A very long time passed before I was able to join him.
Come morning, though, I discovered my foot sticking out from under the blankets. Although I expected it to be an ice cube, it wasn’t. In fact, this was always how my body regulated temperature.
I shook Marco.
He turned onto his back and gazed over at me with sleepy eyes. “Good morning.”
“The power’s back on.”
He pushed himself up onto his elbows as he sniffed the air.
I didn’t have a clue what he expected to smell—but the grin on his face was heart-stoppingly adorable.
“It is. And today’s the day we need to leave. Well, that I need to leave. I’d prefer you come with me.”
“I can’t leave my dad’s SUV here.”
“Of course not. But we can drive in tandem back to Vancouver. That way, I’ll know you’re safe.
Warmth seeped into me—in places I’d long thought frozen forever. “Really?”
He pushed up and pressed a hard kiss to my lips. “Hell fucking yes!”
With a response like that, capitulation was the easiest response in the world. “Yeah, okay.”
“I’ll whip up some waffles—I left a few in a cooler outside. So far, the bears haven’t gotten in. Then we’ll close things up andhead out. Oh, once we’ve got our vehicles running, we should each call our families. I assume the driveway will be plowed, yes?”
“If my father knows you’re here, then yes. He doesn’t give a shit about me.”
“Maybe give him the benefit of the doubt?”
I smiled—a little ruefully. “If I thought it would be fair, I’d bet you he didn’t. As it is, I don’t want to put you into a position that you’ll lose.”
He propelled himself fully upright, then pulled me into a tight hug. “If he’s that much of a shit, then we’ll find you a new family.”
I pulled back and scowled. “What do you mean?”
“That found family can be as important. Freddie and Andreas both felt alone in the world. Freddie became friends with my stepfather, Troy, then reconnected with Andreas after years apart. Now the couple are invited to my dad’s place all the time—they’re like family. Found family.” He said the words, as it emphasizing their meaning.
For my part, I’d never heard of the concept—certainly had never contemplated it before. I simply believed I was destined to be alone with a string of men coming and going through my life. “That simple?”
He nodded. “My dad and Troy are going to love you. And we should introduce you to Freddie and Andreas. The latter is starting to gain traction as a well-known actor. He had some trouble a while ago. We don’t give a shit about any of that. He got his life in order, and we’ve embraced him. I mean, we probably would have anyway…but a good redemption story goes a long way.”
I cocked my head. “Do you think I might be a redemption story?”
“If you make amends for past wrongs, then absolutely.”
“Oh, okay…” I scrunched my nose. “That sounds too simple.”
“Because it is. Sometimes we just see the error of our ways and choose a better path moving forward. I have faith in you.”
More than I had in myself, but I’d take that faith. Still, I needed to move away from this topic. “Who showers first?”
“Why don’t I? You can strip the bed and pack. Then I can pack and make breakfast.”
Packing sounded very final to me. If I could’ve done anything in the world at that moment, I would’ve chosen to stay. For the solstice. For Christmas. For New Year’s.
Forever, if that were realistic.
