Page 62 of Can't Be Love

I felt my canines elongate and froze.

“Stop,” I said, perhaps a little more aggressively than I meant to. My emotions were jumping all over the place.

Thomas pulled back, looking confused. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, giving him a big toothy grin to show him my canines. As I suspected, he smiled, and I could see his, too. “What’s wrong is that there is no way in hell I’m telling our children that I bonded with their father in the front seat of a car in the middle of nowhere Alaska, or are we in Canada? See, I don’t even know!”

Thomas stared at me for a moment. “Is that all?”

“Yes, that’s all.”

He looked at me, then at the time on the dashboard clock, and back at me. “We’ve only managed about eight hours so far but screw it—we’ll stop at the very next hotel we find.”

I laughed as he gave me one more kiss before pulling back onto the road. We had truly been in the middle of nowhere, because it took nearly two more long and frustrating hours to find a place to stop. We couldn’t even find a hotel; instead, we ended up at Bunny’s Bed and Breakfast.

The tinkle of a bell on the door sounded as we entered the foyer. The owner came out, yawning in a long nightgown and robe, complete with bunny slippers.

She clapped her hands together gleefully. “Oh, just look at the two of you. Newlyweds, I’m sure of it. I’m Bunny.” She looked at the registry list and frowned. “Oh no, looks like Gino booked the last room an hour ago. I’m afraid the only thing we have left is the guest cottage. People have been stopping all day to hunker down before the storm hits.”

“We’ll take it,” Thomas said.

“I’m afraid it’s quite costly,” Bunny warned him. “And just three exits south are several of those big hotels, if you’d rather,” she said with disdain in her voice.

“Oh, we’ve seen how far apart your exits are, we’ll take it,” I insisted.

“Very well then. I’ll drop the price to two hundred and fifty dollars a night, given the circumstances and all, but that’s as low as I can go, I’m afraid,” she apologized.

“It’s fine, we’ll take it,” Thomas assured her, turning over his credit card.

“How many nights will you be with us?” she inquired.

“Just till the storm passes,” he told her.

“How about we do a day-by-day payment then?”

“That’s very kind of you, thanks,” Thomas said, but something in his voice screamed, “Hurry up already!”

Bunny finished checking us in, Thomas grabbed our bags from the vehicle, and we followed her around the side of the house to a small guest cottage in the back. It was much larger than a hotel room and had a small kitchen, a living room area with a fireplace, and a huge bedroom with an equally large bathroom, complete with a two-person hot tub.

Bunny left without a word. Thomas and I were finally alone, but before we could even move the bags into the bedroom, she was back, loaded down with bags of food. There was a man with her carrying even more bags. While Bunny loaded the refrigerator, the man set about starting a fire.

“Okay,” she finally said, seeming satisfied that her work was complete. “Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served in the main house dining room every day; however, if this storm is as bad as they are claiming, you may not want to venture out, so the kitchen is now fully stocked with food, though I’m afraid you’ll have to cook for yourself then.”

Thomas wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back against his chest. “We’ll manage,” he assured her.

“Oh Gino, aren’t they just the most precious couple ever?” Bunny gushed to the man stoking the fire.

“She says that about everyone,” he said, lovingly watching her blush. Then he spoke to Thomas directly. “It will get very cold tonight and tomorrow. This fire will help if you keep it going. There’s a wood stove in the bedroom, too. I’ll help you get that one started before leaving. It’s easier to keep through the night. There’s a fresh pile of wood on the front porch, dry, and enough to last you several days. I’d advise carrying more in tonight, just in case,” Gino said.

“I understand,” Thomas said. “Thank you both for everything.”

I bit back a smile at his dismissive tone. Gino recognized it too and simply grinned at him, slapping him on the arm and wishing us well. “Come on, my sweet Bunny. Let the lovebirds be.”

When they left for real, I first went to the kitchen to see what she’d left that we might be able to eat right away. I was surprised to see two containers packed full of the most delicious smelling pasta I’d ever smelled. My stomach grumbled loudly. It was still warm and required no preparation.

Thomas brought a stack of wood inside and quickly got the wood stove going. The place was toasty warm in no time. I motioned for him to join me on the couch as we feasted on the wonderful meal.

“I’d come back here again just for this,” I said, regarding the food and feeling gluttonous for having eaten so much.

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