Page 7 of Party Crasher
My fingers curl into the blanket. I revel in the heat trapped beneath it. Every so often, his thumb makes a slow circle at my hip. It’s like he’s reminding himself I’m still here even in his sleep. I try to stay awake, to hold onto this moment a little longer. But with the steady, grounding presence of Cade beside me, my eyelids grow heavy.
The world narrows to the sound of the wind outside and the quiet pop of the last embers in the fireplace. My last thought before sleep claims me is simple and terrifying in equal measure.If this is what falling feels like, I don’t want to catch myself.
Sunlight wakes me and his arms are still wrapped around me like he's afraid I might disappear. Outside, the snow continues to fall in thick, lazy flakes. Inside our little bubble, nothing exists except warmth and the steady rhythm of his breath against my neck.
6
CADE
I wakeup to golden light filtering through the curtains. For a moment, everything feels perfect. Josie's curled against my side. Her dark hair spills across my chest, and her silky skin is warm to the touch. With the twinkle lights above us, everything looks like a goddamn Christmas card.
Then my phone buzzes with notifications on the nightstand, and reality intrudes.
I glance at my phone to find seven missed calls from Creed. For a man who claims I always call at the wrong times, it seems he's all too eager to return the favor. I ease out of bed, careful not to wake Josie. Then I step into the cold of the cabin's living room to call him back.
"Jesus, Cade, where the hell are you?" Creed's voice crackles through the speaker. "The boys have been asking for Uncle Cade nonstop since yesterday. You've got them all fired up about your arrival, and frankly, it's not what I want to hear at six in the morning."
"I know, man, I planned on making it. My car's in a ditch about a few miles out of town. I can’t get the door open at thispoint.” I poke at the still glowing embers left from last night’s fire.
“Car? You didn’t bring your truck. What are you thinking? Where are you?”
“You remember Josie and Katie’s family cabin from high school? I’m out that way. The roads were completely blocked last night. Josie was here and let me crash.”
"You are so goddamned lucky she was there. I told you the snow was coming. Ricky's had his plow out since dawn. The roads are much clearer now. You can probably get through. I don’t understand that damned sports car." My brother's voice carries that familiar mix of exasperation and concern.
“Whatever, man, it worked out. I’ll see if?—”
"Of course it did. God, you are such a jackass. Just get here before Christmas Eve tomorrow." The line goes dead.
I chuckle as I hang up. Creed hasn’t changed. If Josie thinks I’m a Grinch, she should hang out more often with Creed. I don’t hold it against him. Life hasn’t been easy on the dude. He did more than his fair share raising me after Dad left. Now he's doing the best he can to parent two boys on his own.
I wish I could be more involved. That’s one of the hardest parts about living across the country. The least I can do is show up when I say I will and bring gifts that will make their jaws drop.
As I hang up, I find Josie is up. The sight of her moving around in the morning light makes my chest tight. She’s heading toward the kitchen and is fully dressed. I’m sorry I missed the show. I follow her to the coffee pot, but my being in the room doesn’t seem to break her stride.
"Morning," I say, testing the waters.
"Good morning." She doesn't look up from measuring coffee grounds. "And good news, the roads are clear. Katie texted me. She says Ricky's been plowing since dawn."
"So I heard." I step behind her and wrap my arms around her waist, breathing in the scent of her shampoo.
She relaxes into me for just a moment before stepping away. "Sounds like Creed was worried when you didn't show up last night. Your nephews are probably bouncing off the walls waiting for Uncle Cade."
There's something guarded in her voice that makes my stomach drop. After what was undoubtedly the best night of my life, this distance between us feels wrong.
“Yeah, I talked to him just now. I’ll head over there in a little bit. What about you? Are you staying put? It's only a few days until Christmas. You can’t stay holed up here alone." I squeeze her hand and she doesn’t pull it away, but I don’t miss the hesitation in her voice.
“I'm having myself a merry, little Christmas. That's always been the plan. I’ll be working on the bikes and determining where Katie needs help." The tightness in her tone makes it impossible to believe her. "You’ve got to go see your family. They need you, and I don’t want to be on the receiving end of Creed’s angst the next time I see him. I need that man to keep my truck running." Josie smiles, and it feels forced.
I lean back into the kitchen chair, and the old wood strains under my weight. "I’m not in a rush. Even if I get Ricky to give me a ride over to Creed’s place, all the gifts are locked in my trunk. There's no way I can get them out."
"Cade." She turns to face me with one eyebrow raised. "They don't care about presents. They want to see their uncle. You get that, right?"
I take her hands in mine, desperate to keep our connection alive. "Maybe, maybe not. But either way, I can't leave until I know what you want for Christmas."
She tilts her head like the question is foreign to her. "Just this. You. Here with me last night and this morning. It was beautiful, and that's enough."
The simplicity of her answer throws me completely. "Come on, Josie. You can have anything. Name it. A trip to Paris, jewelry, whatever you want. What about one of those handbags with a name I can't pronounce, or a car you don’t have to depend on my brother’s shop to keep running? You're with me now."
