Page 40 of Decked, Wrecked and Pucked
“I love you too. So fucking much.”
We stay like that, foreheads pressed together, mouths barely apart, breathing each other in while the water beats down around us.
Eventually, I ease off him, and we stand quietly beneath the stream, both of us reluctant to break the moment, even though we know we have to. He steps out first, grabbing a towel from the rack and tossing one my way.
“You ready, Captain?”
“I think so.”
But honestly? I’m not sure.
Jasper, who is without a doubt the most affectionate person I’ve ever met, doesn’t hesitate to take my hand and lace our fingers together. He’s always touching me or Zeke whenever he can, probably to make up for the moments he can’t.
The second I step inside the bedroom, Addie’s eyes go wide. She thinks I’m going to ask her to leave. It’s written all over her face, that worry and uncertainty, but even if I can’t bring myself to sleep right next to her tonight, I’d never send her away.
Not now. Not ever.
“Zeke said it was okay…” she whispers.
“Of course it is, angel,” Jasper says, climbing into bed beside her.
I follow, slipping in on his other side as Zeke quietly gets out of bed, still naked. He grabs his underwear, pulls it on, and crouches down beside me. He runs a hand through my still-damp hair, searching my face for something I’m not sure I could name even if I tried. But I let him see it all—the worry, the longing, the fear. He exhales, leans in, and kisses my forehead, then presses a gentle kiss to my mouth. When he’s done, he reaches for Jasper, kissing his cheek before switching off the lamp and climbing back into bed.
Time passes strangely after that. It could be minutes, but it feels like hours. Jasper’s sprawled on his back, one arm tucked behind his head, the other resting on his stomach. Zeke’s turned toward me, his chest to Addie’s back, arms curled around her in that protective way he's held me so many times before
He’s good at making people feel safe.
I let my gaze linger on them, watching Addie’s chest rise and fall, and something inside me loosens just a little.
Maybe Jasper’s right.
Maybe this doesn’t have to fall apart.
Maybe we still have time to get it right.
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
ADDISON
“We’re snowed in.”
That’s what Zeke told me an hour ago, and I’m still trying to figure out what the universe has against me.
Maybe this is karma.
Maybe this is what happens when you let go of the man you loved years ago, and your punishment is being trapped in one place with him, his two boyfriends, and the unbearable truth that you still have feelings for all three of them.
I glance out the window again, searching for any sign of hope, but the world’s disappeared beneath a thick, relentless blanket of white. There’s no chance any vehicles are getting up or down this mountain.
I’m completely stuck.
Last night we crossed a line. And not just any line.Theline.
The kind that doesn’t come with a rewind button or a cute little apology. It’s the kind that changes things permanently, and now we’re trapped at this lodge for who the hell knows how long, with no distractions, no exits, and way too many unresolved feelings between us.
I’m standing at the front desk, phone pressed to my ear, trying and failing to get ahold of my mom. Now they’re saying the ceremony might be canceled thanks to last night’s surprise snowfall, and of course, she’s not answering. She’s probably sitting right next to the damn thing, squinting at the screen, still unsure which button actually picks up.
