Page 21
“Yes, Da–” I snap my jaw shut, lifting my gaze to find Arden’s darkening, his face crowding my line of sight.
With a growl that has every hair standing on end, he utters, “Say it.”
I can’t. I’ve never called anyone that before. I’ve never even called my father ‘dad’ and if I did, I don’t remember.
“Say it, Blake.” His breath brushes my lips, and I gasp. His grip on the back of my neck grows heavy as if he’s holding me down to this planet. “I want to see the way your lips wrap around my name.”
The shiver that takes hold of me has the fork on my plate rattling.
“Yes, Daddy.”
The words taste like sugar on my tongue. Like for the first time I’m speaking. As if my voice actually means something.
“Such a good boy, Blake.” Arden brushes a stray hair away from my forehead, his fingers curling behind my ear. “Doesn’t that feel better? To be yourself?”
The giggle that explodes through me has him grinning in return. I cup my hands to my face, hiding my blush from the world.
He’s right. It feels amazing.
“Now.” Arden rises from the table, clearing the plates. “Time to teach you how to fix a snowmobile.”
“What?” I spin in my seat, my stomach plummeting. “B-But…”
“Did you think I’d kiss you until your face went numb and then we’d spend the rest of the day in bed?” Arden’s voice is light despite the way he hurriedly tidies the kitchen.
“Maybe…” I mumble.
Washing the plates down and drying his hands, Arden fetches a coat and pants as well as a pair of boots from the bedroom, placing them beside where I sit. Taking my hand in his, he helps me to my feet before sinking to his knees with a hushed groan. Pulling the pair of pants from the table, he opens them up, holding them out expectantly. Swallowing the ball of jitters, I step into the pants, holding onto his shoulders as he pulls them up my thighs and over my sleep shorts, before fastening the belt.
With gentle hands, Arden clutches my foot before peeling off the sock and replacing it with a fresh one. I watch in silence as he slips my foot into the boot, his fingers twisting as he laces it up. Taking my other foot, he does the same, yet as he finishes tying the knot, his hand slides up my calf, his fingers gripping my flesh.
The air in the room stills as my eyes meet his. On his knees beneath me, with his lips parted amongst his dark beard, he’s so raw and real. My fingers slide along his cheeks, tickling the coarse hair at his jaw.
Arden’s eyes shut as his head tilts into my palm and a strange growl vibrates through him like a drum. My chest tightens as I sink to my knees, my hands cupping his face.
“Why are you so kind to me?”
Arden blinks, his amber irises dancing over my face as he leans forward, his arms enveloping me before pulling my entire body into his embrace. I startle as a squeak escapes my throat, but he only holds me tighter.
“Because, hiker.” His voice rumbles through me. “You haven’t yet found how to be kind to yourself.”
A bucket of ice slams into me. The air in my lungs evaporates as my arms circle his wide frame. Dipping my face into the crook of his neck, I bite back the sting of tears.
“Th-thank you,” I stutter, hearing the weakness in my voice as my body shakes.
Arden’s hand rubs slowly across my spine, his other cups the back of my neck, grounding me against his body.
“Are you ready to learn to trust yourself?” he asks.
I nod against his neck, rubbing my wet cheeks against his skin. His chuckle is gentle as he pulls me away, his thumbs wiping my tears.
With a toothy grin, he winks at me. “No more tears. Let’s go fix the snowmobile.”
I laugh, sucking up the ball of snot that’s lodged itself in the back of my throat. “Okay, mountain man.”
Helping me to my feet, Arden wraps the jacket over my shoulders and grabs his own from the hook next to the front door. Pulling it open, the world is still dark, and more snow falls from the sky in thick, powdery blobs. Yet the howling wind has died down.
“Is the storm over?” I stand beside him on the porch, looking out at the dim, snow-covered trees.
