To get from the long night of winter to the long day of summer, the length of the days between changes at an astounding rate. After passing the spring equinox back in March, the world seemed to be rushing head-long into summer, and planning for returning to the outside world filled the lengthening days.
Eric was astounded by the way his body adapted, needing less sleep as the days grew longer despite his progressing pregnancy. He'd wondered how people passed the long dark winters but realized they'd lived in a state of semi-hibernation through the darkest part of the year and it seemed they'd woken up to boundless energy with everything else in the wilderness with the return of spring.
Life seemed to be awakening inside of him as well. He thought he felt some odd flutters at the end of March, but wasn't sure if it was the baby. Now, there was no doubt. It hiccuped and kicked and rolled and whenever he laid down to rest seemed to dance in protest. He kept trying to get Paul to feel, but it was only on the inside that he could feel the movement. Paul would kiss his forehead and assure his lover that he'd keep trying. Every step of development would come in its own time.
As they made their plans not just for their outing but for returning, Eric asked Paul about the possibility of a greenhouse. There were obvious challenges, but Eric pointed out that they could grow vegetables in space so there had to be technology that could be applied. This resulted in a great deal of internet research and the design of a hydroponic system in a new lean-to building that could be easily assembled by the two of them and attached to the south side of the cabin. Hydroponics because soil not locked in permafrost was as scarce as other gardening resources.
Paul suggested they might keep chickens as well if Eric wanted to try. They could use the stove in the barn a little more to keep it warmer if they planned for it, and the fresh eggs would be more appealing than powdered. It seemed like too much trouble for himself alone, but for the three of them...; many things seemed more worthwhile to Paul when he thought about the three of them.
The return truck was reserved early in their planning process. That had to be scheduled well in advance. It also gave them an idea of how much could be ordered. The greenhouse and chicken supplies were not insignificant. Paul tripled his usual order of staples. He also set about chopping firewood like a mad man. This activity normally filled his long slow summer days but he wouldn't be there during the summer.
As fun as it was to fill online shopping carts planning to place orders on their way out, Eric became a little concerned about the money being spent.
"I told you I inherited a sum of my own from my mother, right?" Paul tried to reassure him.
"Yes, but inherited money doesn't last forever," Eric pointed out.
"It does if you're good at investing," Paul countered and showed Eric his online portfolio to ease his worries.
"The fuck‽" Eric exclaimed at all the zeros.
Paul shrugged. "My mother's family was always good at investing and so I became curious and learned everything I could. And I was educated well despite my step-mother's hatred for me. I didn't see my mother's family much but I remember my grandfather telling me that wealthy people didn't need to show it. True wealth is having enough to be free and being happy with what you have. Anything more is best kept quietly for added security. Showing it off invites strife."
"My father didn't even know how much was left to me through my mother. It was quite a bit to begin with and having few expenses I've managed to double it once already. Don't hesitate to order anything you think we might want. Better to have it and not end up using it than to be stuck without it when we need it. UPS and FedEx don't deliver out here."
"But...but...," Eric couldn't believe how casual Paul was about all this. His wealth made Eric's ex-fiancé's whole family fortune look pitiful. He felt like little orphan Annie getting adopted by Mr. Big Bucks or whatever his name was. He'd dropped into Paul's life and gone into heat giving him no choice but to mate with him. Except, if he had that much money he could have easily sent Eric back to civilization if he'd wanted. So, did that mean he'd wanted Eric from the beginning? His heart seemed to swell and tears pricked his eyes again.
Unable to follow the course of Eric's internal dialogue, Paul struggled to understand why his mate was tearing up at this revelation. He pulled the smaller man into his embrace and stroked his fingers through Eric's hair. "Don't worry about anything," he whispered in Eric's ear. "I need you with me to be happy, so anything you need to stay comfortably and be happy with me is important." Eric sniffled and Paul felt his shirt growing damp. "I love you. I love you so much. Both of you." He squeezed tightly. It was quite awesome to be holding his whole world in his arms. "I'm glad I can give this to you. You don't know how happy I am that they dropped you off in my wilderness."
Eric was ugly crying now so he kept his face buried in Paul's shirt. It seemed like a lifetime of tension was falling off of him, all the insecurity he'd carried since childhood as a kid in the foster system. Financial insecurity and relationship insecurity were both massive traumas he'd born without complaint.
Now that they were falling off of him he realized they'd been more crushing than the rape and imprisonment. That was violent and acute and he could hate it and fight it and he'd been relieved when he escaped it, but nothing like this.
He'd gone to college and hoped to have a job that made him financially comfortable. He'd never hoped to be in a position where money ceased to be a concern altogether. He'd had a well off fiancé he thought cared about him, but he knew his place in the world and never expected to be absolutely necessary to anyone else. Paul needed him. He was alone out here and he needed Eric to love him and build a family with him.
Through all this emotional turmoil, the baby started kicking and rolling vigorously. Pressed up against Eric as he was, Paul suddenly felt movement for the first time. "Is that?" He asked.
It took Eric a second to understand. He nodded and pulled Paul's hands down to rest on the sides of his belly, then lifted his shirt so the contact was skin to skin. He kept his snotty face hidden in Paul's shirt, but knowing that Paul could feel their baby move for the first time pulled him out of his crying fit and his heart found that it could rest now like it never had before. They stayed like this for a long time until Eric's stomach complained that dinner was late.
Between their plans for their own future, they continued to research and discuss what to do about the asshole family's annual crime and the situation with Paul's step-sibling. They would be getting to Fairbanks around the usual time the family arrived. It could be too late.
The advantage they had was that both families assumed them dead, or in Paul's case as good as dead since he'd cut all contact and vanished for nearly a decade. A year ago Paul intercepted a published notice required for declaring a person dead and discreetly contacted the court to prevent its execution but the family was given no information about him beyond that he'd proved himself to be alive. If he were dead without an heir his father could claim his inheritance from his mother. When he remembered this he contacted a lawyer about changing his trust and making Eric and their child his heirs should anything happen during their travels.
"I wonder if turning up alive would be enough to scare them off?" Eric mused aloud.
"I wonder who handles their home security and keeps the house for them through the winter?" Paul mused in response. "They can't leave it empty or the pipes would all burst."
Paul's musings seemed more productive so Eric joined him. "They use a security service. And a woman keeps the house when they're gone. The house was stocked and ready when we arrived and they mentioned a name...Penny Ripple. I remembered because it sounded like an ice cream flavor."
"Wow, it's like a swirled caramel flavor kind of name, eh? That's a good start. Put ice cream on our shopping list." Paul added, going to the computer to look up this person. Through her, he could find their security company and send them an order to upgrade the system with discrete video surveillance. He'd pay the bill and they'd never know.
He wouldn't even have to hack it since he was in their email and could simply reset their surveillance login and password and delete the related emails within a few minutes. They used an account for household bills that they only checked a couple times a month, but it gave him access to all their accounts, and looking back through their billing history he could see which residences they occupied when, and deduce many things about their habits.
Emails to Penny were not handled through this account so he started checking for others. Adding surveillance through a little email deceit would be much less risky than asking a private investigator to do it. The degrees of separation problem was still challenging them at every turn. Anyone he tried to hire directly could be someone that also knew the family.
Before they decided anything Paul and Eric played a game of "what could happen." They explored all possible repercussions of every action. That's why Paul hadn't simply sent an anonymous warning to his stepbrother. What could happen if he confronted his boyfriend? He could get violent and force a mating bond. It was a frustrating game, but Paul was grateful to have someone to play it with so he wasn't just imagining the worst and second-guessing himself all alone.