Page 113 of Snowed In with Benefits

I roll my eyes and swat at him, but I’m grinning. I’m so happy I feel like I could burst, so light that I’m surprised I’m not floating away. A few weeks ago I was supposed to be walking down an aisle in white, promising myself to one man in front of a hundred and fifty guests. Instead I’m standing barefoot in my mother’s pantry with cum running down my legs and three men who just broke the shelves, and I have never in my life felt more like myself. The old Josie would be horrified. The new Josie, the real one, is grinning so hard her face hurts.

Emmett catches my gaze as he hands me my dress. “Do you want to get out of here?”

I grin at him. “Hell yes.”

I shimmy back into my dress, letting Beau and Hunter straighten it for me after I get my arms through. Emmett cracks the pantry door open and peeks out into the kitchen, then opens the door wide and walks through. The kitchen is empty except for us. We all slip out of the pantry and close the door, leaving the broken shelves behind as evidence of our debauchery, evidence that will never be connected to the crime. Mom would never, ever imagine the real reason why the shelves broke.

I take a deep breath before we exit the kitchen. Emmett is in front with me right behind. Beau is behind me and Hunter is bringing up the rear. It’s perfect because the crowd will naturally part for Emmett, and Hunter will leave them all with his charming smile. Best of both worlds. Still, my pulse is racing as Emmett pushes the kitchen door open.

The guests nearest the door turn to look at us as we rejoin the main party. Across the room, I see Mom glaring at us. I look away, focusing on a spot between Emmett’s shoulder blades instead, feeling my face flush. Mom was just in there. There’s only one door into the kitchen. Maybe the crime will be discovered, after all.

We pass my sister. She looks startled, surprised, and something else. Something I haven’t seen on her face since middle school when I’d made friends with the girl she admired. It looks like envy. I can’t believe that’s what it is, but that’s certainly what it looks like. I give her a little smile as we pass her. She doesn’t smile back. She’s slack-jawed, her mouth just slightly open, her eyes wide, her brow furrowed. For the second time in my life, my sister is looking at me like I have something she wants, and I’m surprised by how little satisfaction it gives me. I just feel sad for her. I hope she finds her own version of this.

We get outside and the cold air splashes against me like a refreshing wave. Hunter closes the door on the party and then it’s just us. No staring eyes, no whispers, no glaring parents, just the four of us under the stars on a cold winter night.

“It’s a long drive back to the cabin,” I point out. I don’t really know what the plan is from here, just that we’re going to give it a real shot. That this whatever is going to turn into a something.

“It is,” Hunter acknowledges. “You’re worth the drive, though.”

I smile at him and squeeze his hand. “Do you guys want to stay the night at my place? It would be easier than trying to make that trip twice in one day.”

They look at each other, communicating without words the way they so often do. Then Emmett shrugs and Beau nods.

“We’d love to,” Hunter says. “Where’s your place?”

“It’s a little apartment—very little—over in that direction. I’ve got some stuff there, but most of my things are at Preston’s place.”

“So, let’s go pick them up,” Beau says.

I blink. That wasn’t why I mentioned that, but now that he’s said something… “Now?” I ask.

Beau shrugs. “No time like the present.”

My heart races and my mouth goes dry. This is something that I’ve been working up to, something I kept making excuses for why I hadn’t gotten around to it yet. The truth is, I didn’t want to face Preston alone, not even to get my things. I’ve been working up the energy, but my courage has been lacking. With them beside me, though, it doesn’t seem so hard.

“Okay,” I say. “I guess we’ll go to Preston’s first.”

“I’ll ride with you,” Emmett says.

We split up, Hunter and Beau in the truck, Emmett in my little car with me. I pull out of my spot and wait for the two of them to pull up behind me, then I start driving. From my parents’ to Preston’s, all in one night. Who would have thought I’d have the guts?

“You’re good for the boys,” Emmett says as we drive.

“Am I?” I ask, holding my breath waiting for the answer. I want to be. I desperately want to be good for them. They’ve been so good for me, and good to me.

“You are. There was a moment this last week… anyway. Beau used your words on Hunter. Changed the way the day was going.”

My throat gets tight. I don’t know what I said, but the fact that any of my words stick with them enough for Beau to use them, enough to smooth over a rough situation, makes me feel something I can’t quite define. It’s a good something. It’s a powerful something. It’s something that’s making me too emotional for someone who’s supposed to be driving. Emmett is quiet for a long moment, looking out the window. I breathe until I get my emotions under control.

“You’re good for me, too,” Emmett says.

I look over at him. His gray eyes are misty.

“Yeah?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he says. “I thought life was better if I stayed closed off. Truth is, I just hadn’t met someone worth opening up for.”

We’re coming up on a red light. I hit the brakes. As soon as we’re stopped, I lean over and kiss him. It doesn’t last long, but it’s enough. It’s more than I would have been able to convey in words. He kisses me back, looking surprised and pleased, the same way he did that day when we fixed the barn. I hope he never stops being pleased by my kisses. I hope one day, they fail to surprise him.