“Yeah.” Grayson doesn’t look over as he goes about dishing up three plates. “I called down to the lodge while you were occupied. The storm came in fast and is expected to linger in the area for another day at least. They won’t be able to clear the roads until it passes, and it might be longer to get to the farther cabins like ours.”
I blink. “Our flight is tomorrow.”
“Doesn’t look like we have a snowball’s chance in hell of making it.” He doesn’t seem the least bit upset by this. Neither of us have work until after the New Year, but we had planned on spending the next week winding down and taking care of some projects that we had been putting off forever. Painting the living room. Finally go through the stuff in storage so we can donate what we don’t want and keep the few irreplaceable things. Not to mention I was looking forward to a week of just us. Life can get so busy, it’s easy to become ships passing in the night. I mean, we’re hardly at that point, but it happened to my parents and I work hard to ensure it doesn’t happen to me and Grayson, too.
That said…
I look at Derek. He’s grabbed a plate from Grayson and eats, very pointedly not looking at either of us. If we’re forced to stay here… “I guess we’re snowed in.”Chapter 11“Definitely snowed in.” Grayson sets my plate at the little dining room table across from Derek. I slide into the seat and he presses a quick kiss to my temple before retrieving his plate and taking the seat at the head of the table. We eat in silence, and for the life of me I can’t tell if it’s comfortable or tense. Maybe I’m the only one tense.
It was going to be difficult enough to move forward and pretend things with Derek hadn’t changed if we went back to our normal life at the end of the twenty-four hours. Were we supposed to do it while still in this cabin, with memories of our fucking imprinted on every room in this house? Well, it wasn’t yet, but give us a little time. I’m sure we’ll make the rounds.
I look over at Grayson and he seems entirely too pleased with himself for him to be contemplating the end of this arrangement. “What are you thinking, husband?”
“No reason to stop as long as we’re here.” He very carefully doesn’t look at Derek. “As long as everyone is in agreement.”
Derek stays focused on his food. “I’m in.”
“I am, too,” I say slowly. There’s no point in speaking my misgivings. They’re not about the extended time. I’m worried that we’re never going to want to stop. Except is that a problem? We already spend an inordinate amount of time with Derek. What if we…
I push the thought away. Later. I’ll think about it later. Better to live in this moment right now and ride it as long as we can. I finish eating and take my plate to the sink. I turn around and nearly run into Grayson. He leans around me to set his plate in the sink, too, but doesn’t move back. “You’re thinking very hard, wife.”
“Of course I am.” I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him close. “It’s what I do.”
He presses a kiss to my temple and holds me close. “We have things under control.”
“I know.”
We’re both lying, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to stop, and obviously neither does he. I don’t know what life looks like on the other side of this, but we’re not there yet. We get to live in the fantasy awhile longer. And if we’re not finished with each other once the snow is cleared and we’re on our way to the airport, maybe then I’ll have the courage to bring up the messy thoughts tangling in the back of my mind.
I give Grayson a squeeze, enjoying the familiarity of the way his body fits to mine. “You know…” I tilt my head up enough to kiss his neck. “We haven’t had a chance to try out the hot tub yet.”
He releases me with a laugh and gives my ass a playful swat. “Go put on a suit and meet us out there.”
I pout a little. “But what if I don’t want to wear a suit?”
His expression goes heated. “Play along, Emma. I promise you’ll enjoy it.”
I’m already nodding. “Good thing I packed my new one for this trip.” Over the years my bikinis have gotten smaller and smaller. One of those things that I refuse to think too hard about, especially since I bought them right before our holiday trips. Grayson never commented on it, but he also loves taking them off with his teeth.