Page 20 of Snowed in with My Pucking Ex
He chuckles, lunging forward to pull my beanie down over my face so I can’t see. He teases, “I’m scared, Winter Wonderland. You have me shaking in my boots over here.”
“You are such a brat!” I laugh, fixing my knitted hat back into place. It’s white with fake pearls all over it in random spots and a fluffy puff at the top. I push on his bicep, being playful, but he doesn’t budge an inch.Geesh.
My hands stay planted on his arm, feeling him flex the muscle underneath my hold, and suddenly I’m fully aware of how close we are, and that I’m still touching him. With a shaky exhale, I drop my hold and take a step back, shaking my head. I need toput some space between us before I lose my heart completely, and then he disappears to live out his hockey life after the holidays. I’ll be forced back into my reality and feeling bitter all over again that I didn’t get my chance with him.
“Let’s grab the other stuff. It shouldn’t be much, just a few boxes.” I lead the way to the entrance of my family’s cabin, with Sean quickly catching up. We take the two steps onto the tiny porch, and I immediately reach for the knob. The door sticks for a beat, probably from the freezing temps we’ve been hitting at night, so I lean against the wood, putting my weight into it until it finally gives.
“Brrr…I knew it was going to feel like a fridge in here.” I comment, glancing around. I don’t miss the sprigs of fake mistletoe hung up around the cabin in my perusal, but I choose to ignore them. Mom has been adamant about leaving them up all year long; she claims it’s her way of sneaking extra kisses with Dad.
“How does it seem warmer outside right now?” Sean mutters, taking everything in. The shelves and mantle in the main room are overflowing with pictures of me and my siblings when we were younger. In each framed moment, we’re busy fishing, making smores, telling spooky stories over a campfire, swimming, rowing a tiny boat out onto the lake, and a myriad of other activities. “You guys look happy.”
I nod. “We had a good childhood, I was lucky.” I leave it at that, knowing he lost his father at a kind of young age, and he struggled through the same years when I was living my best life. I don’t want to see him hurt, and I wish there were a way he could’ve experienced what I did growing up. Our family has always been close, to the point that we did everything together. Not because we had to, but because we always wanted to. It’s not most people’s reality, and I know how lucky I am; that’s why I’ll always come home the minute my family calls.
“You were a cute kid,” he says, picking up the framed photo with my face covered in chocolate, smiling widely.
“I helped Gram make a chocolate pie in that one,” I comment, remembering how she’d made it an extra special treat by sneaking me mini marshmallows to dip in the pie filling. We were on spring break and had planted a ton of wildflowers that year. It’s one of those cherished times I’ll never forget and hope to recreate for my own grandchildren someday.
“Why do I get the feeling you were eating the chocolate and she was the one baking?” He teases, and I roll my eyes.
“Probably because that’s exactly what I was doing,” I admit. “Come on,” I gesture to the hallway and point to the low ceiling that leads up to the boxes of supplies I still need. I could reach the small loop to the attic door for the ladder with a step stool, but why go to all the trouble when I have this giant man who can easily grab it for me?
Sean makes his way to where I am, only to stand directly in front of me in my personal space. I catch a whiff of his cologne being this close, and it takes every ounce of self-control I possess not to stare up at his impressive stature. He easily hooks the loop with his fingers and then carefully lowers the small door. Next, he grabs the ladder attached to the thick wood and lowers it until the feet securely rest on the floor.
“Thanks.” My shoe lands on the first step, needing to get into the attic right this moment, before I end up trying to climb Sean instead. I quickly make my way up, poking my head in through the opening. “I know we stuck those boxes up here somewhere.”
It’s too dark to see what I need, but I know there’s a flashlight Dad keeps in a cupholder that’s screwed in place, to the right of the door. He did it so we’d never lose it as kids. I reach for the holder, jiggling the flashlight until it eventually comes free from the holder. A weird screech and bark sort of sound comes from my left. Then there’s ahiss.
“What was that, Winter? Do you hear scratching?” Sean calls from below, effectively distracting me.
“Huh? Scratching? Where?” I ask, then something comes flying at me out of the dark, hissing and screeching angrily.
I scream as my body jolts backward to miss whatever the heck is after me and lose my footing in the process. The flashlight flies out of my hand, landing somewhere with a loud thump. My arms flail as I reach for anything to help, panicking in the process. My scream of surprise morphs into a shout of newfound fear as my feet slip off the rungs. My balance seems to disappear completely, and then, I’m falling.
Right into a pair of strong arms.
“Oof!” Leaves me, and then I’m meeting Sean’s wide stare.
He holds me tightly to his strong frame, checking, “You okay? What just happened?”
I think he’s breathing heavier than I am right now, and I’m the one who just fell from the freaking ceiling!
Shaking my head, I inhale and exhale, attempting to calm my racing heart. I’m a frazzled mess at the moment, and silently thanking the Lord that this beefy man was nosy enough to stand at the bottom of the ladder and ended up catching me. The landing could’ve hurt pretty badly had he not been right here. “I was attacked by something feral, and then nearly broke my neck, which is exactly what happened.” I supply with a bit of dramatic flair.
“No bites? Scratches? Where did it get you?” His worried gaze scans over me from top to bottom.
“No, nothing.”
He stops looking, meeting my eyes again. A smirk settles on his luscious lips, and so help me, I want to lean forward and suck his bottom lip between mine. It’d wipe that look off his face in an instant, while finally letting me have a taste. “So, you weren’t actually attacked then?”
“I almost was,thankyouverymuch.Plus, I lost my balance. I’d like to see you go up there to battle the bear and get the boxes then, if we’re not counting feral animal attacks unless we’re bitten.” He’s still holding me princess style, and would it be weird if we just stayed like this? I need protection from animals who are chasing me, and he’s the only tall person around.
“Considering I was nearly knocked out by the flying flashlight, I think my chances are good with whatever’s up there.”
“Be brave then, but I’m not driving you to the clinic to explain this to the moms. You’ll have to deal with the rabies and tell your coach it was solely your fault.” Not only that, but he’d have to ride in the bed of the truck. No way am I taking chances with him going allzombieon me.
He laughs loudly. “I’ll take my chances, but I think if I end up getting bit, it’s only fair you nurse me back to health.” He winks and then carefully sets me down.
As soon as my feet are firmly planted on the floor, I’m racing to the couch. I climb up onto it like I used to as a kid, when my siblings and I would pretend the floor was either lava or covered in alligators.
