Page 37 of A Snowy Escape

Well, apparently she’s just as enamored with Lawson as I am.

“She’s fine,” he says, patting both their backs.

“I know the storm is mostly over,” I say, clearing my throat. “I just wanted to say, you don’t have to feel obligated to let me stay. If you’re still open to that, I would be really grateful⁠—”

“You’re more than welcome to stay for as long as you’d like,” Lawson says. “No conditions or time limit.”

“Will the restaurant be open tomorrow?” I ask. “I can get to work right away.”

“I’m not sure,” he says. “We might wait and open on Tuesday, but I just want to make one thing clear. You don’t need to pay rent to stay here. If you want to work to make extra money, we’ll make sure we find something for you, but I won’t be taking a dime of rent money. I know my brother feels the same way.”

I open my mouth to protest, but Lawson shakes his head.

“It’s not happening, sweetheart,” he says, sounding amused. “So just let it go.”

I laugh, shaking my head.

There’s the stubbornness alphas are famous for. Every time he calls me sweetheart, my insides get melty.

Dammit.

I’m in so much trouble.

* * *

The apartment gets a whole lot colder and more depressing when Lawson leaves.

I’m almost tempted to unblock Tommy’s number to see what threats he’s making. Some ridiculous part of my brain thinks it would be better to know, but the rational side of my consciousness says not to go there.

Instead, I take Echo for a long walk in the afternoon and unload some of my stuff while the sun is still up. It’s lonely and boring, but I’m grateful to have somewhere safe to stay.

Time passes exceptionally slowly, and I try not to let it get to me emotionally. Other than the few months I spent in Austin’s garage apartment, I’ve never lived alone. That hardly felt like it counted because I had to go into the main house to do laundry and for meals.

It’s actually a relief once the sun goes down. I make myself a sandwich, feed Echo, and settle onto the couch to watch TV.

My phone chimes with a text, and I smile as I see it’s from Lawson.

Hey, sweetheart. Just checking in. I hope you had a good day. I’ll be by in the morning. I figured we should see how Echo does with going out for a walk when there are customers in the parking lot. Sweet dreams.

Wow.

He texts like he’s sending an email, and I have no idea why monstrous-sized butterflies flit around my stomach as I respond.

Jesus.

I have a hell of a crush on Lawson Maxwell.

Chapter Twelve

Luka

It’s kinda hard to believe there was ever a time I worried a woman might use my brother to get to me. I mean, it happened in high school more than once, but that’s not what’s going down with Abby.

The omega has shown up to work every day for the last week, and while she’s polite, she never lights up at me the way she does when she spots Law.

They must have bonded on another level during the snowstorm. Even though I might complain, it’s actually a good sign that she’s attached to my brother. It means she’s less likely to leave before we get the chance to win her over.

Despite Abby’s positive outlook and strong drive to learn, she hasn’t eased into serving like we hoped she would.