Chapter 2
Kayla
I finish washing the dishes and wiping up the kitchen counter when a flash of lights along the hallway wall draws my attention. Grabbing my snow coat to throw over my flannel, I stuff my feet into my Ugg boots and open the front door.
Chills creep up my arms, and I wrap them around myself as I watch the unfamiliar car pull up the driveway, snow crunching under its tires.
It’s dark enough that it’s hard to make out who it is through the windshield, even with the illuminating lights hung all around the cabin roof’s trim.
The blow-up snowglobe with its loud motor is also blocking a good portion of my view.
I rub my arms with my hands that are already turning red from the cold mountain wind.
While the heavy forest and never-ending falling snow create the perfect Christmas backdrop, it’s not without the threat of frostbite if you don’t protect yourself from the cold.
The car parks, and something in the air charges, making a thrill skitter across my skin. A lop of dirty blond hair peeks from the opening door before the man unfolds himself completely and turns to face me.
My heart drops, and my stomach turns.
What the fuck?
It’s all that keeps repeating over and over in my head, like an annoying carol.
What the fuck is he doing here? Of all places? A sense of dread coils tight within.
We stare at each other, the thick tension making it hard to breathe. Then I blink, looking down at the white powdered ground before huffing out a soft laugh with my next exhale.
If this is truly my sister’s husband, the universe has a cruel sense of humor.
He clears his throat. “I’m not imagining it, right? You’re…Alice?”
I shake my head, glancing back up at him with a bitter grin. “It’s Kayla. Alice is my middle name. Just like I assume Thomas isn’t your name, is it…Beau?”
His lips twitch, and he nods slowly. “Thomas was my grandfather’s name.”
When I don’t respond, he scratches the back of his neck as his eyes shift behind me. “Is this the right house? I’m supposed to meet Kendall—”
“My sister, yeah. Right house,” I say curtly, no longer amused by this fucked up situation “Ran into town with my mother and—”
Shit. My heart drops. Do I tell him about Theo now? Or do I wait until they’re back?
“And, uh. They’re grabbing the ham.”
Beau frowns, pulling out his phone and tapping something. “The weather was getting worse when I was driving up.”
Patting my jean pockets, I curse and head back into the house and grab my phone on the counter. My stomach churns when I see the missed calls. I call my mom back immediately.
“Hey. Sorry, I didn’t have my phone on me,” I say as soon as she answers.
My mom shushes someone. “Kayla, the sheriff isn’t allowing anyone else back up the mountain for the night. They say the roads are too dangerous.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. “How’s Theo doing?”
“He’s fine. We got some stuff at The Bear Diner. You know the one with the dangling lights? He loved it. We grabbed a room at the ski resort.”
Shoes shuffling have my gaze zeroing in as Beau walks into the kitchen, and I purse my lips.
“Okay. Okay, that’s fine.” My voice cracks. I trust my mother, and by some extension my sister, to take care of my son. At least, I pray I can trust her.
“He might want to call around bedtime when he realizes,” my mom says softly.
I nod. “Yeah, yeah. Of course, he can call me whenever. I’ll have my phone on me all night for him.”
My mom explains they’ll come up as soon as they can in the morning before we say goodbye.
Beau has been watching me with crossed arms from the doorframe.
“Boyfriend?”
With a furrowed brow, I throw him an incredulous look. “My mom. Have you talked to your wife?”
His jaw shifts back and forth. “Texted her.”
When he doesn’t expand, I roll my eyes and wave at the fridge. “If you’re hungry, there are sandwiches from earlier. Most of the sides are for dinner tomorrow.”
Beau grunts, glancing around the kitchen, his fingers tracing over the small basket of chocolate crosses. “I didn’t know your family was religious. Kendall didn’t mention anything about church.”
“We’re not. The neighbor is just a kind elderly lady that I don’t have the heart to turn down,” I say softly, leaving out that I’m sure my sister didn’t tell him much about us either way.
Beau is silent for a few seconds, then says, “I didn’t say anything when I texted her. I figured it’s better to let her know about us tomorrow when she comes.”
I raise my eyebrow. “You plan to tell her about our drunken weekend while on a random vacation in Costa Rica?”
He nods. “It’s better that way, instead of her possibly finding out after some time has passed.”
My heart pounds, and a ringing starts in my ears, demanding I tell him the truth. It would be better if he found out from me, and not Kendall. And she will tell him if she suspects it even a little. What started as a normal day is starting to look like one of my worst nights.
Beau frowns, staring at me and taking a step forward. “Are you okay? You look like you’re going to be sick.”
Clenching my phone tighter, I face him with an ache in my throat and fail to clear it. “I have a son,” I croak.
Something flickers in his face, but I continue on. “He’s three. So if you tell her about Costa Rica, then we have to tell her you’re his father.”
Beau stumbles back as if he’s been hit, his face draining to a pale gray while his wide eyes blink excessively. “W-what? What are you saying? I have a son?”
I struggle to nod while pulling up a photo of Theo to show him. Beau takes the phone with shaky hands, sucking in a breath when he sees him.
It’s undeniable when you mention his paternity. Theo has his blue eyes and curly blond hair, even the small dimple on his left cheek when he smiles.
Beau’s mouth parts, his thumb scrolling through my photos without hesitation. “What the fuck?”
I lick my dry lips, whispering softly. “I had no way of contacting you.”
Beau swallows harshly, shaking his head. “I know. I know that. I don’t blame you.”
Guilt still eats me alive on the inside. I’ve soaked up every moment of Theo’s life, and Beau missed it all. It hurts me, and I know it must be hurting him.
“When’s his birthday?” Beau asks.
“September 17.”
He nods, his nostrils flaring, and I see water lining his bottom lash. I clear my throat and point over my shoulder.
“I have to finish putting up the ornaments so we can put away the Christmas decorations. You’re welcome to keep looking.” I wave for him to keep my phone.
Beau raises an eyebrow, a mischievous gleam shining in his eyes. “I’m not going to run into any naughty photos, am I?”
My cheeks heat, and I shake my head. “Uhm. No. After I got knocked up by a stranger, I kind of swore off…all that.”
His tongue sweeps along his bottom lip. “Makes sense.”
“Mhmm,” I get out before basically running out of the kitchen.
I just admitted that he’s the last person I had sex with, and I don’t know why it embarrasses me so much, but it does.
I’ve thought about getting back to dating as Theo got older, but it never really seemed important. Suddenly, he’s three, and his baby daddy shows up on the doorstep married to my sister.