often asked myself. “I will figure it out.”

“How come it’s so dark in here?” He inquired while flipping a few switches. “Are the solar panels broken?”

“No. They can’t recharge without sun.”

“So, not only are you up here alone, but you also don’t have any means of power?”

“I have a generator in the shed.”

“Does it have gas?”

I gave him a dirty look. “Of course it does. I’m not a moron.”

“You could always come down the mountain and stay with me. The house is plenty big enough. I’d stay out of your way.”

“If that’s what you came here to offer, you can turn back around and go home. I’m not staying in the same house as you.”

He snickered. “What’s it going to take for you to trust me?”

“Hell freezing over, to start.”

He clenched his jaw and turned his attention to Christopher, who was now covered in oatmeal. I rushed over and wiped away some of the mess with a washcloth. “He likes playing in his food.”

“I can see that. Is this an every day event?” He took his index finger and dipped it into a glob of oatmeal then brought it up to his mouth and tasted it. “It needs sugar, by the way.”

“He’s a baby. I’m not putting sugar in his food. His teeth will rot.”

“All kids need sugar.”

I laughed at his comment. “I like to sleep. Sugar keeps kids awake. Christopher doesn’t get sugar. The end.”

“I like his name. How did you come up with it?” He asked.

“Christopher Charles Stone. It’s both my father’s and my brother’s names.”

“I should have assumed. It fits him. He’s a handsome guy, aren’t you?” He directed the statement to the baby, touching his hand with his for a brief second. When it happened I got butterflies in my stomach. All of a sudden I felt lightheaded and had to sit down in my chair.

Jensen put his hands up. “Sorry. I was just being…”

“It’s fine,” I insisted. “I need to know what your intentions are. Do you plan on sticking around since you finally managed to do what you came here for? Do you think you’ll leave now?”

“Are you referring to today, or staying on the mountain at the new house?”

“You know what I mean.”

He took another look at Christopher and then found my eyes. I could tell from the way he was taking his time with the answer that I wasn’t going to like it. “I’m not going anywhere, Amantha. I just spent my life savings renting that house. I suppose when the time comes I’ll have to go somewhere I can find work. As much as I admire what you’ve built here, living on the land isn’t for me.”

“So, I’m just supposed to pretend we’re friends until that happens?”

“No. I mean, I don’t want you to pretend.” He ran his hands through his thick hair. “This is so much easier in my head to say.”

“I don’t trust you yet.”