Page 27 of Stuck With Mr. Frosty

“How did that go for you?”

“She lost her mind. Nearly kicked me out of the house then and there. She told me that I was going to ruin the image she had among her friends. And then she had me sent away.”

I reach out and take his hand, and for a moment he doesn’t react. Then, his hand turns over and he laces his gloved fingers with mine, holding it tight like he needs me right now.

I can’t remember the last time I was needed. Probably before Mom died. Back when it was just the two of us taking on the world together. That was the last time I felt like I knew what I was doing with my life too.

Aiden’s thumb runs over the back of my hand. And though I can’t feel the warm touch through the layers that separate us, there’s a tingling that runs through me.

Carter shows up a few minutes later, looking between the two of us, a lazy grin spreading across his face. “I heard the rumors around the resort, but I didn’t think they were true.”

“Dunno what you heard,” Aiden says as he gets to his feet, tugging me up with him. “Carter, Mia. Mia, this is Carter. He’s been working here for an eternity.”

Carter rolls his eyes and offers me a smile. “He makes it sound like I’m ancient, but I’m really not.”

“Mind if we take one of the snowmobiles and a radio?” Aiden hands him one radio and heads up the stairs to the tower.

“Go for it.”

Aiden disappears into the watchtower before coming back out with another radio. He nods to me and leads the way to a shed around back. “Ready to drive?”

“Yeah, but is it okay to leave my skis here?” I glance at them and my helmet. “I don’t want Carter hating me because I left things in his way.”

He shakes his head. “They’re fine where they are. You don’t have to worry about that at all.”

Aiden turns on the lights and grabs a helmet off the wall, handing it to me. I flip up the visor and pull it on, buckling it beneath my chin and tightening the strap. He grabs one of his own, pulling it on and sitting down on the back of the seat, patting the space in front of him.

I climb on in front of him, and he goes through the motions, showing me how to turn it on and get it moving, doing a quick lesson on braking.

We set out with Honey running along behind us. I keep the pace slow enough for her to tag along, enjoying the time beneath the sun with the fat flakes of snow starting to drift down around us. A couple of white clouds pass through the sky, and the trees get thinner as we climb higher up the mountain.

Then, the trees fade altogether and a little cabin sits there, waiting for us.

“Now,” Aiden says as we get off the snowmobile and take off our helmets. “This one only has a wood stove and a bed. Using the toilet involves digging a hole in the woods, so unless you want to freeze your ass?—”

I burst out laughing and hold up a hand. “Wait. Did you just tell me that I was going to freeze myass?”

He gives me a wicked smile, the look in his eyes teasing. “Why?”

I grab a big ball of snow and pack it tight, throwing it at him. Honey races after the ball, jumping against Aiden and knocking him into the powdery snow. He laughs and tries to keep her from smothering him in kisses.

When he finally gets to his feet, there’s a dangerous look in his eyes. I turn and run, ignoring the complaint in my ankle as I raceaway from him. He catches me around the waist only a couple moments later, hauling me back against him.

Laughing, I wriggle around, trying to get free. Aiden’s laughing as he wrestles me to the ground and climbs on top of me, holding a fistful of snow high above my head. He arches an eyebrow and looks down at me.

I hold up my hands, blocking my face. “Okay, so maybe I regret starting a snow war.”

Honey comes flying in, knocking Aiden off of me and smothering him with another round of kisses. I laugh and get to my feet, brushing off the snow and straightening up, the ache back in my foot.

Aiden stops in front of me, staring down like he’s trying to figure something out. “You’re hurting.”

“Well, I did try to become one with the rocks, but it’s fine. A couple more days and everything is going to be fine, and then you can stop looking at me like I’m going to break.”

He presses his lips together in a thin line. “I’ve heard that snacks fix everything. What do you think about having snacks?”

My stomach growls in response, and he laughs, disappearing into the little cabin and then coming back out with a bag of chips and a pack of cookies. He’s got two folding chairs slung over his shoulders, and he sets them up before dropping down into one.

I take the other and snag the bag of cookies from him. “So, do you come up here a lot? Is it one of those places you like to go to hide from the rest of the world?”

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