Page 22 of Collision of Winters (Hillcroft Group #4)

Kayden Winters

H alfway to the O’Connor retreat, I was fed up with Daddy’s tense silence and careful driving. I demanded we switch seats so he could start observing how I did things.

He was slowing down before each bump in the nonexistent road.

I veered and drove around them without losing daylight.

Daddy gripped the handle above the passenger’s side door. “You’re going fast.”

“This car is literally built to handle rough terrain.” I kicked it up a notch and checked the time. I was gonna miss the puppies running wild, dammit. “Is this gonna be a problem, Wade?”

I used his name to transport us outside the Daddy/Little universe, because I understood that he might struggle extra if he only viewed me as his mischievous goofball. And that mind-set had kinda taken a hike after my talk with Chris.

Wade cleared his throat and shifted in his seat.

“I’m starting to realize that I need more time to process things after my burnout.

In addition to that, I’ve maintained a very simple lifestyle during my recovery.

I lead my life on a schedule to prevent surprises—and you’re the biggest surprise of my life, blue. ”

Aw. That made sense, of course.

“I want to say no to all of this and tie you to the cabin with your new shoelaces,” he stated.

“I just got you. You’re mine now, Kayden.

Everything has changed—you’ve turned my world upside down in a matter of days.

And now you’re going to start this new adventure, which will present some risks. Risks that I will struggle with.”

I reached over and grabbed his hand?—

“Please keep both hands on the wheel if you’re going to drive like a maniac,” he told me.

I stifled my grin and gripped the wheel with both hands. He was being cute!

“I’m going fifty,” I pointed out. “It’s not fast.”

“It is when there’s no road,” he argued.

Oh please. My driving was so smooth that the dogs didn’t even react in the back. One look in the rearview, and I could see Atlas and Cat literally sleeping in their cages. Prince and Tundra were sitting up, tongues out.

Wade’s frustration was clear as day, and I felt for him. He wasn’t usually this easy to read.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” I murmured. “We created a Daddy/Little bubble in the cabin, and we’re leaving before we’re really ready.”

A breath gusted out of him, and he nodded once, looking out the window. He kept his gaze fixed, as if he needed a semblance of solitude for the moment, but he did reach out and give my leg a squeeze.

“How can we make this easier?” I wondered. “Is there anything I can do? I’m guessing it’s more difficult for you to switch between Daddy and…I don’t know, boyfriend or big brother?”

He glanced my way at that, expression pensive. “I’m not sure yet. I haven’t struggled with it in the past, but it’s been a long time since I had a partner. And, as has become glaringly obvious, you’re different.”

I wanted to grab his hand so bad.

“You’re different too,” I offered. “You’re the one I’ve compared every potential guy to in the past, and no one could measure up.”

He sighed and rubbed my thigh. “But it’s easy for you to switch between the mind-sets?”

I shrugged and checked the sideview. The ground wasn’t as shrubby here. Instead, we drove on a lot of rocks. I had to be careful.

“I think it depends on the mood,” I answered. “I woke up with birthday energy. Plus, I’m ready to go back to the real world with you.”

He hummed. “So you are ready to leave the bubble.”

Touché. Except… “I’m ready to expand it,” I corrected. “I’m ready to go on dates, spend the night at your house, have family dinners, visit you at work for lunch, and bake cupcakes for you with Yaya. I guess I’ll use broccoli since you hate sugar so much.”

Score! I made him crack a grin.

“Oh, Kayden,” he sighed. He sighed a lot sometimes.

“I’m ready for that too.” The daredevil even grabbed my hand, and he kissed it and threaded our fingers together.

“I just have to get ready to see you take on risks at work. But don’t mistake that for doubt.

I believe you’ll make an excellent logistics officer. ”

I beamed and squeezed his hand.

“You know, I think this calls for a treat,” he said, reaching for his backpack on the floor in front of him. He didn’t release my hand, though. “For the record, I like strawberry cupcakes with vanilla frosting.”

Oh God, that made my mouth water. “Consider it done.”

He sat back again and showed the treat in question, and I grinned. My favorite Push Pop flavor, Coke!

“Fuck yes!”

He smiled and opened it for me. “I bought a whole box of twelve, so don’t tell me I’m too harsh on the sugar intake.”

Well, that depended on whether I was allowed to eat them all in one day, or if he thought the box should last till my next birthday.

I was not born yesterday!

True enough, we missed the Husky pups running wild in the courtyard at the retreat, but a nice man named Patrick promised they’d let the pups out again later tonight.

Apparently, it was a practice of sorts with new litters.

When they were around six weeks old, it was time to prepare the pups and the mama to be separated, so the puppies were taken outside without her twice a day for an hour or so.

Then they increased the time slowly, until the puppies were ready for their new homes at nine or ten weeks.

The retreat was kind of incredible. It was the biggest log cabin I’d ever seen, with like three stories, and they had a restaurant, pool area, and an arcade.

Actual people too. It was wild to see after several days with just Wade and me.

I couldn’t explain it, but… Actually, I could.

Strolling through the little village of rental cabins, hand in hand, with tourists walking about, everything felt way more official. Wade and I were together.

The main house had hotel rooms too, but we wanted our own little cabin. Plus, the dogs were welcome there.

While I unpacked some essentials, Wade headed out again on a mission.

He was going to make a reservation in the restaurant and also give away our perishables.

Leaving the cabin in such a hurry this morning meant we had food we didn’t want to go to waste.

Dry goods and cans would last until we came up to visit again—or if Chris visited, for that matter.

But we couldn’t save or bring home meat, fish, and dairy products.

Our new rental cabin was smaller, but it was luxurious. I was talking plumbing . An actual toilet and running water. A shower! Hot damn, yes. And the main room had everything else. Big bed, kitchenette, a dresser, and a fireplace.

We’d been given linens at the front desk, so I prepared our bed after I’d started a fire.

“Isn’t this awesome, Tundra?” I patted his head. The other three had promptly taken a siesta by the door. “Daddy and I will take you for a long walk later, I promise?—”

Oh. I spun around, hearing Wade’s phone. I zeroed in on his daypack and dug it out from a side pocket.

Contact 2.

That was Dad.

I answered the call. “Hey! It’s Kayden.”

“Well, hey. Just the guy I wanted to talk to. Happy birthday, son. How are you?”

“Thanks! I’m great. I guess this kidnapping really worked out for me.”

He chuckled. “I’d say it worked out for all of us. I checked this morning, and your room is ready. Nothing has changed. Groceries will be delivered tomorrow too, so I stocked up on some of your favorites.”

Even as a smile easily took over my face, I was punched with a bout of guilt, forceful enough that I had to sit down on the edge of the bed.

Why had I been so stupid to push these people away for so long?

“That sounds great, Dad,” I murmured. “I’mma make a ton of cupcakes for you.”

His favorites were blueberry and vanilla.

“That’s what I like to hear,” he replied. “I spoke to Chris, and he mentioned you and Wade are on your way home.”

Oh crud. I had to be extra careful here, so I didn’t say too much. “Yessir, we’ll be home on Thursday, I guess. Or maybe Friday—I’m not sure.”

“And you’re not going to Dallas first?” he prodded.

“No, sir. Fuck Dallas. Wade said he’s gonna help me figure out the move so we can get my stuff home.”

He let out a breath, and his relief was evident. “Never thought I’d say this, but I’m damn grateful your brothers kidnapped you.”

I let out a laugh and scratched my cheek. “Me too. Wade screwed my head on straight. I, um…I have a lot to apologize for.”

“Nonsense, son. As long as you come back home, I’m happy. I know you didn’t move out of spite. I hope we can talk more about that soon.”

I nodded to myself. “Yeah, Wade taught me to open up too. He should be a shrink or something.”

Dad chuckled. “Glad to hear it. He has a way about him.”

For sure .

“But since you’re on your way home, can we set a date to celebrate your birthday?” he asked. “Yaya suggested Saturday.”

“Confirm with Chris first, please,” I replied. “If he’s okay with it, so am I. I just wanna make sure everyone can make it. Wade will definitely be there, because he can’t say no to my puppy-dog eyes.”

Dad found that funny. “All right, I’ll check with Chris first.”

Phew.

This was where it was at.

Our first real date.

The restaurant was stunning, keeping that log-cabin feel with its tables and chairs, chandeliers made from antlers in the high ceiling, dimmed lighting, furs on the walls, and candles everywhere.

We shared the space with some twenty other guests, and we were all dressed similarly.

Lots of jeans and cargo pants, lots of long-sleeved tees and flannel shirts.

Daddy wore a black-and-gray flannel shirt, for instance.

He was super sexy in it with the sleeves rolled up, showing all kinds of forearm porn.

“This is so damn delicious,” I said, shoveling more stew into my mouth. The flavors were so rich. Tomatoes, chili flakes, lemon, slow-cooked ptarmigan, grilled duck, broccoli, beans, and wild rice.