Theo’s chin starts to tremble, water gathering in his eyes. Having to deal with my child every day, I see through the theatrics, but my mother gives me a panicked look. “Oh, it’s okay, dear. Let’s grab your coat and you can come with Grandma.” She takes him from me, setting him on the floor so they can walk to the closet together.
I cross my arms, watching my sister avoid my stare. “You sure it’s okay?”
Kendall sighs, rolling her neck to give me an annoyed look. “I don’t care, Kayla.”
“Yeah, that’s the problem. I don’t exactly want to let my child go off with someone who doesn’t care about him.”
Her eyes narrow. “I never said I didn’t care about him. He’s my nephew.”
“Then act like it,” I snap, before dropping my arms and kneeling down to smile at my son as he runs up to me. “You need to be good for Grandma, okay? Then when you guys get back, we can make those cookies and watch the train movie.”
His eyes go wide, and he nods before wrapping his arms around me. I kiss his cheek and stand, holding onto him as I carry him to my mother’s car.
We drove up together, so his car seat is already installed. He waves off my hands to stop me from buckling him in as Kendall and my mom climb into the front seat.
“I set the timer on the microwave in case we’re not back in time to pull out the cake,” my mom says, and I nod, my heart clenching. If there’s anyone I trust with my baby, it’s her, but it’s still hard to let go.
“Anything else you want me to get started on?”
She shrugs. “The frosting for the cookies, if you want to, but either way it’s fine. I also don’t mind a clean kitchen,” she says with a wink.
I roll my eyes. She knows damn well I was going to clean it, regardless. Closing the door, I wave at Theo through the window. “See you in a bit, baby.”
Chapter 2
Kayla
I finish washingthe dishes and wiping up the kitchen counter when a flash of lights along the hallway wall draws my attention. Grabbing my snow coat to throw over my flannel, I stuff my feet into my Ugg boots and open the front door.
Chills creep up my arms, and I wrap them around myself as I watch the unfamiliar car pull up the driveway, snow crunching under its tires. It’s dark enough that it’s hard to make out who it is through the windshield, even with the illuminating lights hung all around the cabin roof’s trim. The blow-up snowglobe with its loud motor is also blocking a good portion of my view.
I rub my arms with my hands that are already turning red from the cold mountain wind.
While the heavy forest and never-ending falling snow create the perfect Christmas backdrop, it’s not without the threat of frostbite if you don’t protect yourself from the cold.
The car parks, and something in the air charges, making a thrill skitter across my skin. A lop of dirty blond hair peeks from theopening door before the man unfolds himself completely and turns to face me.
My heart drops, and my stomach turns.
What the fuck?
It’s all that keeps repeating over and over in my head, like an annoying carol.
What the fuck is he doing here? Of all places? A sense of dread coils tight within.
We stare at each other, the thick tension making it hard to breathe. Then I blink, looking down at the white powdered ground before huffing out a soft laugh with my next exhale.
If this is truly my sister’s husband, the universe has a cruel sense of humor.
He clears his throat. “I’m not imagining it, right? You’re…Alice?”
I shake my head, glancing back up at him with a bitter grin. “It’s Kayla. Alice is my middle name. Just like I assume Thomas isn’t your name, is it…Beau?”
His lips twitch, and he nods slowly. “Thomas was my grandfather’s name.”
When I don’t respond, he scratches the back of his neck as his eyes shift behind me. “Is this the right house? I’m supposed to meet Kendall?—”
“My sister, yeah. Right house,” I say curtly, no longer amused by this fucked up situation “Ran into town with my mother and?—”
