Page 36 of Cabin Fever With My First Flame

Reaching out for Bailey’s hand to stop her verbal spewing, I spin her around to face me. In doing so, she loses her footing on the ice, with me barely catching her before her butt hits the ground. She scrambles to get her feet under her, but she can’t find purchase on the slick sidewalk. I drag Bailey over to her neighbor’s yard, both of us falling in the snow.

Yanking my glove off with my teeth, I caress her rosy cheeks with my fingers. “Why do you want us to spend Christmas with you, Bailey? Is it because you feel pity for us?”

She glances at the six kids having a snowball fight in the front yard having a blast, then back at me. “Pity is the last thing I feel for you, Finn.”

I wrap my hand around her waist, and her hands grip my biceps. I smirk and flex underneath to tempt and tantalize her. “Whatdoyou feel for me, Bailey Bug?”

Before she can answer, Ava screams with excitement and draws our attention. “Daddy! You came to see us!”

Bailey removes her hands quickly as if she’s been burned and gets up to march over in her daughter’s direction to find out what’s going on. I catch up to her and stop in my tracks when I watch Daniel pick Ava up and swing her around. He gives each of his daughters a hug and then embraces Bailey, who does not hug him back. “What are you doing here, Daniel?” she asks curtly. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting married tomorrow?”

Daniel notices that he has an audience. “May we speak in private?” he asks. Without waiting for an answer, he turns around and walks 20 yards away.

Bailey turns to the girls, “Go ahead and go inside. I’ll just be a few minutes.” Barb and Henry usher the girls into the house, leaving the boys and me outside feeling awkward. She gently places her hand on my arm. “My offer still stands. You’re welcome to stay and spend Christmas with us. I just need a minute to figure things out and find out why he’s here.”

I gently press my lips against hers and leave it up to Bailey to determine if it’s a kiss goodbye. “I’ll take the boys to my parents’ house since I have a key. We’ll spend Christmas there. The girls should spend the holiday with their father, not someone they just met four days ago. You know where to find me when you get things ‘figured out.”’

Bailey lowers her gaze and mumbles, “So, you’re just going to walk away?”

I lift her chin with my gloved hand. “I’m not walking away from you. Not this time. I’m going to respect and trust you by giving you the space to make your decision without any pressure or expectations. You know how I feel about you and what I want. The next move is yours. Until then, Merry Christmas.”

I wave the boys over, and we climb into the ATVs and drive the six blocks to the other end of town where my parents live.

Micah gets out of the ATV and slams the door. “Are you really just going to let her go, Finn? Aren’t you going to fight for her?”

“Bailey doesn’t need me to fight her battles, Micah, and our staying would only make the situation awkward and uncomfortable for everyone. She needs someone who is patient and understanding and who can trust and support her. I’m that guy, but Bailey has to come to that realization on her own.”

Chapter twenty-one

Bailey

My heart sinks asI watch Finn and the boys drive away, and the cold I hadn’t felt previously now permeates my body. I pull my hat a little further down on my head and spin on my heel, which is a bad idea because I lose my balance on the slick asphalt and windmill my arms as I try to stay upright. I epically fail and end up on my butt.

Daniel walks over to me and doesn’t even bother to offer me a hand to help me up, expecting me to do it myself. I eventually get to my feet and stare up at my ex. “You got your wish, and we’re alone. Will you tell me why you’re here?”

“I came to spend time with the girls,” he says.

“A little warning would have been nice.” I brush the snow from my body and shake out my hair.

“I tried calling you for three days! You didn’t answer, Bailey!”

I frown. “I wasn’t in a place with cell reception, Daniel. Tell me, why are youreallyhere? Aren’t you supposed to be getting married to Delaney tomorrow?”

“Delaney and I called off the wedding shortly after you left. Afterward, I was sitting in our home, and it was so quiet. I started questioning my life choices and the man that I had become. I didn’t like him, Bailey. The sound of laughter was missing, and I was lonely. I didn’t realize how hard it would be once you and the girls were gone. And…”

“And what? Did Bryce tell you that we were at Finn’s place and that you had to come and stop me from making a terrible mistake? Are you here to lie to me yet again?”

Daniel’s cheeks redden, but not out of anger or from the cold, but from embarrassment. “He told you.”

I poke my fingers in his chest, and my blood begins to boil. “Of course he did! Finn left me because you lied to him, Daniel! You told him that I had been cheating on him with you behind his back! You manipulated the situation to your advantage. Did you honestly think that wouldn’t come out once I returned home? Is that why you wanted Bryce to keep Finn and me apart? So that I wouldn’t learn the truth?”

Daniel stutters over his words. “I, uh. Um.”

“You are unbelievable! Go home to Delaney and work it out. Go get your happily ever after.” I stomp a few feet away, then spin back around. “You know what? Here’s what I don’tunderstand, Daniel. Finn was your best friend as much as I was. Why would you do that to him or to me?”

“Because I had been in love with you since the ninth grade, Bailey! Then Finn came along with his good looks, talent, and smarts, and suddenly, my chance with you evaporated. I was biding my time thinking that he would mess up or that the two of you would break up, but then you guys started talking about marriage,” he says, finally being the most honest with me he’s ever been.

“So, you lied to Finn to get him out of the picture, and then you lied to me. You manipulated me. And for what? So that you could sellourrestaurant by forging my signature, and then divorce me when I wasn’t good enough for you anymore?”

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