Page 32 of Snowed In with the Wrong Cowboy
“Let me explain.” Piper moves forward but Mackenzie holds up a hand.
“Don't. Just... don't.” She's looking at me now, and the hatred in her eyes is worse than anything I've seen before. “You son of a bitch. This is what you do? You seduce my best friend?”
“It wasn't like that.”
“Then what was it like?” She whirls on Piper. “How long has this been going on? Since you got here? Before that?”
“Since the storm.” Piper's voice is shaking.
“Since the storm. And you couldn’t even give me a heads up that you were fucking my brother?”
“Don't talk to her like that,” I snap.
“I'll talk to her however I want! She's supposed to be my best friend! And you, you're even worse than I thought. Coming here, hiding out, and then when Piper shows up you just… what? Saw an opportunity?”
“That's not what happened.”
“Then what did happen, Callum? Enlighten me.”
My jaw clenches. “We were stuck here together.”
“So you took advantage of her.”
“I didn't take advantage of anyone.”
“Really? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you saw my vulnerable, stressed-out best friend and decided to make your move.”
“That's not…” I stop, taking a deep breath. “You don't know what you're talking about.”
“Don't I?” She turns to Piper. “Did he play the wounded, misunderstood cowboy? Make you feel sorry for him?”
Piper looks at me, and I see the panic in her eyes. She doesn't know what to say or how to explain this mess we've created.
But I do.
I know exactly what this is. What she is to me.
“I love her,” I say.
Piper's eyes go wide. Mackenzie's mouth drops open.
“What?” they both say at the same time.
“I love her,” I repeat, looking at Piper now. Only at Piper. “I'm in love with her. That's what this is.”
“You're insane,” Mackenzie says.
“I've known her for years. Every time you brought her around. So no, this isn't me taking advantage. This is me finally admitting that I want someone. And I'm not going to apologize for it.”
“You love her.” Mackenzie's voice is flat, disbelieving.
“Yeah. I do.”
“And you?” She looks at Piper. “What about you? Do you love him?”
Piper's eyes are on me. Her mouth opens, closes. No words come out.
The silence stretches.
