“I wasn’t expecting you to rush through that door yesterday,” I say.
She laughs a little.
“Yeah, me neither,” she admits. “I thought I was taking refuge from a storm. I didn’t think I was going to run into the very guy I had to find.”
“I’m glad it worked out this way.”
“It’s strange that it did.”
“Do you believe in fate?”
“I didn’t, not before yesterday.”
“And now?”
“Now?” She scrunches up her nose, as though it’s the hardest question she’s ever faced, and then she shakes her head. “Now, I mean...well, just look at us.”
She gestures between us, and I smile.
“Pretty incredible,” I say.
“Pretty incredible,” she repeats.
For a long time, we just look at each other. There are a lot of questions rolling around in my brain. I’m not sure how this is going to work, and I’m not sure if this is totally crazy or not, and I’m not sure if I’m going to be a good mate or a good dad or a good...well, a good anything.
But I know that I’m willing to try.
And I know that I’m up for the challenge of loving a human and my baby bear.
No matter what it takes.
I kiss Polly again, and this time, it’s not out of lust or desire or anything but true, genuine acceptance. I kiss her like I mean it, and I kiss her because she deserves it, and I kiss her because I know that no matter what happens, everything is going to be okay.
She pulls back and looks at me. Polly cups my face, and she opens her mouth to say something, but then we hear a crash.
And everything goes to hell.
Chapter Nine
Polly
What would otherwise be a tender moment abruptly ends when someone breaks in the front door. I know Jace had it locked. He always locks the door. Instantly, I hear shouting and yelling in the other room. Jace motions for me to be quiet.
“The baby,” I whisper, trying to push past him to the living room. Baby Brandon is out there, and he’s all alone. I don’t know how Greg and Andrew found us, but they did, and I need to get to the baby before it’s too late.
Jace shakes his head, though. He doesn’t say anything, and I realize that he’s got this under control. The look on his face says that he has all of this under control.
And I realize that he does.
This is Jace’s territory. No matter what happens next, he’s got this in the bag. He’s the one who lives here. He’s the one who’s familiar with the land. He’s the one who understands exactly how everything works in this area. Jace is the guy who gave up his life in the city to move to the wilderness and live that lumberjack life.
He’s got this.
Andrew and Greg might be evil at heart, but they’re also not from around here. There’s so much they don’t understand. They don’t know the layout of the woods or the mountains. They don’t really know anything. Maybe they don’t even know Jace is here.
I’m not sure.
I look at him, and I nod, letting him know that I believe in him. He’s going to be able to save us. All of us. Whatever happens next is going to change everything, but I have a feeling that we’re all going to walk out of the situation just fine.