Page 32 of Past and Present

Lance shook his head. “Not unless you have the power to stop a snow storm.”

Samuel chuckled. “Yeah it looks like we could get trapped here for a few extra days. You sure you don’t want to just head out now?”

Lance sighed. “I want to, but this place is important to both of us. The plans I have in place for Phoenix aren’t set in stone and can be rearranged. This party can’t. So we’re going to stick it out.”

Samuel sat across from him and kicked his feet into the chair next to him. “I could always call up a friend with a helicopter and have them fly you out that way.”

Lance pushed his computer aside. “And would that friend with a helicopter happen to be former military?”

Samuel shrugged. “Probably.”

Lance laughed. “I’m not asking someone who’s probably almost died in combat to risk their life to fly us to Phoenix. But I appreciate it.”

Samuel grinned. “Just know the offer is there. Your wedding is important.”

Lance cocked his head to one side. “Yes, it is. I think I have an idea. Who else is here right now?”

“I think all the women and David are gone. Tamara is still hiding upstairs working. Patrick, Elijah, and Hunter should be here. Not sure about Garret and Russell. Matthew is still in England.”

Lance sent Samuel to round up whoever he could. When the group was gathered in the conference room, Lance stood at the head of the table and said, “How would you fellas like to help me plan a wedding?”

15

Saturday December 22nd

Marissa

“What is that face, Marissa?” Austin asked around a mouthful of candy cane.

“I fucking hate peppermint,” she said as she forced herself to lick the candy cane again and this time tried to look sexy doing it. “I don’t see why we couldn’t have picked different flavors of candy canes.”

She scanned the room and looked for Lance. Maybe if she stared at him, she could forget about the peppermint taste and still pull off a win.

The game was simple. Lick and suck your candy canes until the anonymous judges declared a winner. No one knew who the judges were, but they were in the room watching. And according to Austin it had been her idea. She had only a vague memory of suggesting it. But a lot had happened since then.

She hoisted herself onto a barstool and popped the candy cane in her mouth again while she watched Lance talking in the corner.

This was the first game of the evening and next they would play dirty Santa. She was doing her best to stay in the moment and enjoy the party, but she was worried about the weather. Hunter had called them all back from their morning out early because he was concerned they wouldn’t be able to get back up the hill. Then Lance had disappeared, only telling her he had to get some work done. At least she’d gotten a nap after her frustrating night of trying to crack her phone.

While she hoped the weather let up enough to let them fly out in the morning, she was glad they stayed. They probably wouldn’t be back together at all if it weren’t for Solitaire, so she would always feel a special attachment to this place. Not to mention, the people here were family just as much as her mom and sister were.

She looked around with a smile as she slid the candy cane along her tongue. It was hard to imagine a time when these people weren’t in her life even though she’d only been back with Lance for a few short months.

Would they have found Solitaire had they not broken up five years ago? It was impossible to say, but they definitely belonged here, so despite the painful parts of their past, she was grateful for the ways it brought them to where they were now, madly in love and on the verge of finally getting married.

Marissa felt a sharp stinging sensation on her tongue and yanked the candy cane out of her mouth.

“Holy shit, woman. You’re bleeding,” Austin said.

She’d sucked the candy cane into a sharp point without realizing it.

“You could seriously hurt someone with that thing,” Mitch said from his spot behind the bar.

“Well hell, I like sucking on… candy. But even I’m not willing to make myself bleed for competition. I guess Marissa can be the winner of this one,” Dakota said, setting her candy cane on a napkin on the bar.

Marissa laughed and sucked on her tongue which was in fact bleeding where she’d stabbed it with the sharp candy cane.

Jasmine Darlington handed Marissa a penis shaped lollipop with a blue ribbon around it. Her husband Simon handed one to a male sub whose name she didn’t know, and everyone laughed and cheered.

---