Part 2How to Freeze a Husband

We touched down at Fairbanks International Airport.

The moment we stepped off the plane and onto the jet bridge, a biting, aggressive chill seeped through the metal walls.

Derek’s face went slightly pale, but his ego was an iron shield.

"See? I told you. Not even that cold. A winter coat would’ve been a massive joke."

The passengers walking off the plane beside us overheard him. They turned and stared at him in his thin fleece like he was genuinely out of his mind.

By the time we hit the arrivals hall, nearly every tourist from the lower forty-eight was pulling snow pants and heavy parkas out of their carry-ons.

Derek muttered under his breath, mocking them for being dramatic.

Miles tugged at my hand. "Mommy, I’m freezing."

I stroked his hair, my heart aching. It’s okay, baby, I thought. Our savior is almost here.

My best friend, Rachel, and her boyfriend, Chase, were waiting for us at baggage claim, their arms loaded with massive shopping bags.

The moment Rachel saw me, she dropped the bags and pulled me into a fierce, crushing embrace.

I felt her tremble, her voice cracking right against my ear.

"You’re finally here."

I hugged her back, fighting the intense burn behind my eyes. "It’s been too long. Derek and I talk about you all the time."

Rachel, Derek, and I went to college together. Back in the day, the three of us were inseparable.

Rachel pulled back and shot Derek a teasing grin. "Have you been keeping Nora locked in a tower, Derek? It’s been years since you let her come visit me."

Derek, ever the master of playing the devoted, loving husband in public, smoothly wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against his side.

"Hey, it’s a long flight. You know I just hate seeing my wife exhausted from traveling."

Rachel’s eyes darted between Derek’s grip on me and my stiff posture. Her gaze was incredibly complex before she settled on a knowing smile.

"Still the ridiculously doting husband, I see."

She bent down and unzipped the two massive duffel bags they had brought. She pulled out four heavy, extreme-weather down coats.

Derek’s expression soured. "I don’t need that. It’s really not that cold out here."

"Don’t be an ass, Derek. I already bought them. Just humor me," Rachel said, tossing the largest coat straight at his chest.

Back in college, Derek had harbored a massive crush on Rachel. She was the girl who existed on an untouchable pedestal. But she had a serious boyfriend at the time, so he settled for me. I was young, foolish, and easily blinded by his practiced charm.

Seeing his college phantom smiling at him now, Derek’s defenses melted. He swallowed his pride and slipped the coat on.

The kids and I put on our parkas, the heavy material falling past our knees, instantly shielding us from the ambient chill of the airport.

I looked over just as Derek was struggling to push his arms through the sleeves. The coat was painfully tight across his shoulders and stomach.

Rachel giggled. "Oh, man. Derek, you’ve filled out a bit over the years. I ordered your size based on your frat boy days."

Humiliated, Derek ripped the coat off and threw it directly at my head.

"I’m sweating in this thing anyway. I don’t want it. Put Rachel’s charity away."

The heavy fabric hit me in the face, messing up my hair. The static electricity made the strands stick up wildly.

Rachel took a step forward, her hand reaching out to help me, but I caught her eye and gave a micro-shake of my head. Don't.

Chase, Rachel’s boyfriend, was a golden retriever of a guy—tall, athletic, and eight years her junior. Without missing a beat, he stepped in and smoothly took the luggage from my hands.

Derek didn't stop him, but I could feel his dark, venomous gaze locked onto the back of my neck.

I kept my head down, gripped my kids' hands, and hurried toward the automatic doors.

The second we cleared the sliding glass and stepped out into the brutal Alaskan night, I saw Derek physically stall.

His entire body locked up. The minus-twenty-degree air hit him like a physical blow to the chest. Every step he took toward the parking garage looked agonizing.

But his pride was a sickness. Even if he were currently pissing blood from the cold, he would never admit he was wrong.

Thankfully, the heated SUV was parked close. He was the first one to dive into the backseat.