Page 65 of Cabin Fever Baby

“Oh my God, are you okay? Where are you? I’ll come get you.” His voice went into problem solver mode.

“That would be good. I’m fine.” I turned and looked at Ocean. “A woman helped me out, but I’d really like to get out of here.”

“Sure. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Send me a pin.”

“Thanks, Cal.”

“Of course. See you soon.” I could hear him pulling on his jacket and already aiming out the door. I texted him my location pin and shoved my phone in my pocket.

“We can’t leave it like this.” Her ocean-blue eyes brimmed with tears.

“Guess we are.”

“I didn’t lie to you.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t trust me, either.”

“It’s only been a few days!”

I nodded. “You’re right. It was only a few days. But it was long enough for me to fall in love with you.”

She slapped her hand over her mouth.

“Or the woman I thought you were.”

The tears spilled this time, and my chest squeezed. I could barely breathe around the ache.

The fucking break.

She backed out of the doorway, disappearing inside and leaving the door ajar.

Once she was gone, I bent at the waist and dragged in a huge gulping breath. The pain of it mixed with the cold air, leaving a lump in my chest. An icy one that didn’t feel like it would ever melt.

Suddenly, Quentin was in the doorway with my bags and coat. He set them both out on the porch and threw my coat at me. “You made her cry. I knew you were an asshole.”

Then he slammed the door hard enough that snow over the awning crashed onto the steps.

I shrugged on my coat and grabbed my bags, staggering down the steps as my equilibrium felt completely off as I walked away from her.

My brother’s familiar bronze Chevy Tahoe bumped up the road.

I’d been so close to his house when I’d gotten into the accident.

Less than five minutes away.

As I climbed into the cab of his truck, I looked back at the picture-perfect cabin.

“What happened? Where’s your car?”

“Under about six-ish feet of snow right on that lawn.”

“How long were you here?” Cal’s gray eyes were worried.

“Feels like forever. I’ll explain on the way. Can we just get out of here?”

“Yeah, sure.”

He put his truck in reverse and we slowly retreated until the trees and snow swallowed up the cabin. I shut my eyes and leaned back on the headrest as Kelly Clarkson sang about risking it all for this Christmas.