“I can do both.” He held me tighter as he climbed down and leapt from the lowest hanging branch, landing in the powdery snow. “Not all of us are as clumsy as you are. You can’t walk and breathe at the same time.”
“I can walk and breathe just fine.” I flung out a hand and stepped backward. The back of my shoe caught on a rock under the snow and sent me wobbling like a deer trying to take its first steps.
A warm body pressed to my back, one that was hard with muscle but also somehow soft.
“Seems your time away hasn’t changed those clumsy little legs of yours,” Maddox murmured in my ear. His breath on my neck heated my skin, chasing away the crisp, cold air. “I missed you so much, sweetheart.”
“I see what you did there. Insult my short legs and then hit me with the force of Captain Smolder before I can react.”
I felt him smile. “A soldier must know his opponent’s weaknesses and use them in his favor.”
“That’s called playing dirty.”
“I call it…” Maddox turned me to face him and glided his knuckles along my jaw, “How to woo a muffin lord.”
Rowan scoffed from his spot a few feet away. “Hate to break it to you, oh mighty captain, but that little treasure’s already been wooed. So go play with your sword and leave us be.”
“Slink back into the shadows, thief,” Maddox retorted. “Your presence here isn’t needed.”
I sighed. “Both of you be nice.”
“Guess the truce muffins this morning didn’t work, eh?” Rowan flashed a smile, showing off my favorite tooth. It hung a tad lower than the others and was pointed, reminding me of a vampire fang.
“They were amenity muffins,” I corrected, sticking my nose up in the air. “And they didn’t work because you didn’t eat one.”
Another mischievous grin. “Put peppers in the next batch and I’ll consider it.”
“I think not.” Maddox’s eyes narrowed. “Ruin my muffins and not even Evan’s love for you will be enough to spare your life.”
I laughed so hard I snorted.
Nothing compared to being reunited with my men again. Our cottage was my happy place. More so, because I shared it with them. It was our home. And now that we had Rowan, that home felt even more complete.
A snowflake landed in Rowan’s dark auburn hair. One then tickled my nose, and I sniffled.
“We should head inside.” Briar stood from the porch step. “Or else we’ll all catch a cold.”
“Nothing you can’t fix, Doc,” I said before sniffling again. Dumb runny nose.
Briar looked at Maddox. A mere second later, I was swept off my feet and in my captain’s arms. As he strode toward the porch, I rested my cheek against his shirt, breathing in his scent of leather and warm spice. I’d missed it. Missed him.
Rowan walked beside us and tossed me one of his rare, soft smiles. It radiated the love he’d confessed to me in the carriage ride from Exalos.
“Thanks for rescuing me from the snowball attack,” I told him. “My opponent was too strong. Retreat was my only chance of survival.”
Maddox huffed.
“You’re the only one I’d do that for, little treasure,” Rowan responded, still with that soft smile. “Everyone else can fend for themselves.”
Being his one exception stirred the butterflies in my belly. He reminded me of the bad boys from romance novels who showed disdain toward everyone, yet were devoted and sweet to the one person who captured their heart.
Rowan was definitely a book boyfriend I would’ve become obsessed with. But luckily for me, it wasn’t a book. He was real and all mine.
Lake opened the door for us, and we entered the cottage. The warmth from inside instantly replaced the chill from the wintery afternoon. Delicious smells lingered in the air from breakfast, adding to the cozy warmth. Pumpkin spice muffins, coffee, and traces of bacon, maple sausage, and buttery biscuits.
The happiness bouncing around in my chest came to an abrupt halt as I remembered the secret I carried. One I learned during my last night in Exalos.
My father had been Prince Elias of Bremloc. The king’s younger brother.
