Page 198 of Santa Daddies
Snowed in with her Daddy
By Laylah Roberts
Chapter One
You’re so fucking stupid, Alice.
Did you really think you could survive without me?
Alice gripped the steering wheel tight as she peered out the windshield into the stormy night.
She could do this. Sure, maybe she wasn’t used to driving in the snow. In the dark.
And, yeah, maybe she was about to have a freaking panic attack.
But she was all right.
She had this. She totally had this.
All she needed to do was ignorehisvoice. Because all he ever did was undermine her confidence. He’d berated and ridiculed her until she was a shell of herself. Until she’d really started to think that she was stupid and worthless.
“But I’m not. I have worth. I am smart. I can do this.”
It had taken getting her book published to give her the push she’d needed to leave him. To give her some belief in herself. The kind words of readers had made her see herself differently.
I am not stupid.
I am not worthless.
And the money had helped too. She hadn’t had access to any funds; he’d taken care of all their finances. Something she’d been thankful for in the beginning but had come to realize it was just another form of abuse.
There! There were lights. A sob of relief left her as she turned toward them. The owner of the cabin must have left the lights on for her which was really kind. She hoped the heat was on too.
She pulled up outside the cabin, her mouth dropping open in delight. Sure, it had looked gorgeous in the photos, but somehow it was even more magical in person.
It was a log cabin with a wide porch that went around three sides. There were two steps leading up to the front door. Inside, she knew there would be two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an amazing stone fireplace in the living room.
That fireplace had sold it for her. Even though she’d never used a fireplace in her life. It couldn’t be that hard to put wood on it, right?
Seemed simple enough.
She parked her car with a sigh of relief. Leaning forward, she rested her forehead on the top of the steering wheel and tried to settle her nerves.
You’re here now, Alice.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Hoping it would help calm her, she made a mental list. Breaking things down helped her to stop feeling so overwhelmed.
Well. Most of the time.
Get out of the car.
Find the key hidden under a fake rock. People in Colorado seemed to be more trusting than in California.
Make sure the cabin was warm.
Bring in groceries and luggage.
