Page 44 of Snowed In
This is not how I envisioned this going.
Megan freezes as soon as she touches me, her every muscle tensing until she’s as stiff as a board. I can practically hear the alarm bells ringing in her mind, thenow whats coursing through her. It would be funny if I didn’t know why she did it in the first place.
Three seconds pass before she tries to retreat, and when she does, I follow, cupping her cold cheeks and slanting my mouth over hers until there can be no mistaking what’s happening here.
Her lips are soft if unsure, hesitant against mine until she grows bolder, following my lead as I try and forget the world around me and make this believable. It’s not exactly hard. She tastes like sugar and apples, her breath sweet as it skates across my skin, and just for a moment, I feel her relax into me, the tension in her jaw easing, the grip on my jacket loosening.
I break away only when Isaac clears his throat behind us and I catch a brief glimpse of Megan’s dazed expression before I snake a hand around her back, drawing her into me as close as her coat will allow. She stumbles into my side, breathing heavily, and we turn as one to face him.
I would say he’s just like I remember, but to be honest, until Megan and I started hanging out, I didn’t think about the guy at all. Never got my membership to his fan club. Not like everyone else in the village, who treated him like he could do no wrong. Maybe it was because he was so polite. Alwayspleasethis andthank youthat. Used to irritate the hell out of me.
He looks older than the smooth-faced profile photo he has online, and he’s recently had his hair cut somewhere between a buzz and a trim, like he couldn’t decide what he wanted. It doesn’t suit him, making his broad face even broader and his big forehead even bigger.
His eyes are on Megan, but they go to me when I turn, shock making him slack-jawed.
“Christian?”
“Hi, Isaac,” I answer, enjoying this more than I should. “You’re looking well.”
He nods, his gaze flickering between us before he finally seems to remember the woman at his side.
“This is Natalie,” he introduces, and she lifts a hand in greeting.
Megan flinches, and at first, I think she’s sizing her up, but then I realize what she’s looking at. The small but unmistakable diamond on her left hand.
“You’re engaged?” Megan blurts out.
Both Isaac and Natalie look surprised, looking down at Natalie’s finger as though they’d forgotten all about it.
“Uh, yeah,” Isaac says, scratching his jaw. “Sorry, it’s kind of new.”
“I keep forgetting it’s there,” Natalie murmurs, tucking her hand into her pocket. She looks embarrassed, and silence falls over our small group, the tension stretching and stretching until Megan offers a smile.
“Congratulations,” she says, and I squeeze her hip in support, only for Isaac to zero in on the movement, staring at my hand like he didn’t know I had one.
“I didn’t know you guys were together,” he says after a beat. The words are careful, but there’s no mistaking the accusing tone beneath them.
“Also new,” I say. “We thought Christmas would be a good time to make it official to everyone back home.”
Isaac’s brows rise at that. “You’re staying for Christmas?” he asks Megan.
“Aidan’s coming home, so…”
“Right. Yeah, my dad told me that.” There’s a pause as Natalie edges away, but Isaac doesn’t budge. Nor does he stop staring at Megan, something that’s starting to piss me off. “We were just going to go get some food if you guys want to—”
“Already ate,” I interrupt. “Going to try and get back before it’s too late.”
“Traffic’s terrible,” Natalie agrees, latching onto neutral territory. “We should let you guys go. I’m hungry,” she adds to Isaac, who gives her a distracted glance.
“Right. Yeah.”
“Happy Christmas,” I tell him, and it takes another nudge from his fiancée to finally get him to move.
“Bye,” Megan chirps beside me. His smile comes a beat too late, and then he’s gone, walking with Natalie toward the pub.
Megan doesn’t move, gawking after him like she’s trying to commit the back of the guy’s head to memory.
“You okay?” I ask when they disappear inside.
