Page 107 of Trusting Tanner
“Morning.” She cleared her throat and forced her feet to move.
“We’re planning to go out and play in the snow. Want to join us?” Tanner grinned in the innocent, fun way she’d missed so much.
“You’re going to play in the snow?” She must’ve misheard him.
“Yeah. You know, sledding, building a snowman, making snow angels…”
She raised a brow. Juliana had seen snow only once before in her life, but she’d never played in it. “Sounds fun.”
“Great!” He stood and approached her. “I assume you don’t have any snow pants.”
“Um, no.”
“It’s okay. I’m sure my mom has extra stuff around here somewhere. I’ll be right back.” He left the kitchen, and she became very aware of Xander and Ryder staring at her.
“What?” she asked self-consciously.
“Nothing.” Ryder stood. “I hope you two won’t spend the next couple of weeks pussyfooting around each other, because it’s really very awkward.”
“Xander forced me to come here, so if it’s awkward, blame him.”
“Got it,” Tanner announced as he reentered the kitchen. He handed her snow pants, a pair of boots, and a puffy jacket. “Be sure to layer up underneath. It gets cold out there.”
She took the clothes from him. “Thanks.”
“Help yourself to breakfast.” He motioned toward the counter where several boxes of cereal, bagels, and muffins sat. “I’ll meet you back down here in half an hour.” He winked and then left her with his brothers again.
She blew out a breath. “Will you guys be playing in the snow, too?” She looked back and forth between Xander and Ryder.
“I am,” Xander said, “but Ryder here is afraid of the cold.”
“Dude, fuck you.” Ryder laughed.
She’d forgotten how they harassed each other so much. Shaking her head, she went into the living room to put on the winter clothes. They weren’t the most comfortable things to wear, and she felt like a bloated marshmallow. How on earth was she supposed to walk around in this stuff?
Tanner and Xander joined her, dressed in similar attire. She could only imagine how ridiculous they must all look. Tanner handed her gloves and a hat. “Let’s go!” He led the way out the back door.
The snow was a lot deeper than she expected, and she sunk to her knees. Great. She forced her way forward, getting to a point where she could actually walk through it and not get stuck. “So, what’s first on the agenda?”
“Snowball fight!” Xander scooped up a handful of snow and flung it at Tanner, who retaliated in kind.
Juliana watched in amusement as they threw chunks of snow at each other—until they turned on her. She squealed and tried to run away but ended up falling flat on her face.
“Oh shit.” Tanner rushed to her side, helping her up. “Are you okay?” He gently brushed the snow from her face.
“I cannot believe you guys think this is fun.” She shivered.
Xander chucked a snowball at Tanner, smacking him in the side of the face. Tanner laughed and swiped the snow from his face. His gaze settled on Juliana, a sparkle in his eyes. He looked happy and carefree, and she was struck with an intense pang of longing. This is what she wanted. A life with him filled with moments like this, moments of joy and fun and love.
As she wiped at the snow on the front of her coat and pants, something hard and wet hit the back of her head. Without thinking, she grabbed a fistful of snow, turned, and aimed right for Xander. Then she did it again, this time hitting Tanner. And all hell broke loose. Juliana laughed so hard she couldn’t stand any longer and dropped to her knees. She fought to catch her breath, but she needed to stop laughing first.
“Yo, Xander, you got a visitor,” Ryder shouted from the safety of the house.
Xander headed inside, leaving her alone with Tanner. She was still having trouble breathing but for a completely different reason now.
“Snow angel time.” Tanner walked over to her. “Come on.” He held out his hand.
She took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet. “You’ll have to show me how to do it.”
