Page 21 of Staying for You

“Huh?”

“I’ve been saying your name for like three minutes. Are you okay? Who’s at the door? I thought I heard a man’s voice. I thought you’d escaped or whatever. Are you with a guy? Are youdating?Since when? Isn’t it a little soon? We just got divorced!”

His questions fire in rapid succession and Owen’s eyes narrow on my phone. Scott’s talking so loudly that I’m sure he heard every single one of them.

“Scott, I need to go.” I hang up to the sound of his protests then silence my phone when it immediately starts ringing.

“Hey. What’s up?” I ask Owen, pretending I wasn’t just lusting over him or having a heated conversation with my ex-husband over the fact that I just learned he’s a hooker.

“Everything okay?”

“Sure is.” I want to add,now that you’re herebecause just looking at him brings me a peace I haven’t known since before my dad passed away. But I just met the guy. That’s a little crazy and evenI’mnotthatlevel of crazy.

The corner of his mouth ticks up in a cute little half smile and he points to me. “Want to go for a walk? We’re supposed to get some snow today and I figured it’d be good for the kids to get some fresh air before we were stranded for a while.”

“Stranded?”

“Well, not stranded, stranded.” He thinks for a second then chuckles. “But well, yes. Stranded. At least nine inches is supposed to be heading our way so we’ll be here for a few days until the roads get cleared up.”

I gesture for him to come inside my humble abode and he does, shutting the door behind him and bouncing a little with the kids strapped to him. The space is small without him. With? It feels teeny tiny. I wrap my arms around myself. “Um, is that okay? Do we need to leave? Hunker down or go get supplies? That doesn’t sound good. Nine inches is a lot!”

“We’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry.”

I stick out my hand. “Hi, I’m Cami. I’ve never been in a snowstorm before and I worry if there’s a new freckle on my forehead.”

He humors me by shaking my hand and returning with, “I’m Owen. I’ve been in about a gazillion snowstorms. Trust me. We’ll be fine.”

Something in the way he sayswe’llmakes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

“Isn’t it a little cold for the kids?”

He shakes his head and turns so I have a better look at Brody, who’s in a snowsuit, cheeks a little rosy from the cold but a smile that would brighten up his face even if it wasn’t cold. He reaches over to me and I take his mitten-covered hand in mine. “Hey, buddy.”

“Hi.” His voice is high-pitched and happy and everything that is good in the world.

I aww and almost crumble from the adorableness. “Okay. He’s too cute to say no to. Let me just get some more clothes on and I’ll join y’all.”

He chuckles. “I forgot that you’re from Tennessee. You don’t have much of an accent but then you throw out words like y’all.”

I grin. He’s not the first person who’s questioned whether or not I’m a Tennessee-native. I can dip pretty deep into the twangy accent if I want to, but I sound more like I’m from the Midwest with a slight hint of the south.

I affect the most southern voice I can and say, “Aww, bless your heart. Aren’t you just a peach for saying that.”

“There’s that southern attitude I was looking for.”

I make a big show of curtsying and he throws his head back and laughs. It’s a loud, deep sound that I like far too much.

“I’ll be right back. Give me a few minutes.”

“Sure. Take your time.”

I hustle off to the bedroom and close the door as I riffle through my clothes until I come up with some heavy leggings and a pair of boyfriend style jeans that are a little big and can fit over them. I whip off my flannel pajamas, let my hair down from the messy bun, then throw on a long sleeve t-shirt and a hoodie under my winter jacket and cover my head with a mustard yellow beanie and my hands in the matching gloves. I slide my feet into the new snow boots I bought before coming up here. They’re more of a fashion statement than anything but they’ll keep me warm and they’re also surprisingly comfortable.

I’m practically sweating in the warm cabin by the time I’m dressed but I know outside I’ll be glad for the extra layers. I’ve been here for less than twenty-four hours but I already understand that Northern Minnesota winters are no joke. The wind is harsh, the air is damp with the constant threat of snow that hangs in the air, and the cold is bitter — one that goes down to your bones and makes it a little hard to get warmed up from. It’s a chill I was expecting but also surprised by.

When I get back into the living area, I’m greeted with the glorious sight of Owen’s butt sticking up in the air as he bends over to turn off the space heater. The kids are giggling as he jiggles around with both of them still strapped to him.

I give myself exactly one second to stare but only because he’s already standing up and turning around. If I’d have had the choice, it’d have taken him much longer to do the simple task of turning off the space heater and I’d been able to take a lot longer to enjoy the view.

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