Page 96 of Snowed In with Four Firemen
I’m aghast as she presses play on a video, her phone’s screen lighting up with a shaky recording. It’s from earlier—Tanner confronting Axel and Jace in the closet with me. The audio is muffled, but it’s clear enough. Tanner’s voice cuts through: “You’re fucking her?”
I freeze. Hailey’s face pales as she watches the video, her confusion quickly turning to anger.
“What…what is this?” Hailey asks, her voice shaky as she looks up at me
“Hailey, it’s not what it looks like…”
“Not what it looks like?” Hailey snaps, standing up from the couch. “Why are you messing around with all of them? Is this some kind of game to you?”
“No!” I blurt out, shaking my head, panic rising in my chest. “It’s not like that, Hailey. I never meant for any of this to happen. It’s complicated.”
“Complicated?” Hailey scoffs, standing up from her seat. “You think this is complicated? You’re sleeping with my brother and his friends—what, at the same time? And you didn’t think that maybe I’d have a problem with that?”
“It’s not like that!” I repeat, my voice trembling. “I didn’t plan for any of this, Hailey. I care about them, all of them, but I don’t know how it got so messy. I never wanted to hurt anyone.”
Chloe raises an eyebrow, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, yeah, because nothing says, ‘I care’ like a little group hookup, right?”
“Shut up, Chloe,” I say.
“No, she won’t,” Hailey says, raking a hand through her hair. “Oh my God, I see everything so clearly now. Why they almost fought with Whit the other day, how weird you’ve been acting when you disappear.”
I have tears in my eyes. “Hailey, please.”
“This was my wedding, and you made it all about you.”
“Isn’t this what she always does?” Chloe says. “What a cliché you are, Emily. The fat girl who can’t deal when the attention isn’t on her.”
Hailey does little to defend me. I’ve had enough.
“I’m not going to stand here and hear you tear me down,” I say before turning to Hailey who doesn’t even look at me.
I wipe my tears with the back of my hand. I should have come clean before, but it’s too late to consider that possibility now.
I turn on my heel and walk away, but Chloe doesn’t seem to be done. She follows me, her laughter echoing behind me.
“You think you’re special? You never were. Not in school, not now.”
I ignore her.
“But guess what? They’re just having their fun, and you’re the convenient plaything stuck here with them.” Chloe snaps her fingers. “The moment the wedding is over, you’re out the window, Emily. And here I was feeling bad that Jace doesn’t care about me. I know he’ll come back once you’re gone.”
I can’t handle it anymore. I stop walking. “You’re wrong, Chloe.”
“Am I?” she says.
“So, you think they’re in love with you? All of them? You think this is going to have some fairytale ending?” she says.
“I don’t know what they feel about me,” I say, turning to face her. “But I know what I feel about them.”
I feel it with absolute surety now. I don’t know how, but I’m in love with all of them.
CHAPTER 28
JACE
I’m crouched beside Sam,checking him for any signs of concussion, making sure he’s coherent. He’s shivering, but his eyes are clear, and he’s answering my questions well enough.
“You feel dizzy at all?” I ask, leaning in to get a better look at his pupils.
