Page 27 of Staying for You

“Yeah. I haven’t heard from them since early this morning when they were heading to the airport but I’m preparing myself for having them to myself for another night.”

She stretches out her lips and makes an eek face which makes me laugh.

“Maybe you’ll be the one calling down with an SOS to me.”

I widen my eyes and nod. “I would keep it close by, just in case.”

“How about I help you carry these two back up to your place so you don’t have to put them in the carriers?”

“Then you’re going to have to walk back down.”

She starts slipping on her coat and gives me a pointed look that says not to argue with her. “By myself, though, which is easier than lugging babies around. Trust me. I’m hardier than you think.”

I raise my hands in surrender. “I believe you. If you want to, I won’t stop you.”

“That’s better.”

We work together to bundle up the kids and then we head out after I get back into my coat and boots, me carrying Brody and Cami carrying Issy. She walks gingerly, holding the back of my niece’s head and keeping her close to her chest.

The snow is falling around us, dotting her dark hair and clinging to it. She inhales deeply and sticks out her tongue, letting a snowflake fall onto it. Then she giggles when she catches me staring at her. She shrugs, unapologetic that she’s just having fun in the snow. “It’s been a while since I’ve been around snowflakes as big as these.”

I look around and realize she’s right, the flakes are huge.

“If I fall I promise to spin around and fall on my back so she’s kept safe,” she says seriously.

“Good plan.”

She looks at me out of the corner of her eye and I wink.

It doesn’t take us long to get up to the lodge and inside. It’s been a long morning and I know Brody will be hungry and both of them ready for naps soon. Which, if I’m being honest, doesn’t sound too bad.

“Thanks for helping get them up here.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Make sure you turn on the walkie talkie when you get back to the cabin.”

She salutes me and says, “10-4.”

Chuckling and shaking my head, I tell her goodbye and close the door behind her, wishing that she wasn’t leaving.

It’s not as if I’m lonely with the kids here or even in general, however, it’s been a long time since I’ve spent any amount of time with a woman and talked, just for the sake of talking. It’s been… nice. And once the kids are back with their parents, I plan to pick it back up with her.

I know nothing can come of a relationship with her. She lives several states away. But I want to get to know her.

Either I’m lying to myself and am lonelier than I thought, or there’s something about her that I can’t resist trying to get to know better.

Whatever it is, I’m looking forward to the next six weeks.

Chapter Nine

Owen

As expected,their flight was delayed and they won’t be making it here until around noon today. Which is a lot earlier than I expected after last night’s winter storm that barreled through, leaving us with a foot of fresh snow on the ground. Luckily, the kids are young enough that they didn’t know any differently. They’ll just be happy when their parents walk through the door, whenever it is.

The walkie talkie crackles and I smile, knowing who’s on the other end trying to reach me.

We talked a few times in the evening. She was loving the quiet of the snow fall and told me she’d never felt the level of peace that she was feeling. Even though I have nothing to do with it, pride swelled in my chest knowing that The Escape had a little bit of a hand in that.

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