Chapter 1-1
Chapter 1
Remy McIntosh glanced up from the papers strewn across his desk to sneak a peek at the time. The display on his desk phone read 4:51, which meant he still had thirty-nine minutes before he could call it a day.
Thirty-nine minutes seemed like an eternity.
It didn’t help matters that this was his last day of work for the year. In thirty-nine minutes, he’d turn off his computer, switch off the light, and lock his office door, and not think about contracts or grants or plat maps or anything work-related for the next fourteen blessed days. He had saved up his vacation to take a full two weeks off at Christmas and New Year’s. He had plans—a long, leisurely holiday away from everything, and everyone, except Lane.
Just thinking of Lane Anders made Remy smile. A photo of his lover was propped against his monitor, right next to his son’s latest school picture. Braden McIntosh was eight years old, in the third grade, and the only good thing to come from Remy’s short-lived marriage. Braden didn’t know Lane, at least not yet, but Remy hoped to change that in the near future. He was thinking of maybe inviting Lane over the next time he had visitation with his son—for just a few hours, nothing major, but the thought of the two most important men in his life meeting made him nervous. He knew Lane would love Braden, but would his son be as open and accepting of his father’s male lover?
He didn’t know. But it wasn’t anything to worry about just yet; introductions between them were still something he hadn’t quite planned out. Not to the level of detail he had planned his Christmas break. Remy wanted to have every I dotted, every T crossed. Any meeting between Lane and Braden would be brief, preferably at Remy’s home, and not until after his son’s birthday in April. As that got closer, he’d work out the details.
Christmas, though…Remy’s next two weeks were firmly pinned down. He’d rented a cabin in the mountains, within sight of a manmade lake whose flat surface winked with sunlight all day long. Tall pine trees hemmed in the small, cozy cabin. There was a fireplace that faced a large, main room, a well-stocked kitchen complete with all the modern amenities, a bathroom that housed an actual claw-foot tub, and three bedrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the lake. He’d seen photos online and fell in love with the place before he even picked up the phone to make reservations. There was electricity, and a generator, and not another cabin in sight. It appeared to be far from civilization, but within driving distance to a small cluster of shops where they could stock up on provisions when needed.
Remy had found the place in July, when he first began thinking about a holiday getaway for just the two of them. He knew Lane would love it. In his late thirties, Lane Anders wasn’t much of an outdoorsman, but he liked nature. He just didn’t like too much nature. Tall, with a shock of thick, dark hair, Lane had pale blue eyes that seemed depthless and a quick smile he flashed frequently. Those were the first things Remy noticed about him. Those eyes, that hair, his grin.
