Page 109 of Finding Fate
I laugh, because I’ve heard Konnor say stuff like that a lot. Last time was when he stepped in the cold shower because I turned the water on for us and remembered I had not put the clean towels in the linen closet yet. Instead of making sure the water was warm or turning it off completely, I just left the bathroom. I came back to him yelling cuss words. Pregnant brain really is a thing.
Konnor smirks. “Thermals, bro. Your nuts will thank you. Buy some before we go skiing when the girls go into the city for shopping and spa day the day after Christmas. All I’ve heard about is after Christmas sales since we started packing.”
“Hey, just because I can buy with no limit doesn’t mean I don’t try to save money. Why would I not want to get more for less?”
“You gonna give the baby hypothermia or let the girl come inside?” Gabby shouts from the doorway, making me smile. I love her personality. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like her. She has zero filter, more so than me, and doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks about her. She radiates a fun aura that makes you just want to be in her space, and she’s an amazing mom to that little boy. To a stranger looking in, you’d think he’d been with her since birth. It’s a miracle she’s even a nice person after everything she’s been through. She has the patience of a saint even when he’s full of energy, and she’s got Maddox wrapped around her finger, even if she doesn’t know it. I’ve known him for a while now, and I’ve seen him with girls, but the second she came into the picture he was a totally different person.
Maddox can see my amusement, wearing a massive grin of his own. “Remember that expression when you want to judge me for how I feel about her.”
“I’ve done no such thing. I love her too. She’s one of my husband’s best friends, and he’s never been that close to a girl aside from me. I can’t even be jealous because I feel the same way.”
He glances back at her. “Quit your gripin’, woman. That kid is probably warmer than any of us!” he says, immediately ducking like he’s dodging a flying ball. I laugh, unable to help it, because the second it came out of his mouth the door shuts and she comes walking toward us like a woman on a mission, her blonde hair swinging. Maddox has always had that easygoing personality full of humor. It’s why everyone likes him. He makes friends with anyone.
Me and Konnor are good. We’ve been here dozens of times. We’re wearing insulated jackets and layers. We could probably stand out here for thirty minutes before really getting cold. He grins at me where she can’t see him. “Not a fucking word from either of you.”
She steps up next to him and crosses her arms over her chest, clearly freezing in only a sweater, not even giving him a second glance. “How was your flight?” she asks, her lips quivering. Maddox steps behind her and puts his arms around her to warm her up. She tries to shrug him off. “Go away.”
He just tightens his hold instead of letting go. “I was just kidding, baby.”
“You’ll remember how much I gripe when you’re cold tonight.”
“I won’t be cold. I sleep where you sleep.”
“Until I lock you out and you have to find a couch somewhere.”
“Yeah? You don’t think I know how to sext message? You’ll let me in when that pussy’s wet.”
She rolls her eyes, making me laugh harder, because she looks at Konnor. “How are you friends with him?” Then she shoves her backside against his pelvis, trying to knock him back, but he’s holding on pretty tight even if he wasn’t twice her size. “Puh-lease. I’ve had that hundreds of times, today included. A night without won’t kill me. Would you get off me?”
“I love you,” he says. His smile hasn’t disappeared yet.
Her bored expression is priceless. Even Konnor laughs. “Try harder.”
He leans in closer to her ear and whispers something we can’t hear, making her face flush like it’s ninety degrees out here. Without warning, she grabs Konnor’s suitcase and starts rolling it toward the house as if he wasn’t holding her hostage at all. When the door slams, Konnor says, “What did you even say to her? I’ve never seen her face that shade of red.”
You’d think Maddox was high based on the grin he’s wearing. “Like I’m going to tell you and make groveling easy for you. You put in your time with fucking up like the rest of us. I’ve gone without a lot of pussy in the past from her being pissed at me before I figured out how to work it in my favor. I’m not giving trade secrets, but don’t come looking for a thirty minute minimum unless you want to see how I kept a girl like her.”
“Luck,” Konnor teases. “Pure fucking luck.”
He laughs, grabbing my suitcase out of Konnor’s hand, and then turns and walks back toward the cabin, throwing over his shoulder, “Probably a lot of that too.”
I pull each side of my jacket closed, the chill starting to sink in a little. Konnor wraps his arm around me and leads me toward the front door. “The real question is, can you believe this is our family? I would have never seen this as our life had you asked me way back when what I’d be doing in ten years.”
I sigh in contentment as he reaches for the doorknob. “I know. Isn’t it great? I like our people. A lot.”
“Me too,” he says, pulling me closer. “But we can keep that between me and you. Their egos don’t need to be any bigger.”
Laughter tumbles out of me. “I must say, husband, I agree with you.”
Christmas in Tahoe. I think it’s going to be a permanent fixture in our lives. At least, I hope.
Sixty-One
Gabby
Idance and sing along to the Christmas music playing through the house as I stir the chocolate milk that’s heating on low in a pot on the stove, blissfully happy. For so long Christmas has been a bad time of year for me. I’m almost scared to enjoy it.
I grab the pot by the handle and turn around to the coffee mugs set out, my eyes meeting with Konnor’s, who’s standing on the other side of the bar where he’s leaned over the kitchen island. “Anyone ever told you singing is not your calling?”