Page 20 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

“We haven’t in a while.”

“I guess you guys don’t get along?” she asked.

“No, we’re fine.”

“Is it the boyfriend? You don’t like him?”

“He’s all right.” His legs shifted under the blanket. “I could probably give him more of a chance.”

She liked a man who was willing to admit his faults. “But?”

“But he’s not my dad.”

Oh, no. A flurry of anger rushed through her. “Your mom cheated with this guy?”

“Calm down, Hellcat. It’s not like that. My mom’s been alone a long time. I’m glad she found someone.”

“Then, why wouldn’t you want to spend Christmas with them?”

“Let’s just say I’m working on my feelings toward her. But I’m glad she has this guy. I want her to be happy.” There was something funky in his tone. He didn’t sound begrudging or angry. It was more like he was conflicted.

“Or how about this? You hope someday you’ll want her to be happy?” She said it softly, quietly.

“Yeah.” A moment later, he said, “That works better.”

“Life is so complicated.”

“It’s still going to be complicated when you leave this cabin.”

“Says the man hiding in a cabin over Christmas.”

“Hey, I’m nothiding. I’m here to make a big decision.”

“Well, let’s hope the power comes back on sooner rather than later.”

“Yeah. I do need to get ahead of this situation with my boss. I’ve got a snowmobile, so if it goes on too long, I’ll head into town.”

“It better not go on too long. We’ll run out of food. You came out here alone, so I know you didn’t buy enough for two people.” She’d never been trapped in a snowstorm. “And what if the generator runs out of fuel? How long can we go without heat? And the water—what about showering?”

“We won’t run out of anything.” His hand found her arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “As soon as I picked up the car, I stopped at the grocery store. I got there right when it was closing, so I ran up and down the aisles tossing random shit into my cart. I bought way too much. And I’ve got a massive propane tank, so it’s not going to run out. We’re good. I promise.”

“Oh, thank God. I did start to spiral there, didn’t I?” She laughed it off.

“It’s understandable.”

He’d done it again. Surprised her with his response. Landon would’ve teased her for overreacting. Cissy would’ve rolled her eyes and called her a drama queen. For the first time, she could see the role they’d cast her in, and how she’d willingly played the part. She was the artiste, the creative one who couldn’t function in the real world.

Once assigned, she’d stuck to it. Because they’d reinforced it with their inside jokes.

The revelation made her extremely uncomfortable. “Well, that’s a relief.”

“So, you’re good?” he asked. “Can you sleep now?”

This exhausted man had been willing to sleep on the couch. He’d stayed up to put her mind at ease. He’d been kind and considerate. “I think I can.”

Before she could even roll onto her side and put a pillow between her legs, his breathing evened out. In the quiet of the spacious bedroom, with snow falling and wind whistling through the trees, she felt safe and cocooned.

She didn’t have much faith in her judgment anymore, not after an entire year of being played.

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