Frigid Affair(32)

“I brought the pull-behind. I thought Ava would want to ride in it, but she wanted to be in the snow.”

“She always does.” I looked over and saw her lying by the woodstove. She was sound asleep, probably because she exhausted herself earlier. “I need to get him changed and cleaned up. I’ll have to pack his things up and make sure everything is in order here.”

“Let me help you. What do you need?”

I froze. I knew he wouldn’t be able to get everything I’d need, and the only other thing I had to do was change Christopher. “I can manage.”

“I’d never hurt him, you know. Never. Come on, Amantha. I saved your life. I’m not a threat.”

“You’ll always be a threat when it comes to him. Don’t you get that? He’s all I have.”

“How do you think I feel? Do you have any idea what it was like to hear Eve saying you were up on this mountain with a kid. I couldn’t believe it. I swore it had to be someone else. The moment I saw that kid I knew he was mine, but I didn’t push.”

“How long have you been here?”

Jensen looked down. “A couple weeks. Why?”

“Have you been spying on me?”

His guilty grin made the answer easy to come by. “I wouldn’t call it that. I was researching.”

“Ava barked the other night. Were you up here? Were you watching me through my windows?” I was getting angry. I felt violated, and betrayed again. This sneaky side of him infuriated me to no end. When it came to my son I refused to let my guard down when his father was still hiding things.

“No. I wasn’t watching you through the windows. I’m not a peeping Tom. I think you want to pin me as a bad guy so you can push me away easier. If I’m the guy I’m claiming to be it’s too hard for you to find reasons to hate me.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He took a few steps forward, coming face to face with me. I felt his hand cup my chin and closed my eyes as he lifted it for me to really look at him. When I did I could feel that same connection as the first night we’d met. We’d made a beautiful little boy in his image. “If you keep this up we’re staying here.”

“You can stay, but I’m staying too.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled out of his reach. “Whatever. Take Christopher out of his highchair and wipe him off with that washcloth. I’ll go get him some clothes.”

I started walking up the stairs while peering back to see him struggling to unfasten the highchair. It made me giggle. He really did have a lot to learn. What caught me off guard was how easily Christopher went to him. As soon as he was in Jensen’s arms he rested his head on his chest. It was only for a brief second, but it was enough to impact me greatly.

Now we were about to pack up and go stay with this man; a man I still questioned was genuine or not. I knew the decision was a no-brainer, but I feared what would happen if we were forced to be together for a long period of time. He’d grow attached to our son, and knowing that made it a complete game changer.





Chapter 13


Jensen had been right about the weather getting worse. Our trek down the mountain was quite scary. I clung to him, wedging Christopher between us, while the snowmobile pulled a sled full of our things. For the purpose of bad weather, Bob had designed something like a carport to pull the snowmobile under and walk straight into the breezeway. It didn’t block out all the snow or the ripping wind, but it did help have something covering our heads. Jensen wasted no time taking Christopher into his arms and carrying him inside the warm home. I grabbed as many things as I could and followed behind him, appreciating that lights were on and a fire was still illuminating in the family room. The cathedral ceilings held the heat in, the exposed beams adding a rustic feel. They’d outdone themselves with the rebuild. It was a dream home, down to the open floor plan kitchen with high end appliances. I didn’t know why they’d put so much money into this house, especially when they spent less than half the year coming here, but I was grateful we had a place to stay with more amenities.

After taking off Christopher’s snowsuit, Jensen ventured back outside to get the rest of the things and put the snow mobile back in the garage for safe keeping. In the meantime, I heard Ava barking, letting me know she’d made it safely down the mountain. I hurried over to the door and let her in, watching as she shook melted snow all over the walls and floor. I went into the laundry room finding a towel in a basket and placed it on the floor. Right away she rolled overtop of it to try and dry herself off faster.

By the time Jensen came back inside we were all three in the kitchen. I’d taken everything that needed to be refrigerated and put it away. It was one thing I was glad to have, since the solar panels were what kept my small fridge running. Without power, everything would have to be stored outdoors to keep it fresh. As far as the supply of eggs and other dairy products I had to stock up on, like butter and yogurts, I kept them in an Alaskan pantry. It’s kind of like a cellar, but the ground stays so cold it keeps everything fresh. My meats were always down there, away from critters and safe from going bad.

Jensen blew heat into his hands. “It’s terrible out there.”

“Thanks for this. I guess I should pay more attention to the weather. I’ve never had to worry about someone else. It’s been fifteen months and I’m still learning. We would have managed, even if some of the things we needed were out of reach. We could have survived, in case you’re wondering.”