Chapter Twelve
Levi
The next day, I had to get some things out of the pantry, and there was my case of whiskey. I picked it up and carried it out to the shed in the back of the cabin. I’d considered burying it in the snow, but I didn’t want to spend that much time away from Ezra.
For the time being, the mountain road was still snowed over, and the only way down was by snowshoes. Eventually, the thaw would come, and that meant that my time with Ezra was limited.
Still, I was content. That was something I hadn’t felt in a long time. I began to wonder what the cabin would look like with an Omega’s touch. What if Ezra would stay?
We could get some new furniture, and perhaps new curtains. Something that let more of the morning light in would make the place look a lot less gloomy.
I figured we could do some shopping for more food that didn’t come in a can. I was used to buying things that could last up to a month, but with Ezra at my side, perhaps I’d be okay with making more frequent trips down the mountain to the store.
Those thoughts were most likely ridiculous, though. I couldn’t let myself believe that Ezra would want to be cooped up on the mountain with me. After Gavin had kept him captive, I was sure that all he wanted was his freedom.
The best thing I could do for Ezra, if I truly cared about him, was help him get away from Gavin safely. I could help make sure that he got on his feet and make his way in the world on his own.
That reminded me of something I needed to do. I’d been putting off checking my email because I didn’t want Ezra to leave yet, but I needed to see if the police had responded to my message.
Much to my disappointment, the sheriff had sent me an email. I’d been sure that I was ready to open the email, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it yet. I considered opening the web browser and taking a look at what was going on with the latest celebrities on social media. I hadn’t done that for years.
I wondered if that Howie Johnson guy was still the go-to for celeb news and scandals. Before I could give in to the urge to sooth my anxiety with web surfing for gossip, I saw a file in the corner of the desktop.
Don’t Forget
That was the name Paige had given the folder when she set up the computer. I knew what was in it, but I’d never opened it. I couldn’t look at his face. The memory of him had been burned in my memory, but up until that moment, I could not summon up the courage to look at my husband’s photograph.
Before I could think about it too hard, I double clicked. A small smile played on my face at the hundreds of pictures of Stephen. Even the ones of him pregnant with Danny didn’t send me to the edge of a dark spiral. It felt good to be able to look at him and remember the happy times.
There had been times in the past when I’d drunken myself into a near alcohol-poisoned stupor, and I still couldn’t look at those pictures. Something had changed inside me. It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted off of my shoulders. I never thought I’d get to a point where I could think of Stephen and Danny and smile. It was almost as if Ezra was an angel who’d saved me. He thought I’d saved him, but Ezra had shown up in the middle of the night during a blizzard to rescue me.
Courage overcame me, and I straightened my back before I opened the email from the sheriff. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the email’s contents. A local deputy said that he could come up the mountain and get Ezra as soon as the mountain roads cleared. He then said that if it was an emergency, he could arrange a helicopter or ride up on snow mobiles.
I quickly emailed back that it wasn’t any kind of emergency and that the first car that could get through would be soon enough.
After that, I closed the email and the pictures of Stephen. I had at least a few days left with Ezra, so I needed to use them to help him get back into the world as an independent Omega.
The thought crushed me a little. It didn’t feel right. Everything inside me screamed that he wasn’t an independent Omega and he wasn’t supposed to take care of himself because he was mine.
Mine.
Even so, I had no way of knowing if Ezra would accept me as his Alpha, and I’d never been the type to take an Omega. It was our right as Alphas, but for me, it was much more satisfying to have an Omega choose you.
That’s how I’d always felt in the past, but something was different with Ezra. When I’d started thinking of him as mine, it was like gravity. If I didn’t claim him, a part of me would walk out the door with him when he left. It had been devastating when Stephen died, but as much as I’d loved him, it had never felt like fate the way it did with Ezra.
I shook my head. I knew I was being stupid. Wasn’t I? All of that fated mate crap was just fairy stories to keep people buying tickets to see romantic comedies and chocolates on Valentine’s Day. Wasn’t it?
No sense getting caught up in those thoughts. The snow would clear and Ezra would leave. I cursed under my breath that I didn’t have the gun. I could have taught him to shoot and given it to him for protection.
There was something I could do that was almost as good. I had a friend in the nearby town who ran a gun shop. I could have the deputy that picked up Ezra make a stop off there before taking him on to his destination. There was enough time between now and then for the paperwork to go through.
I opened a web browser again and set to work filling out the forms so that Ezra could own a gun, and then I sent them along to Larry at the gun shop. I also sent him a payment for a gun that I thought would serve Ezra well. Once I knew where he was intending to settle, I could pay for lessons at a gun range too.
What if I never heard from him again?
That thought soured my stomach, but even if it were true, I could still help him. I sent another email. It was to the president of the bank that handled most of my investments. The message requested that he open an account for Ezra and transfer five hundred thousand dollars into the account. I hoped that would be enough, but even if it wasn’t, Ezra would know where to find me.
For a selfish moment, I considered not giving him so much money so that maybe he would have to come back to me sooner. But I wouldn’t take chances with his life that way. I wanted him cared for. Plus, I had no way of knowing if he’d actually come back to me for more money. Perhaps he’d just assume I’d done enough, and I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him in a bind.
Of course, none of it would be needed if I acted like an Alpha and claimed him as my Omega.