Page 52 of Seducing Sasquatch

“Maybe we can—” my words are cut off as Arden kicks us off from the ledge and we go rushing down the slope.

The wind hits us and my eyes sting but all I can think about is a flower crown. I’ve never worn one before. I don’t even know how to make one. My mother used to grow peonies. But when she died, so did they. My father never bothered to hire a gardener. He didn’t even care to check when they’d turned brown and dry.

The sled jolts and shakes as we ride the rest of the slope. Arden slows us to a stop before climbing out and offering his hand.

“We don’t need to do it tonight, baby. You didn’t make a sound the entire way down. If you’re tired, we can do it another time.” He smiles weakly at me, but I see the faint lines of worry biting at his skin.

I shake my head. “I want to. I was just thinking.”

Picking me up and situating my thighs against his hip, he carries me back up the slope to the snowmobile.

“Is something bothering you?” he asks.

“No.”

Setting me down on the seat, he ties the sled to the back before hopping on. “Do you want this? You can change your mind.”

The thought bothers me. I don’t want to change my mind. I know I like him despite only knowing him for a few days, but I’ve never felt so… real in all my life. It’s like Arden is my breath of fresh air. My first breath of fresh air. All I’ve wanted is to belong somewhere. I’ve been alone since the moment Mom died and I’ve hated every second.

There’s nothing left for me at home. Just a father who thinks he knows better and an empty house where my life will go to die.

I want Arden. I want the cabin. The forest and the mountains. I want… to be me.

“I want this. I want you,” I whisper, grateful my back is to him so he can’t see the way my eyes are watering.

Wrapping his arms around my waist and hugging me tightly, Arden whispers in my ear. “I’m so glad, baby. I’ve wanted you the moment you walked into my shop. I’ll always want you.”

I smile to myself. “When my father calls, I’ll tell him my decision.”

“And then, we can get to know each other every day after.” He kisses my temple. “I understand this is fast for you, baby. Fated mates have been all I know. We find one another and, overnight, we become one. I’ve watched everyone in my life meet their fated mate. And for a moment, I didn’t think I’d ever meet mine. Until you.”

Until you.

He’s waited for me. And the moment he met me I lied to him. Yet even after he had to rescue me from the storm and look after me since, he still wants me. He’s wanted me more than my father ever has. More than anyone in my life ever has. I wasn’t allowed to make friends. Apparently, that made me weak. Friends were a distraction, according to my father.

“When we mate, you really won’t be able to leave?” I ask.

Firing up the engine, Arden pulls away from the slope and continues to climb higher up the mountain.

“I won’t. And I don’t think I’ll ever want to either,” he replies, weaving between the trees. “In my culture, it’s believed the reason we can’t decide who our fated mates are is because only the fates decide. They know who is best together. Who is strongest together. They made me wait for you. Not because you were slow or I was fast but because they knew we had to meet at the perfect time.”

I nod. I’m not much of a religious type but I can’t deny the natural pull I have towards Arden. I thought he was the most attractive man I’d ever seen when he looked up from his spot in the shop. And not just his looks have drawn me in, but who he is. His personality, his kind heart, the way he seems to know what I’m thinking without me saying a word. I hope he feels the same for me.

“I want you, baby,” he says over the rumble of the engine. “I want you to be happy, too. I want you to make your own choices.”

“I’ve never been good at doing that.” I sink against his chest as we maneuver over a fallen log.

“Just follow what your heart tells you.” He takes a hand off the grip and pats my chest lightly.

We ride together in comfortable silence, the forest moving and changing around us as the trees thin and the orange light of sunset covers the sky.

My heart thumps and I listen to it. I hear every beat, every pump. I listen to the quiet voice inside me that’s barely a whisper. I know what I want. I know who I want, too.

The forest breaks apart around us and Arden slows to a stop. “We’re here.”

My gaze scans the horizon. Mountain after mountain fills the expanse of the world. The sun highlights ridges and peaks while the valleys grow dark with shadows.

Hoping off the snowmobile, Arden takes my hand, leading me through the snow towards a thicket of bushes that have managed to survive the storm.