Satisfied, I leave the lodge and head over to the house to change clothes. Earlier, I agreed to take Cheyenne and two of her friends to watch some boys they like at the snowboard park for the afternoon. It’s not really my idea of fun, but it sure beats sitting around doing nothing, and I bring a few magazines to browse through in case it’s worse than I imagine.
An identical envelope is in the exact place on my windshield as the previous one, and before I even rip it open, my heart is fluttering like a giant hummingbird inside my chest. Snatching it up quickly, I’m a tad bit embarrassed to open it in front of Cheyenne, but there’s no way in hell I can’t not read it right now.
Hooking my finger under the lip, I slide it across and peek inside, ecstatic to see another joint inside. He truly knows the way to my heart…and my lungs.
“What does it say?” My younger sister, who I told about the message yesterday, urges me to roll it over in my hand and read the message.
‘I miss you’ is printed in the same red handwriting as yesterday’s note, and this time, I can’t help a satisfied smile from splitting my face. Luckily, Cheyenne keeps her typical know-it-all attitude in check and cheers for me, doing a little dance in her seat while singing her excitement.
The next two days leave me with more message-laden joints, one that says ‘I need you’ and the other that says ‘I want you’, but on the fifth day—New Year’s Eve, no less—when I still haven’t received an envelope at nearly five o’clock in the evening, disappointment sets in. There’s been no other contact from him, and as sure as I was on the first day that the joints were messages from Crew, doubt begins to creep in and I start to wonder if Beckham is the one leaving them.
The thought crushes me.
I want Crew to be sorry and to miss me.
I need him to want me, and I want him to need me.
Crew.
Because I’m in love with him, and despite everything that happened, I still think we have a chance to be good together.
Raking my frustrated fingers through my hair, I check the clock again then go look out the front window to confirm what I already know. Nothing.
I growl a string of curse words under my breath as I slog into the kitchen to get a couple special brownies, resorting to feeding my misery. Just as I stuff a big chocolaty bite into my mouth, Grams rushes inside the house, her expression falling somewhere between panicked and stressed.
“Hudson, thank God you’re here!” she exclaims when she sees me, relief washing over her. “I need you to make a delivery for me. One of our regular Green Halo customers couldn’t make it to the store today, and I promised her one of us would take her an ounce of Orange Krush. It’s for her young daughter, and they’re leaving early in the morning to go out of town and they—” She waves her hand in front of her pause, cutting her own thought short. “Never mind, that’s not important. Your parents are running behind in setting up for the New Year’s Eve Party at the lodge, so I need you to take it, please.”
Unable to speak with my mouth full, I nod my head and give her a thumbs-up.
“Great! I’ll leave the sack and the address on the table in the foyer,” she smiles brightly as she pats my shoulder, “and you can brush your hair and teeth, and maybe uh, change into whatever you’re planning to wear to the party. That way, when you get back, you can come straight to the lodge. It’s already seven-thirty.”
I don’t get a chance to ask her what’s wrong with wearing the black tights and oversized YOLO sweater I’m currently sporting to the party, because she’s gone out the door nearly as hastily as she appeared. Shrugging, I gulp my glass of milk down then go to change clothes.
“She’s on her way.”
Hearing Grams utter those four words ignites a livewire of nerves inside me, buzzing through every inch of my body. It’s happening. She’ll be here soon. Time to man the fuck up or lose my girl.
“But I should warn you,” Hudson’s feisty grandma continues with a chuckle, “she’s in a mood. I found her stuffing her face with brownies a little while ago, so I’m assuming she’s stressing about not getting a package on her car today.”
I’d hoped she’d be a little anxious when she got here, maybe even suspiciously optimistic, not pissed off, but no matter what mood she shows up in, I’m ready for her. Nodding, as if Grams can see me through the phone, I push up off the couch and begin to pace. “Wish me luck, and I guess you’ll know how it went based on if she comes home tonight or not.”
“You don’t need luck when you’ve got love,” she corrects me. “Now go show her just how much. She should be there in about fifteen minutes.”
After we exchange goodbyes, I inspect the cozy log cabin I’ve rented for the weekend for the umpteenth time in the last hour, ensuring every last detail is perfect. Over fifty lit candles scattered around the room. Check. Fridge packed with enough food and drink to last more than a week, including dinner ready to be served. Check. Bed covered with assorted-color sweet pea petals while music plays softly. Check. Jacuzzi filled, heated, and bubbling. Check.
I’m pretty damn sure even Martha Stewart would approve of this set-up.
Confident everything is in place, I glance at my reflection one last time in the mirror and second-guess my clothing choice. Again. The navy J. Crew sweater and relaxed khakis are definitely a step up from my usual faded jeans and thermal, and I’m afraid it comes off like I’m trying too hard. But fuck, I really need her to understand how important this is to me.
How important she is to me.
My fingers sift through my hair, attempting to bring some kind of order to the unruly brown mop on top of my head. Damn it, I should’ve gotten a haircut today. I knew I forgot something.
The knock at the door paralyzes me for a brief second, causing me to forget about anything but the girl standing on the other side of that wooden threshold. My girl. Inhaling a deep breath in through my nose then blowing it out in a whoosh between my lips, I stride to the door and turn the knob, opening it to the most beautiful sight imaginable.
Hudson. Stunning in all black with her hair swooped up in some twist thing on her head.
Blinking hard, she shakes her head around as if to clear it out, and then pins me with her icy blue stare.
“Crew? What are you doing here?” she asks, her voice heavy with confusion and disbelief. Stepping backward, her eyes flit around the exterior of the remote cabin before returning to mine. “What’s going on?”
I swing the door open wide, revealing to her the great room behind me. My chest tightens when she gasps. “Waiting for you to get here,” I reply, unable to keep the corners of my mouth from ticking up in a silly grin at her stunned expression. “Come in. Get in out of the snow.”
Grabbing her hand, I allow no time for her to protest as I tug her inside and close the door behind her.
“Wait a minute!” She spins out of my grasp and crosses her arms over her chest, which frames the sexy cleavage she’s got working in her V-neck sweater. Shit, she’s fucking gorgeous. I can’t fuck this up.
“Answer my questions,” she demands. “Does Grams know it’s you who’s here? Why are you here? Whose place is this?”
My hands reach out and grasp her shoulders, undeterred by her superficial anger. “Hudson.” Her breath hitches and her pupils dilate as her name falls from my tongue like warm melted butter. She may damn well be upset with me, and for good reason, but her body can’t deny the effect I have on her. She still belongs to me.