Page 54 of Abdominal Snowman

Reasons and Regrets

Soren was silent the entire ride back to the cabin, and Sage chattered along next to him to fill the quiet. He wished he could return the same enthusiasm, but Tobin and his thinly veiled threats weren’t far from his mind.

The Jeep’s headlights illuminated the piles of snow lining the driveway as Soren parked in front of the garage. Sage bounced from the car, her arms loaded with her treasures.

He watched her climb the porch, the sheet of her dark hair flipping as she turned a bright smile toward him, beckoning him into the cabin.

“Right behind you,” he called out.

As she disappeared inside, Soren took a moment outside of the Jeep, inhaling the crisp winter air, his gaze falling to the snowdrifts. Sage hadn’t seemed to notice the lesser amount of snow covering the town, but he was just waiting for the ball to drop. Waiting for Sage to find out or for Tobin to stick his nose where it didn’t belong.

He shook his head.

Tobin wouldn’t ruin this for him. Soren wouldn’t let him.

Grabbing the last few bags, Soren followed Sage’s steps into the house.

The cabin was warm from the fire he’d kept stoked for Sage as he peeled off his cap and set it on the counter. Sage had unloaded there, small trinkets glimmering in the low light.

He could see the questions writing themselves behind her gaze, and as they put the groceries away, he tried to think of a way to distract her. The last thing he wanted to do was bring up his parents and Tobin and the storm he didn’t want to think too closely about.

“What do you think about a movie night?”

Sage paused dramatically and turned to him in one slow motion. “It depends. Do I get to pick the movie?”

Soren rolled his eyes. “I suppose.”

Sage’s grin was wide and so triumphant. “That’s the right answer. Do you have popcorn?”

“You should check,” Soren suggested. Sage wandered to the pantry as he began unloading the bags he’d brought in. The sounds of her search filled the kitchen, until he heard a gasp, a plastic crinkle, and the pantry door shutting before she rounded the corner with a bright smile.

“Success,” she cheered in a singsong voice.

Even with so much on his mind, he couldn’t help but smile at her. She was too precious.

“Go get comfy,” she said, nudging him with her hip. Her scent enveloped him, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever get tired of that delicious strawberry scent mingling with his.

Mine.

The thought flew unbidden to the forefront of his mind, but he shoved it away. Inappropriate. Sage wasn’t his, but... Sage made existing not such a chore.

Waking up next to her that morning had shifted something inside of him. Maybe it was her soft lips open in a small O as she slept peacefully next to him. Or her voracious appetite not only for food, but for everything. She was so curious, stubbornly so.

And then there was the most important part… Sage had never looked at him in fear.

Just a little suspicion and curiosity, but it wouldn’t be fun without those too. His lips curled up into a smile.

Soren feared deep down maybe the voice in his head wasn’t wrong.

“Oh! Before you go, do you have movie streaming or just DVDs? I’m not picky, but I really love... Soren?” She interrupted her rambles as she stopped suddenly in front of him. “What’s so funny?” she asked, the aforementioned suspicion gleaming in her amber eyes.

Soren schooled his features, shook his head. “Nothing, nothing. I can get movies through streaming, so make yourself comfortable on the couch, I’ll do the popcorn.” He grabbed the small pack from her hands, placed a soft kiss on her forehead, and made his way to the microwave.

As he punched the timer on, his thoughts grew morose. He didn’t want anything to ruin what he and Sage were building. Including himself.

He had to tell Sage about the storm. Maybe if he explained…

With a sigh, he turned to where Sage was in the living room, watching her as she gathered the blanket from the market and dropped it on the couch.