Frigid Affair (16 page)

Chapter 20

The snow was
too deep for me to get to the top of the mountain and dig out my truck. Besides it taking entirely too long, I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to make it down the steep trails without getting stuck.

I headed into the garage where two vehicles sat. One was Jensen’s truck, and the other was the one that Bob and Eve kept to use when they visited.

I grabbed the keys off the holder and rushed toward Jensen’s vehicle, turning the ignition to see if it would start up. Then I looked around for something I could use as a makeshift car seat. Mine was still frozen inside of my truck, covered in a few feet of blown snow at the top of the mountain. The carport I’d had built didn’t keep it as clean as I would have hoped. After a few blistering storms I couldn’t even see it.

I took the seat that hooked to the kitchen table for Christopher and put it in the middle of the back. Once I had him fastened, I brought the belt through it and checked to make sure it was secure. It was important to keep him safe, no matter how slow I had to drive.

Bob and Eve’s house was right off the main road. As long as I could use the tracks the cops had made, I’d be able to make it to the police station in about forty minutes.

By the time we were both in the vehicle and the garage door was opening, the truck had heated. I ran back in the house and grabbed us both coats, and then Christopher’s diaper bag. When he peed in the cloth he had to be changed immediately or else he’d get a rash. While I was in town I’d pick up some disposables to hold us over until this situation was managed.

As much as I wanted to floor it, I knew I had to be careful. I clenched the steering wheel and started the long journey down the mountain to save the father of my child.

While he cried in the back, I remained focused. I didn’t know how we were going to get through this. As soon as I came to the first gas station I stopped and dug through the diaper bag, pulling out my cell phone that hadn’t been used in weeks. I closed my eyes and prayed it would still be charge when I powered it on.

I didn’t waste time checking to see how much time I’d have to talk. I quickly scrolled and found the number to their Florida house, holding it up to my ear and praying they’d pick up.

“Hello?”

“Bob, it’s Amantha.”

“Have the police come yet?”

“That’s why I’m calling. You’ve got it all wrong. Jensen didn’t rob you. He stumbled upon the fire and saved me. He didn’t even know those men.”

“Is that the story he told you? We’ve been on the phone with the authorities all day. Did you know Jensen was from Pennsylvania? Were you aware his wife died on the same day as your parents?”

“Yes. Not at first, but yes, I know.”

“The police say he dropped off the face of the earth for four years, only to resurface in the exact spot you were. They think he turned to a life of crime in order to get to you. He’s conning you, dear. We had to contact them. Eve knew you were in danger.”

“I’m not. Jensen isn’t that man. You have it all wrong. Please. You have to help me. He’s the father of my son. He didn’t steal from you or set your house on fire to cover it up. He’d never do that.”

“Amantha, Jensen was a fireman. He knows exactly how to start a fire to hide any evidence. You can’t really think he’s innocent. Too many things make sense.”

I cried, staring into the truck at the little boy who’d never understand why his daddy couldn’t come home. “No. It’s not true. He wasn’t with those men,” I argued.

“I’ve been talking to Eve. We’re going to send you money for two tickets to Florida. Come and stay with us until we know he’s out of our lives. We’ll help you in any way we can.”

Was this man seriously not listening to me? How was I supposed to convince them? “You are pressing charges against an innocent man.”

“Amantha, the police had pegged him for a dozen other crimes with the same ammo.”

“Bob, you can believe what you want, but I know Jensen isn’t responsible. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m sorry, but I’m hanging up now. I’ll make sure to leave your house as we left it once I can figure out how to free him. I appreciate you offering to help me, but you might have ruined my chance at happiness. I have to go try to save the man I love, before he gets locked up for crimes he had nothing to do with.”

I hung up the phone and immediately got back on my way. There was still a lot of miles to cover before I got to Anchorage.

Christopher fell asleep halfway there. His head bobbed up and down with each bump I went over. I’d cried while I drove, the whole time trying to figure out a way to prove his innocence. In less than a month I’d started building a real future with Jensen. I couldn’t let some mistake tear us apart when we were so close to having a real chance.

Dragging a sleeping kid out in the cold wasn’t my idea of a fun time. I knew he’d be grumpy all day, and since he wasn’t used to being around people, it was going to get ugly if we had to sit and wait anywhere.

I lugged everything inside the station, coming first to the front desk. I stated my name and was told to wait and someone would be with me shortly.

An hour went by and not a single person said a word to me. Christopher was getting antsy. I’d gotten him snacks, and even bought a bottle of water he ended up dumping all over himself. He didn’t want to play, and he certainly didn’t want to talk to strange people who tried to get him to smile.

When I couldn’t take it anymore, I went to the front desk and demanded someone come and speak with me. Since I knew Jensen wasn’t guilty I kept going on about the innocent man they were holding in custody.

Finally an older police officer came out and called my name. I shot up out of my seat and hurried over, hoping I’d be escorted back to talk to Jensen.

“Ma’am, Mr. Weatherly is in the middle of an interrogation. It’s going to be a while before they’re done, and I’m afraid he won’t be allowed visitors, at least until they are finished with questioning him.”

“What? I need to see him.”

“Rules are rules. I’m sure you’ll hear from him when he is done.”

“He doesn’t know I’m here. We live an hour away.”

“Is there a place you could stay for the night?” I understood he was trying to offer me advice, though I hated considering taking it.

“Yeah. I’m friends with June at Anchorage Hill.”

“Leave me a number you can be reached at and I’ll make sure the investigators pass your whereabouts along.”

I wrote down my cell phone number on the back of a business card he provided me with. “Please make sure he gets this. He needs to know I’m here.”

“I’ll do my best, Ma’am.”

I didn’t leave right away. I swore as soon as I did they’d let him go and he wouldn’t have a way to get back to us. As the minutes turned into another half hour I knew I had to get my child out of there.

The drive to June’s hotel was excruciating. My head was pounding from listening to Christopher screaming and my  uncontrollable crying. I was scared everything we thought we could have was being taken from us. It was also a reminder of what I knew I already felt for Jensen. My love for him wouldn’t allow me to give up. I couldn’t. We were too close to let something like this keep us from being a family.

Since June hadn’t seen Christopher in a while, she insisted on taking him to her place and giving me some time to rest. She said I looked terrible, and that if I wanted to be strong I had to get sleep. She put us in the cabin I’d stayed in before, located nearest to her personal property, and told me she’d bring him to me when it was bedtime. Thankful we had a place while we waited, I hurried inside and pulled out a phone book. There had to be something I could do. Someone had to believe his innocence.

A knock at my door a little later told me I’d spent the entire time trying to track a lawyer down that could drop what they were doing to take on a new case. Unfortunately I’d come up with nothing.

My stomach was in knots, and I’d still not had a single person call my cell phone.

June had bathed Christopher and changed him into something she found for him to sleep in. She’d had her husband go to the store and pick up a pack of diapers to make it easier on me. She’d even gotten a few snacks together and left them in case he was hungry in the middle of the night.

It didn’t take him long to fall asleep. I cuddled up next to him, much like I’d done in the past. He played with my hair and stared into my eyes, like his father always did. It broke my heart. We’d both gotten to see a glimpse of what life could be like with Jensen in it, only to have it taken away.

That night I prayed like never before. I begged God to forgive me for doubting his power. I asked him to help us. I called out to my parents and asked them too. I may have even said a prayer to Alice. I needed divine intervention, because it seemed like nothing was on our side.

Chapter 21

It was early
morning when I heard a light knock on the door. I got up quickly so Christopher wouldn’t wake up, assuming it was just June coming to offer us breakfast.

Standing on the other side of the door was a very rundown version of Jensen. I could tell he hadn’t slept at all. His facial hair was coming in thick, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. Behind him, a police SUV pulled out of the parking lot. “You’re here,” I exclaimed.

“I got your message. You didn’t have to come. I would have found a way home.”

“How? Did you post bail?”

“Can I come in? It’s cold out here without my coat.”

“Oh, god. Yes. Please.”

As soon as he stepped inside I closed the door and felt his arms around me. I reciprocated, holding him as tight as possible. “I thought they were going to lock you up and throw away the key. How did you get out?”

“They kept me in an interrogation room most of the night. I gave them the name and number of my old boss here in Anchorage when I was working construction. It took them a while to get in touch with him and even longer for him to come to the station in the middle of the night.  Anyway, apparently the thieves hit two towns during the days I’d been working. The crimes were committed in Red Devil and Flat. There’s no way I could have been involved in them. After that, I had to wait for them to contact several people I worked with. They put me in a line up with a group of other guys and had another woman come in to see if she recognized me as being one of the men in the group who asked for directions. Since I obviously wasn’t with them at that point, they couldn’t hold me. They have no evidence against me, and a solid alibi for my whereabouts during other similar crimes.”

“So, what now? Can they still charge you?”

“I doubt it. I didn’t take anything. I didn’t set any fires, and I sure as hell didn’t try to sell the merchandise to popular art dealers. They have one of the guys on footage. He used a fake name, but they’re trying to use facial recognition to track him down. Bob and Eve are the only people who accused me of being part of the group. Once I proved I wasn’t, they couldn’t hold me.”

“So you’re off the hook?”

“For the time being. Although, I don’t think we’re going to be welcomed back at the house. It’s best if we took everything back up to the cabin for a while.”

I held him tighter. “I thought we were going to lose you. I’ve been a mess.”

“You would have gotten by, Amantha. You did before I came along. I know you’re capable.”

“Yeah, that’s the thing. I don’t want to do it without you. I want you by my side.”

“I had a lot of doubts when they took me away yesterday. I wondered if you’d start to believe what everyone was saying instead of what I told you.”

“I never doubted your innocence. When you love someone you trust that they wouldn’t lie.”

He cupped my cheeks and looked down into my eyes. “I thought we agreed not to say that word.”

“We did, but I’m ready to use it. I’m not afraid anymore of what could happen. I know life isn’t predictable. I want you in mine for as long as I can have you. If it ends up being forever I won’t complain. We’re happier when you’re with us. I have a family again.”

He kissed the top of my head and held me close. “If I wasn’t so damn tired I’d take you to bed with me and show you how much it means to hear you say this. Unfortunately, I’m going to need a nap first.”

I pressed my lips against his. “You’re worth the wait.”

He slapped my butt as he walked by, tugging off his shirt and heading toward the back of the small cabin to find the bathroom.

After checking on Christopher, who was still sound asleep, I made my way in to check on his father. I found him in the shower, leaning both arms against the tile wall with his head facing down. It only took me a few seconds to strip down and climb in behind him. My arms found his waist as I leaned my cheek against his back.

He put one of his hands over mine. “I need to go back to the station this afternoon to meet with a sketch artist. Apparently I’m the only person who has seen all of their faces. I just want this shit to be over with. I’m tired of running from things that happened in my past. I feel like you’re going to get tired of it and send me packing.”

“I’m always scared you’re going to decide you don’t want to settle down and raise a kid. I worry you might feel trapped.”

“I’m exactly where I want to be.” He turned around to face me. “I’d never abandon my son, and certainly not his mother, who I happen to love right back.”

I smiled. “Do you think we’re crazy? It is possible?”

“I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t feel it for myself. The moment they stuck me in that car I saw my life flashing in front of me, all my failures, but mostly what I’d be leaving behind if I never returned. I didn’t know how it was going to go. My old boss could have said he didn’t know me. He could have let me rot in a jail cell without a second thought. I still would have held onto hope that someday I could come back to you; to both of you. I don’t want to waste anymore time, Amantha. I know we’re rushing into this, but it just feels too damn right to slow down.”

“What should we do now?” I asked.

“Well, I guess that depends on what type of weather you want Christopher to grow up in. I mean, we can stay here if that’s your plan, or we could go anywhere in the world. You and I have spent the past six years trying to start over. We’ve been running. I’m tired of running. I don’t care where I end up as long as you two are with me. Amantha, I’m not just asking you to be with me.” Before I knew what was happening he crouched down on one knee and took my hand. “I don’t have a ring, or even the means to buy one, but I’m going to ask anyway. I thought I had nothing to live for. I believed I was going to spend the rest of my days running from the pain that haunted me. Then you came along. Nothing has been the same since. You’ve given me my life back. Be my wife. We both want to be a family, so why not make it official? Will you, marry me that is? Amantha I’m asking you to be my wife, because I want to be your husband, if you’ll have me of course.”

It was hard to talk when my lips were trembling. I hadn’t seen this coming, but I wasn’t surprised. If I ever felt like I was meant to be somewhere it was in his arms. I nodded quickly and sunk down on the shower floor with him. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

We didn’t know where we were going to end up, but at least we knew we’d be together.

Jensen and I spent two more days in Anchorage so he could work with the police investigators to help them identify the criminals. Each time he walked out the door I worried he wasn’t coming back. I suppose after everything I’d been through it was natural to assume things were too good to be true. I kept imagining them being taken away from me, yet he always came back to us.

That following week we moved everything back from Bob and Eve’s to the cabin. They tried to apologize for jumping the gun and contacting the authorities. After I’d calmed down I understood their concern, but knew Jensen would never be able to get past almost losing us  because of their mistake.

I contacted the local realty company and managed to send their firm a ton of pictures of the interior and exterior for the listing to get my cabin and property on the market. It was time to come out into the world again. I had reasons to want to stop hiding.

On the day I settled on my property, we made a pit stop to the court house and got married. June and her husband served as our witnesses, while Christopher ran around knocking over chairs and trying to escape the room. Thankfully, I’d shopped online for properties in Wyoming ever since putting my cabin up for sale. We’d both gotten accustom to country living and being around nature, so a nice piece of property where we could have livestock would fit our needs perfectly. I’d found us the perfect spot. It was twenty acres of land, half wooden, with a modular home already sitting on it. We had plenty of space to build something else, or to add to the existing home. I couldn’t remember being so in love, so excited and hopeful. My life was finally in a good place. I was starting over for the second time, but I wasn’t alone. It was reassuring.

Moving day was a little emotional. We’d rented two pull along trailers and loaded my entire cabin in each. Christopher was in the truck with his father, while I followed behind them in mine with the dog. The drive to Wyoming would take us a about a week with a toddler, so we anticipated making pit stops whenever we had to in order to keep Christopher comfortable.

A new start awaited us; one that would offer Christopher a chance to have friends and grow up surrounded by nature. We’d still have snow, but also nice weather to go along with it. Being in the lower forty eight would offer us means to take road trips, maybe even one to Pennsylvania. For now, I was happy to get to where we were going and finally just be married and content. Our honeymoon would consist of unpacking, painting, and making our home a place we could be comfortable in.

I’ll never forget pulling up to our mailbox and seeing Jensen jump out of the truck in front of me. Christopher happened to be riding with me at the time. He was shaking his seat while screaming, trying to break free. I hurried and got him out, watching as he ran in the direction of his father. Jensen waited until I reached them. He put his arm around me and stared down the long dirt road. “Our future awaits us, Mrs. Weatherly. Are you ready for this?”

“We can’t turn back now. I’m so ready for this.”

He kissed me tenderly on the lips. “I love you guys. This is what forever looks like. Just the three of us.”

“Four,” I corrected, while pointing to my belly. “Soon to be four.”

“What?” He surprisingly asked. “Are you serious?”

I nodded. “Yep. I took a test last night when we stopped at the hotel. It was killing me not to tell you, but I knew it would be more special doing it at our new home.”

“We’re having another kid?” He seemed elated, while crouching down and speaking directly to Christopher. “You’re going to be a big brother, buddy. Is that cool?”

Christopher nodded and pointed down the road. “Come on. Go.”

Jensen turned to me and held out his hand. “Come on, Mommy. We’ll come back and get the trucks in a little bit. Let’s go check out our new home.”

If there was a heaven out there somewhere this is what mine would have looked like. For the first time since they were gone I could feel my family with me. I hoped they were guarding over us from wherever they were, celebrating in the journey I’d been on, and the future I could finally look forward to.