“You’ll be on your honeymoon. Talking to me will be the last of your priorities.” I start to sing the lyrics of “I Just Had Sex,” and we both fall into a fit of laughter. “Come on, future Mrs. Riggins. Let’s go back downstairs and see what else we can do.”
Arm in arm, we do just that. I don’t know how I’m going to manage to avoid Conrad for the next few days, but if I’m anything, I’m resourceful. I’ll make it happen one way or another. We are not letting this, whatever this might be, ruin our siblings’ wedding.
I don’t know how, but I’ve managed to avoid Conrad the entire day. Until now. My dad and Stanley ran into town and brought back pizza. Everyone grabbed a chair around the table, and wouldn’t you know it, the spot closest to me is open. I focus on the pepperoni and cheese on my plate and pretend I don’t notice Conrad is not sitting at the table. I thought I might get lucky, but when I see him come around the corner with his plate of pizza in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other, I know my time is up.
I pretend to ignore him as he takes his seat next to me. It’s not until his hand finds its way to my thigh under the table, and I feel his hot breath next to my ear, that I realize I’m kidding myself thinking I could pretend he’s not sitting next to me.
“Missed you today,” he whispers in my ear. His hand falls away as he begins to eat.
As for me, well, I strike up a conversation with Lena, who is on the other side of me. We talk about the memories of her boys growing up here in the cabin, and I love that my sister and her children are going to be able to have similar memories.
“Aspen?” I feel a hand on my shoulder. It’s with that simple touch that I know it’s Conrad before I even turn to look. “What do you say?”
“Sorry. I missed what you were saying.”
“We’re going to go night sledding. You’re going with us,” Aurora tells me.
“Who is we?”
“Me and Grant and you and Conrad. Sawyer can’t go because she’s pregnant, and Royce won’t leave her. Owen and Layla want to get Carter down for the night, and Marshall”—she looks over at her future brother-in-law—“is just a wimp.”
“Hey!” Marshall tosses a napkin at her. “I’m not a wimp. I’m just not in the mood to freeze my balls off.”
“Marshall Riggins!” Lena scolds him, and the entire table erupts in laughter. “I swear you’d think you boys were raised in a barn.”
“What? It’s the truth. It’s too cold out there.”
“Getting soft in your old age?” Grant teases him.
“Not soft. Smart.” Marshall grins. “Aren’t you worried about being banged up for your wedding night?” he asks.
“Wedding day,” Grant corrects him.
“Nope. The wedding night, you know when the extracurriculars take place.” Marshall wags his eyebrows.
“Marshall!” Aurora sputters with laughter.
I glance around the table and see us all as one big happy family. My parents, as well as Lena and Stanley, only seem amused with our conversation. It’s wonderful how well we all get along and fit together. I love that for my sister and her future husband.
“Well?” Conrad asks.
I search for a good excuse, and I don’t have one. Conrad already knows that I enjoy being outside despite the cold. I’m worried it’s going to be awkward. How could it be with Grant and Aurora there as a buffer, right? “Sure. I’m in.” Conrad’s eyes light up, and you would have thought I just gave him the world with my agreement.
Aurora and I help clean up while the guys dig out the sleds and some winter gear. “You up for this?” Aurora asks me once we’re upstairs to add some layers of clothes.
“I agreed to go, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but you looked like it was going to kill you to come with us.”
It just might. “That’s silly. I love the snow, and it’s been ages since I’ve been sledding.”
“But you and Conrad built that snowman I saw when we pulled up?”
“You know that we did. I told you that.”
“I know.” She grins. No matter what she says, I still think that all this wedding stuff is getting to her.
“Come on, crazy girl. We have hills to slide down.” Arm in arm, we make our way downstairs to find Grant and Conrad waiting on us. As soon as we reach them, Grant tugs Aurora from my arms to his with a sly grin on his face. He slides his arm around her shoulders and kisses her temple.
“Ready, baby?” he asks.
“Yes!” Aurora’s excitement is infectious.
That’s my excuse for not realizing that Conrad was moving in and sliding his arm around my shoulders. “Ready, baby?” he asks. I know he’s mocking his brother. However, with the look in his eyes and the way my body responds to his nearness, we both know it’s not just mocking Grant. He’s asking for himself.
“Yes!” I exaggerate Aurora’s reply, which has her sticking her tongue out at me while Grant and Conrad laugh. I expect him to release his hold on me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he leaves his arm around my shoulders as the four of us head outside.
“Where are we going?” I ask, ducking out from under his arm.
“Just around the back. There’s a pretty decent hill there that won’t kill us to walk back up.”
“I say we team up,” my traitor of a sister suggests.
“Perfect.” Conrad is quick to agree. Grant is none the wiser, but my sister, on the other hand, she’s on to us.
“We’ll go first,” Aurora says.
Conrad and I stand back while they situate themselves on their sled, with Aurora sitting in front of Grant between his legs. I know she did this on purpose, so Conrad and I would follow their lead. She thinks she’s sneaky when she’s anything but.
“Con, give us a push,” Grant says, his arms clasped tight around my sister.
Conrad does as he asks, and they go soaring down the hill, their laughter following them the entire way.
“You ready for this?” Conrad claps his hands together gleefully.
“Do I have a choice?”
“Nope.” He gives me that boyish grin. “Come on. You get settled first, and I’ll climb on behind you.”
“What are you waiting for?” Grant calls up the hill.
Knowing there’s no way of getting out of this, I settle on the front of the sled and wait for Conrad to take his place behind me. With his arm around my waist, he pulls me back against his chest. “That’s better.”
“They’re watching,” I warn him.
“Let them watch, Aspen.”
“Can we not do this right now? Not during their wedding?”
“Fine. But we are going to talk about it. About us.”
“There is no us, Conrad.”
“Oh, baby, there is most definitely an us. Now, hold on.” His grip grows tight as he rocks back and forth to get the sled to move. The movement reminds me of last night, and I’m suddenly overheated despite the freezing temperatures. We start moving, and the cold wind against my face is much-needed to cool me down. By the time we reach the bottom, we’re both laughing as the sled flips into the snow in order for us to stop. We’re a pile of sled, snow, arms, and legs. It’s perfect.