Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
ADAM
Danny and Faith had fallen asleep on either side of me, and I was torn between losing my arms to numbness and moving them when they seemed so peaceful. I shifted Danny closer so I could reach and pause his tablet.
This was not the night I’d envisioned with Faith, but it wasn’t bad either. Somehow, even just sitting on the couch with Faith in my arms was enough. That Danny was pressed in on my other side was even better.
I wasn’t sure how I had fallen so fast for Faith, but falling was definitely what I had done. I would be devastated if things didn’t work out between us. I looked down at her soft blond hair that draped over her cheek and her pink lips.
I wrestled with my fear of whether she would choose to stay in Hillsdale and with me.
There were no guarantees.
The way she talked about her past and her mother pressuring her to return to New York didn’t help.
Danny mumbled in his sleep about stars. I sighed, knowing he would sleep better in his bed.
I pressed a kiss to Faith’s forehead and whispered. “I’ll be right back, just going to put Danny in bed.”
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Sorry I fell asleep.” She covered a yawn with her hand.
“You’re fine.” I smiled as I scooped Danny into my arms and walked down the hallway to his room.
I laid him on his bed and pulled the blankets up how he liked, and tightened them around him.
He flopped over, and I ruffled his hair.
“Love you, buddy. Good night,” I whispered as I turned off his light and made sure his night light was on.
As I walked back toward the living room, the power flickered twice, causing the lights to turn off and on. I waited. If the lights flickered again, it usually meant the power would be out for a while.
It did.
The house went completely dark.
“Adam?” There was worry in Faith’s voice.
I turned on the flashlight on my phone. “It’s okay, just the power. Might be from snow on the power lines.” I walked into the living room.
Faith’s wide eyes looked toward the window in its complete darkness. “What time is it?”
I checked my phone. “Midnight.”
Her eyes widened. “Midnight? Yikes, I better get home.” She stood and rushed toward my front door.
Dread pooled in my stomach as I thought of the conditions of the road and her heater not working.
I furrowed my brow. “I think you should probably stay the night. I know I would feel better.”
“Wait. What?” Faith’s eyes shot back to me. “Like with you?”
“Not like that.” I tilted my head. “Actually.” I smiled. “I would be okay if you stayed like that too.”
Her cheeks turned bright red.
I grinned. “But mostly I don’t think it’s safe.” I stepped toward her and held out my hand. “Between your heater and the storm, I think it would be safer to stay in my spare room. Then I can follow you back into town tomorrow, and we can get that heater fixed.”
She smiled at the ground and moved a piece of hair behind her ear. “Oh right, ’cause the snow.”
“Yep.” The snow was at least a convenient excuse.
“Yeah. I guess that makes sense. As long as it’s okay.” She shrugged.
It was more than okay. The way she fit into my life and my arms felt too good. Maybe Mom’s millions of prayers sent Faith to me, but whatever the reason, I didn’t care. I just didn’t want her to leave.
“I need to grab some flashlights and more blankets.” I tried to keep my mind focused on the present. Not where I hoped this was all leading. “Would you like to wait here on the couch or come with me?”
“I’m not sitting in the dark by myself.” She rushed to my side and took my hand. She leaned her chin to my ear, so I dipped my head. “I hate the dark and clowns.” She whispered as if someone might overhear.
I chuckled. “We should be clown free, and I have some lanterns that will help with the dark.” I searched her eyes and found genuine fear. “Hey.” I squeezed her hand. “You’re safe.”
She took a steadying breath. “I know, I feel safe with you,” she whispered.
I had a strange surge of male pride at her comment.
We went to the garage, to the bins of camp gear and grabbed some battery-operated lanterns. I turned them on and brought them back into the house. I put one in the main area in case Danny woke up and needed the bathroom. Then I led Faith to the spare room.
I opened the door to the room that’s primary use was for storage. But there was a bed made with clean sheets at least. I went into the closet and grabbed some extra blankets.
“Will Danny need another blanket?” She looked toward Danny’s room. “The heat won’t be working, right?”
“Yeah, I will put an extra blanket on him and then some at the end of his bed, and he can grab them if he wants.”
She nodded and looked toward the bed. The silence stretched and pulled. Would she rather not sleep here? I stopped the offer to sleep with me before I blurted it out again.
“Um, do you have an extra phone charger?” Faith stared at her phone with what appeared to be the battery dying quickly.
I smiled. “I do, but I don’t think it will help much.”
“Why? Oh, right, the power.” She shook her head but didn’t drop my hand. “My phone is about to die, and I don’t have service anymore. I texted Rose before, so she should know I’m here. I’m a little worried about waking up and being disoriented by myself with no light.”
I held up the lantern. “I can leave this with you?” I shrugged. Should I offer to let her sleep in my bed? The thought of her next to me was dangerously tempting. Could I keep my hands to myself all night?
“Could I maybe sleep on the couch?” she added before I worked up the courage.
“I don’t think you could fit comfortably.”
She chuckled. “No, you can’t lie down on it. I will be fine.”
I wished I hadn’t hesitated. If I offered now, it would seem weird. I added a few blankets in Danny’s room and walked with her back to the living room, with a stack of pillows and blankets for the couch.
Would I even be able to sleep knowing she was this close? The last several weeks were full of stolen moments between work and Danny. I glanced at the couch and then back toward my room.
Screw it. Luckily, I had put the pile of laundry away yesterday.
I cleared my throat and took a steadying breath, and her eyes met mine.
“You know…” I cleared my throat again. “If you are worried about being out here alone.” I paused, and she stared at my lips.
Her gaze searched mine.
“Um, I will keep my hands and ideas to myself if you want to share my bed.” I raised my right shoulder. “Just in case you wake up disoriented or something?”
She bit her bottom lip and raised a brow. “We’d better not. I’m not sure I could promise the same.”
Heat boiled in my stomach as I looked at this beautiful woman. The thought of being loved and held by Faith did something that rattled every coherent thought in my brain.
She yawned and leaned into me.
“Right, so couch?” I nodded. It was probably for the best, I reminded myself before I tried to change her mind.
“Or I can just be good…” Faith gazed up at me.
Forget what’s for the best. I wanted her in my bed. I wanted to hold her as she fell asleep, watch her as she woke. I grabbed her hand and started pulling her toward my room.
As we passed Danny’s room, he mumbled something about stars, and Faith pulled me to a stop. I looked back at her and she smiled.
I knew what she was going to say. Danny would be confused if he found her in my bed, he might be confused to see her on the couch too, but it was safer for her to stay. My shoulders dropped, and I sighed as I turned. “So, couch?”
She chuckled softly. “Yeah,” she said. “Probably better.”
I sighed and led her back toward the couch, and I might have been a little pouty about it.
She followed me, and then laid her head down on the pillow on the couch as she yawned. “Good night, Adam.”
I kneeled beside her and brushed her hair away from her face. “Good night, Faith.” I leaned in and kissed her. I took a fortifying breath, and it took every ounce of willpower I had, but I forced myself to stand and go to my room alone.
“DAD DAD DAD!!”
I woke up with a start as Danny pulled on my arm. I felt like I had just gone to sleep. It took longer than I wanted to admit to fall asleep knowing how close Faith was. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and lay back down.
“DAAAAD!”
I sat up, and instantly the cold pressed against my skin. “I’m up, I’m up.” I yawned. “What’s up, bud?”
“Come see! There is enough snow now for a thousand snowmen!” He grabbed my arm and tugged.
“Hurry!” I wiped the sleep from my eyes as he pulled me through the hallway and into the living room where Faith was standing at the window, wrapped tight in a blanket.
My heart leapt at the sight of her. I wanted to rush to her and pull her into my arms.
Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she moved her feet back and forth on the cold ground. I stood beside her and placed my arm around her shoulder. If Danny asks, I will tell him it’s because she was cold. She leaned against my chest, but her gaze stayed focused on the window.
I should have brushed my teeth. What if I had terrible morning breath?
“See!” Danny gestured at the window, drawing my attention to it.
“Holy…” There was a lot of snow.
Where there was a foot of snow the night before, the world was now covered in what looked like a three- to four-foot blanket of white.
The road, the trees, everything. I couldn’t even make out our vehicles in the driveway.
They were white blobs. The wind caused the whole world to see white.
The wind would make it even more dangerous.
So much snow.
I blew out a whistle, going over all the worst-case scenarios in my head. It was obvious from the cold that the power was still out.
What if the power didn’t come back on?
What if Mom or one of the older neighbors didn’t have enough heat?
Could everyone’s barns and outbuildings hold up under that much weight of snow?
How long would it take them to plow the roads all the way out here?
“Okay…” I pinched my lips in thought, trying to hide my initial panic. “Looks like we might stay home today.”
Faith’s wide eyes met mine.
“Wahoo! Snowman day!” Danny ran toward his boots.
Faith leaned close. “The plows will start with town, and it will be a while before they can get this far out. Right?” Her brow furrowed. She glanced at Danny to see that he was occupied. “Is everyone going to be okay? What if someone’s car is stuck out there?”
I pulled her toward me in a hug, and her presence instantly calmed my racing heart. I placed my chin on top of her head. “I certainly hope that’s not the case. Storms like this can cause all sorts of problems. Roofs could collapse, people and animals could freeze, pipes could break.”
“I could have been stuck out in this storm.” She whispered, barely audible, and I think it was more for her than me.
But the result of her statement was like ice being poured down my veins. I imagined Faith stuck out there in this blizzard and pulled her tighter to me. I had to know she was still here, to feel her heartbeat against mine.
“Well, I’m very glad you weren’t.” The words didn’t come close to expressing my relief.
Her eyes met mine, and she gave me a small smile.
“Me too.” She looked back at the window.
“But what about everyone else?” She chewed on her bottom lip, and I instantly wanted her mouth on mine.
I shook my head, trying to remind myself we were in a bit of a crisis and to focus. “Do you need to call anyone?”
She shrugged. “My phone’s dead, but I assume everyone went home and is fine.”
A thump sounded beside me as Danny stumbled in his boots and coat as he rushed to the front door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I called after him.
“I’m going to make a snowman!” He pulled open the front door.
“Whoa! Wait a minute there, Champ.”
Danny stood frozen in the doorway, revealing snow piled higher than his waist. “Woah!”
A gust of wind sent the snow spiraling into the living room. Danny yelped, and I helped him close the door. His wide eyes met mine. “I think it might take a long time to shovel Grandma’s sidewalk this week.”
I chuckled. “That’s an understatement.” I ruffled his hair. “I’m going to call her and make sure she has heat. The wood stove works, so she should be good.” I pointed at the pile of snow in the entryway. “How about you play in that snow for now?”
He nodded and grabbed a pile and pressed it together. It packed tight. “It’s the snowman kind!”
That meant the snow held more moisture and would be heavier. I met Faith’s eyes over Danny.
“I better make sure Mom is okay, then maybe call around and see who needs help.” I walked back to my room to grab my phone, praying it still had battery and service.