Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 133682 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133682 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Then chills when I remember the reason—we’re faking it.
But I push those thoughts aside as she leads us through the snow-covered pathway toward the entrance. “I have something special just for the two of you. I can’t wait,” she says.
Intrigued, I arch a brow Wilder’s way. He shrugs lightly, then carries our bags up the wooden porch. A wreath hangs on the door, adorned with bright red ribbons and pine cones. Bibi gestures for us to enter and…whoa.
We’re not alone. My mom is here with her husband, Julio, but not my dad, which is good. The guests of honor are cuddly as can be on the love seat, with Leo’s arm draped around Charlotte’s shoulder. Wilder’s sister, Caroline, is here with her wife, and Mom’s brother Uncle Rick is here too, with his girlfriend and his kids. Wesley and Josie are here as well. So are Everly, Max, and Maeve. They’re all lounging on the huge couch in front of the crackling fireplace.
Thankfully, Brady and Iris haven’t been invited to this little living room get-together. As Wilder greets his best friend, Charlotte pulls me aside and tells me Brady had car trouble, so they caught a bus in and then made tracks straight for their cabin early this morning to check out the sweet digs, as my ex apparently called them in his best stockbroker bro voice.
“The best man and maid of honor finally made it,” Leo teases after I introduce Wilder to my mom.
“We were placing bets on when you’d show up,” Wesley teases, since the guys on the hockey team love to bet—or so I’m told by Josie and Everly.
“We weren’t sure if you needed an engraved invitation or not,” Max puts in.
“But we can make one for you if you need it,” Maeve adds. “You can help since you’re crafty.”
It’s not like we’re late. But maybe everyone came up earlier than we did.
“I didn’t realize everyone would be here already,” Wilder says curiously, and that’s odd for him to forget.
Bibi flings her hand to her chest. “I didn’t tell you? The town switched up the schedule and moved some things around, and we don’t want to miss a single event. We were all aiming for a morning arrival. And everyone made it,” she says, and I’m pretty sure Wilder told me mid-afternoon was the plan, but I’m not going to point that out. “But you’re here now, and I have good news.”
“Okay,” Wilder says, seeming wary of his aunt.
I am too. It feels like she’s doing this on purpose. Like Wilder was right to be concerned about her…machinations. Maybe she wanted us to be the last ones to arrive.
Bibi gestures behind her toward a sliding glass door that leads to a deck that boasts a view of the hills and the next cabin. The one with—is that a heart on its door? “For some reason, I was given the honeymoon cabin. The one with the cozy bedroom with the fireplace and the sleigh bed. A hot tub too. But that’s silly. You young lovers deserve it.”
And I was right. She is up to something. But that knowledge doesn’t change my reaction. My throat goes dry. My brain short-circuits. The honeymoon cabin can’t possibly have two bedrooms, can it? It has to have one. Which means…one bed. Confused, I turn to Wilder. How is he going to handle this…proximity?
He’s more stoic than I’ve ever seen him but a vein pulses in his neck. “The honeymoon cabin?” It’s a question paved with gravel.
Bibi’s grin is supersized. “Yes. Isn’t that perfect? With its one cozy, intimate room.”
“What about Leo and Charlotte?” I ask because I don’t want to be rude to the bride and groom.
“Of course we have one too,” my sister says, clearly enthused that I’ll get a cabin just like hers.
One room. One bed. Five nights. And an admission hanging over us that the one time in his office can’t happen again.
My stomach tips upside down. I’m not sure how we’re going to handle the sleeping arrangements. But this honeymoon suite mix-up feels like an early test in the competition, and dammit, I’m not going to let us lose. I grab Wilder’s strong arm and tug my Christmas boyfriend against me, his hard body snug against my side. No idea if I’m winning or losing our private naughty or nice contest, but in for a penny, in for a pound. “Sounds great. Right, hun?”
I tip my face upward, then dust a kiss to his cheek.
His breath catches, then he says, “Yes.”
Like this is all he’s wanted.
Take that, Bibi.
27
THE GOOD FIGHT
Wilder
It’s not like I’ve visited every cabin here at this resort, but I’m sure we can make one of the honeymoon suites work. I don’t entirely know how it’s set up or decorated, but I’ll find out any second, and I’ll devise a plan for tonight right away.