Page 58 of Collision of Winters
Well, that depended on whether I was allowed to eat them all in one day, or if he thought the box should last till my next birthday.
I was not born yesterday!
True enough, we missed the Husky pups running wild in the courtyard at the retreat, but a nice man named Patrick promised they’d let the pups out again later tonight. Apparently, it was a practice of sorts with new litters. When they were around six weeks old, it was time to prepare the pups and the mama to be separated, so the puppies were taken outside without her twice a day for an hour or so. Then they increased the time slowly, until the puppies were ready for their new homes at nine or ten weeks.
The retreat was kind of incredible. It was the biggest log cabin I’d ever seen, with like three stories, and they had a restaurant, pool area, and an arcade. Actual people too. It was wild to see after several days with just Wade and me. I couldn’t explain it, but… Actually, I could. Strolling through the little village of rental cabins, hand in hand, with tourists walking about, everything felt way more official. Wade and I were together.
The main house had hotel rooms too, but we wanted our own little cabin. Plus, the dogs were welcome there.
While I unpacked some essentials, Wade headed out again on a mission. He was going to make a reservation in therestaurant and also give away our perishables. Leaving the cabin in such a hurry this morning meant we had food we didn’t want to go to waste. Dry goods and cans would last until we came up to visit again—or if Chris visited, for that matter. But we couldn’t save or bring home meat, fish, and dairy products.
Our new rental cabin was smaller, but it was luxurious. I was talkingplumbing. An actual toilet and running water. A shower! Hot damn, yes. And the main room had everything else. Big bed, kitchenette, a dresser, and a fireplace.
We’d been given linens at the front desk, so I prepared our bed after I’d started a fire.
“Isn’t this awesome, Tundra?” I patted his head. The other three had promptly taken a siesta by the door. “Daddy and I will take you for a long walk later, I promise?—”
Oh. I spun around, hearing Wade’s phone. I zeroed in on his daypack and dug it out from a side pocket.
Contact 2.
That was Dad.
I answered the call. “Hey! It’s Kayden.”
“Well, hey. Just the guy I wanted to talk to. Happy birthday, son. How are you?”
“Thanks! I’m great. I guess this kidnapping really worked out for me.”
He chuckled. “I’d say it worked out for all of us. I checked this morning, and your room is ready. Nothing has changed. Groceries will be delivered tomorrow too, so I stocked up on some of your favorites.”
Even as a smile easily took over my face, I was punched with a bout of guilt, forceful enough that I had to sit down on the edge of the bed.
Why had I been so stupid to push these people away for so long?
“That sounds great, Dad,” I murmured. “I’mma make a ton of cupcakes for you.”
His favorites were blueberry and vanilla.
“That’s what I like to hear,” he replied. “I spoke to Chris, and he mentioned you and Wade are on your way home.”
Oh crud. I had to be extra careful here, so I didn’t say too much. “Yessir, we’ll be home on Thursday, I guess. Or maybe Friday—I’m not sure.”
“And you’re not going to Dallas first?” he prodded.
“No, sir. Fuck Dallas. Wade said he’s gonna help me figure out the move so we can get my stuff home.”
He let out a breath, and his relief was evident. “Never thought I’d say this, but I’m damn grateful your brothers kidnapped you.”
I let out a laugh and scratched my cheek. “Me too. Wade screwed my head on straight. I, um…I have a lot to apologize for.”
“Nonsense, son. As long as you come back home, I’m happy. I know you didn’t move out of spite. I hope we can talk more about that soon.”
I nodded to myself. “Yeah, Wade taught me to open up too. He should be a shrink or something.”
Dad chuckled. “Glad to hear it. He has a way about him.”
Forsure.
