After the train pulled back into town, Spencer wasn’t ready to end the night. They stopped at a little bookstore still open late for the season. Spencer picked out a few cozy reads—someromance, a couple of adventure stories, and one about a boy who finds a lost horse in the snow.
Jamie hugged the books to his chest like they were treasure.
On the way home, Spencer swung by the corner shop and grabbed a pint of Jamie’s favorite ice cream—chocolate. They didn’t say much on the drive back, but the silence felt warm this time. Easy.
Spencer glanced over at Jamie, curled up in the passenger seat with the books in his lap and a soft smile on his face. After everything, they were still here. Still together.
And that was enough.
As soon as Spencer pulled the truck up to the cabin, he spotted the note taped to the door. His stomach tightened. He didn’t like surprises—not anymore. Not after everything with Billy. Not after the silence from Nathan. He reached for Jamie’s hand, needing the grounding, the warmth of it, as they walked up the steps together.
The paper fluttered slightly in the breeze. Spencer peeled it off, folded it without reading, and led Jamie inside. They kicked off their boots, hung their jackets, and the quiet of the cabin wrapped around them like a blanket. Still, Spencer felt the tension in his chest, the weight of old wounds pressing against the present.
He guided Jamie to the bedroom, the one place that felt like theirs. “Sit next to me on the bed and we’ll read this together,” he said, voice gentle but tight.
Jamie nodded and climbed up beside him, curling close. Spencer unfolded the note and held it so they could both see.
Spencer,
I’m sorry for misleading you into coming to the Christmas mixer. I knew you wanted to meet a little. So, it would be perfect, but I had another plan too. I wanted to put our band back together. We did so well together, minus the fighting overBilly and Farlan. It was a dream I had to get us back together, but I’m sorry this upset you. I’d like to have breakfast with just you tomorrow. You can drop Jamie at my cabin. Alfie wants Jamie to help bake and make some decorations.
Sorry,
Nathan.
Spencer stared at the words, his jaw tightening.Misleading.That was the part that stung. He’d come here thinking this was about healing, about connection, about building something new with Jamie. But Nathan had dragged the past into it—Billy, Farlan, the band. All the things Spencer had buried deep.
Jamie pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around Spencer’s waist. “Are you okay with that, Daddy Spencer?”
Spencer looked down at him, heart softening. “Are you?”
Jamie nodded. “I want to help Alfie.”
Spencer exhaled, brushing Jamie’s hair back from his forehead. “Let me explain something to you, just so you know the story.”
“Okay.”
Spencer lifted Jamie gently onto his lap, holding him close, grounding himself in the feel of Jamie’s warmth. He kissed his temple, then traced the curve of his earlobe with his thumb, needing the contact to steady himself.
“I love singing and playing my guitar,” he began, voice low. “Loved playing for the band. It was everything to me. But then Billy and Farlan—he was our keyboardist—they messed around behind my back. It destroyed me. Not just the betrayal, but the way it made me question everything. My worth. My judgment. My place in the world.”
Jamie’s eyes were wide as he listened.
“Billy was our backup singer and guitarist. We had chemistry on stage. We sang together. And I thought that meantsomething. But I wasn’t going to ruin the band over that shit. I tried to keep it together.”
Jamie’s voice was soft. “It must have hurt you.”
Spencer nodded, swallowing hard. “Yeah. That’s an understatement. They kept it going while we were traveling. Six months of lies. And then—then I got the call. My grandfather had passed.” He paused, breath catching. “I’d promised him I’d take over the ranch when he was gone. So, I quit the band. Walked away from all of it.”
Jamie leaned his forehead against his. “That must have been tough.”
“It was,” Spencer said quietly. “But I don’t regret it. Because it led me here. To you.” He held Jamie tighter, letting the silence settle around them. This time, it didn’t feel heavy. It felt like healing. Like maybe, just maybe, the past didn’t get to win.
“Did you have any friends in Montana to help you?”
“Not the kind of friends who know the real me. So, no. It nearly destroyed me.”
“So you’re not out in Montana?”
