Page 25 of Saint Nick
Jace knew better than to ask Rebel about the goth girl because they had become friends, and the last thing he wanted to admit to his older sister was that he had spent the night with her and then disappeared. He wanted to tell Winter why he didn’t stick around, but that would have only put her in danger, and with no ties to him, he knew that she’d be safe from the Dead Rabbits. They wouldn’t track down his one-night stand, no matter how desperately they wanted to find him.
Rebel had brought Winter’s name up a few times over the last couple of months when they talked. She’d ask him questions about him knowing her, and of course, he told her that he really didn’t. That wasn’t a lie. He didn’t know Winter, even if he wanted to. Women with a dark edge to them turned him on, and God, he loved her black lipstick and the way that it looked on her with her lips wrapped around his cock. Yeah, just the memory of their night made him hard, and his hand wasn’t going to be a replacement for Winter.
He checked out the cabin window to see if it was time to shovel again and sighed when he realized that it was. He had spent more time shoveling the snow than he had cutting grass back in Alabama. Jace wondered if he’d ever get back to Alabama and to his family and club, but every time a month passed, he had less hope of that happening.
Jace pulled on his coat and snow boots, looking around the small cabin for his gloves and hat. He spotted them by the fireplace, where he had left them to dry, and walked across the room to grab them. When he made sure that he was covered from head to toe, he grabbed the snow shovel that he had leftby the door and pulled the front door open, letting the person standing on his porch practically fall into his cabin.
“Shit,” he grumbled to himself as he grabbed the person before he or she hit the hardwood floor. “You okay?” he asked.
“So cold,” a woman said. It sounded as though her teeth were literally chattering, and he cursed softly to himself again.
“Let’s get you in by the fire. You’ll warm up in no time,” he assured. He helped the woman across the room to his couch, and she sat down, pulling off her snow-covered scarf and hat.
“Winter,” he whispered. He had so many questions running through his mind, but he knew that they’d have to wait. Still, he needed to ask the most important one. “Why are you here?” he asked. She looked like she was soaked through, and he wondered how long she had been in the snow.
“I’m here to talk to you,” she stuttered, her teeth still chattering.
“We need to get you warm, and to do that, you’re going to have to get out of those wet clothes.” She smirked at him, and he rolled his eyes. “Not what I mean,” he said. “Well, not until you answer a few questions.”
“I’ll gladly answer them all once I’m warm,” she promised. “But first, we need to talk.” They had spent one night together, and she traveled across the country to have a conversation with him. Red flags were flying around him, but he knew that they’d also have to wait until he got Winter in some dry clothes.
“Come with me,” he ordered, holding his hand out to her. She took it and stood from the sofa, following him into the cabin’s only bedroom. “You can borrow some of my sweats. I know that they’ll be big on you, and they’re not your favorite color, but they will have to do.”
He handed her gray sweats, and she made a face. “Yeah, I don’t do sweats, and I hate gray,” she said.
“Well, that’s all I have. You can decide if you want to get out of those wet clothes or not while I make you some hot tea.” He left the room, knowing that leaving her with no choice wasn’t a nice thing to do, but she needed to get out of her clothes, and Winter was a smart girl, and she’d make the right decision. Then, he’d get some answers and let her say what she had travelled across the country to tell him. He had a feeling that they’d have plenty of time to do both because the storm wasn’t letting up any time soon, and there was no way that he’d let Winter go back out in that mess.
WINTER
Winter wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to make it the rest of the way through the storm, but she had to try. She knew that he had to be alive, but proving it hadn’t been easy. She could tell that Rebel was keeping something from her about Jace. Every time she brought up the subject of Jace to his sister, Rebel, she’d change the subject. Winter couldn’t wait her friend out for the truth anymore. She needed to reach Jace, and that was the force driving her through the snowstorm from hell. Well, that and probably a whole lot of prayers and luck, since she had never driven in snow before.
She had fought with herself for over half a year now about whether or not Jace had a right to know about the baby. They had spent one night together, and she ended up with a consolation prize that he had no clue existed. Winter even thought about telling Rebel about the baby to get the truth out of her, but she wanted Jace to be the first to know about their son, soshe kept her secret hidden under black, baggy clothes and blamed her weight gain on her love for sweets. That was partially the truth because this kid only wanted her to eat cake—twenty-four, seven.
Winter had waited months for any answer as to where Jace was, and when she overheard Bolt and Rebel talking at Savage Hell, she finally got some answers. From what Rebel said, her brother was staying up North in a small town in Minnesota. That and the name, Winnibigoshish, which, with some research, she found out was a lake. Maybe packing her warmer clothing and driving halfway across the country into elements that she was unprepared for wasn’t her finest decision, but there was no turning back now. Hell, she couldn’t find the road to turn around on, even if she wanted to.
The snow was coming down fast and furiously. The guy on the only radio station that her car picked up said that it was “Whiteout conditions,” not that she knew what that meant. All she knew was that the snow was trying to bury her alive, and if she stopped her car for any reason, it would probably succeed.
The baby felt as though he was doing somersaults inside of her, and she loved that he was so active. She worried that this trip might have been too stressful for both of them, but not telling Jace about their son wasn’t an option. Her car had other ideas, though, and when it slid off the road into a ditch, she knew that she wasn’t going to find Jace any time soon.
“Crap,” she said, rubbing her belly. “What are we going to do now?” she asked. The only person she had programmed into her cell phone was Rebel, and calling Jace’s sister just felt wrong, but she had no other choice.
She pulled out her cell and unbuckled her seatbelt, givingherself a quick once-over to make sure that she and the baby were both fine. Luckily, she didn’t seem any worse for wear, and the baby still felt as though he was playing soccer inside of her, so she assumed he was okay, too.
She called Rebel and said a little prayer that her friend would answer the phone. “Hey,” Rebel said.
“Um, hi,” Winter breathed. “I’m in a little bit of trouble, and I don’t know what to do.”
“Okay, what kind of trouble?” Rebel asked. “Do you need me to come over?”
“No, I’m not home,” Winter admitted.
“Where are you then? I can come to you,” Rebel offered.
“I’m in Minnesota,” Winter admitted. She closed her eyes and sighed. “Don’t be mad, but I overheard you and Bolt talking at Savage Hell, and I figured I’d drive up here to try to find Jace. I just didn’t count on this storm.”
“Oh, God,” Rebel breathed. “Jace called and told me that it’s bad up there.”
“Yeah, and that’s kind of why I’m calling. I slid off the road, and I need someone to come get me. Do you think that you can get Jace to come find me?” she asked.
