Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
ISABELLE
T wenty minutes after dinner, I’m bundled up in spare snow clothes that Brigette found in the castle. She fussed with my jacket and boots for way too long before I shooed her away. I’m ready to finally see the sun, even if it’s setting.
I skip to the front door, where Adam waits for me. His haircut and beard trim look so good, it’s almost overwhelming to be with him in person, instead of watching him on the big screen. And yet… I see him more as a challenge now than anything else.
He saved me. He knew I was lost in the snow, and he came for me. He held me all night by the fire, letting me sleep in his arms. He gave me the theater room, knowing I needed to sleep and understanding exactly what it would mean to me to be in there.
So yes, one minute he’s gruff and rude and closed-off. But the next, he’s protective and considerate. And then it’s back to his default setting—grumpiness. I’m determined to break down his walls and find out why. Kill him with kindness and all that jazz .
I beam up at him, bouncing on the tips of my toes. “Let’s go!”
He fights a smile, and I feel a little flutter in my chest at his response. He opens the door for me, and I take my first few steps, crunching into the snow with proper boots this time, and nearly laugh out loud. Finally, I get to be outside, and even though it’s cold, I’m wearing enough waterproof gear that it doesn’t bother me. Yes, I’m a Southern California girl through and through, but I can handle a little bit of cold. Especially when I’ve been trapped inside for days.
The snow glistens in the last bits of sunlight, while the sky is a masterpiece of colors. Orange and purple and pink streak overhead. I can feel myself becoming whole again, breathing in the clean air and seeing the setting sun.
I wander around, hearing Adam’s footsteps behind me the whole time. He’s giving me a little bit of space, but staying close enough so he won’t lose sight of me. I wish that didn’t make him even more attractive, but something about the protective alpha male totally works for me.
But he’s so serious all the time. I swear, he needs to spend some time with Theo. Maybe if they played superheroes for a little while, Adam would actually have fun.
Or maybe I can have some fun with him.
“Ugh, my shoelace,” I say out loud, bending down and pretending to tie it. Adam stays a few feet away from me, so he can’t see what I’m doing on the ground. I work quickly, so it’s not as tight of a snowball as I’d like, but I stand and whip around, throwing the ball at Adam.
And it lands at his feet.
Adam stares at the spot where the snowball landed, like he’s trying to understand what just happened.
“That’s…not what I was trying to do,” I say, feeling warmth rush to my icy-cold cheeks .
He looks back up at me. “And what exactly were you trying to do?”
I press my lips together. “Hit you with a snowball.”
“Ah.” He has the decency to look amused. “I take it that sports are not your strong suit.”
“Nope. I actually broke my pinky finger in P.E. in seventh grade. We were playing basketball and someone threw me the ball and…yeah. Broken pinky.”
Adam shrugs. “That’s fairly commonplace, isn’t it? Breaking fingers in basketball?”
“I mean…it was a gentle toss. It should’ve been a simple catch. Even I can admit that now.”
Adam takes a step toward me. “That’s pretty embarrassing.”
“Well, you don’t have to say it like that. But yes, it is.”
He steps toward me again, now about five feet away. “Maybe you’d have better aim from a closer distance.”
I raise a brow at him. “Is that a challenge?”
He shrugs a shoulder. “I’m curious how bad your athletic skill really is. I won’t even move. It should be an easy target.”
I fold my arms over my chest. “What do I get if I hit you?”
“Excuse me?”
“I need motivation. What do I get if I actually hit you with a snowball?”
“The honor of hitting me with a snowball. I think that’s a reward in itself.”
I snort a laugh. “I guess striking THE Adam Stone with a snowball would be something I could brag about for years. After all, it’s the same Adam Stone who had the power of fire in Burned to the Ground .”
“True. I could just melt all the snow if we were in that universe.”
I sigh dramatically. “If only. Then I could’ve been home already by now. ”
“Yes, you could.” His expression turns serious. He’s studying me.
I think he wants to know if I’m still angry about being locked here. But the truth is…I’m not so sure. We seem to have come to a mutual understanding, and the tone is significantly more light-hearted than before.
I’m kind of…having fun.
“Well,” he says, clapping his hands together, “what do I get if you miss again?”
I snort. “There’s no way I’d miss.”
“I beg to differ.”
“Fine.” I rack my brain to come up with something ridiculous he might want. And then it comes to me. “If I miss, I’ll do the rom-com with you.”
His eyebrows rise sky-high. “Is that a promise?”
I nod, giving him a no-nonsense stare. “But I won’t miss.”
He holds up his arms. “Let’s see about that.”
I bend down, packing snow into another snowball. I can’t miss , I tell myself.
But in a weird way, I wonder…do I want to miss?
Do I want to do the movie with him now?
No, of course not. He’s just an interesting puzzle for me to solve while I’m stranded up here. As soon as I can get back down this mountain and home to LA, I won’t think about Adam Stone again. At least not until I watch his next movie.
Once I’m satisfied with my snowball, I straighten and stare him down. He’s still standing with his arms raised, a slight smirk on his face. I take aim and…
I hit him square in the chest.
“Yes!” I squeal. I start doing a happy dance, swinging my hips and turning in a circle, which is kind of tricky in the snow.
When my back is turned to him, I get smacked by something cold on my back .
I turn and face Adam, who has a mock innocent expression. “You hit me with a snowball!”
He shrugs. “What are you going to do about it?” And then he turns and runs off. Well, more like he trudges through the snow at a slightly quickened pace.
But I take my time, making multiple snowballs before chasing after him. I need to be prepared. With an aim as bad as mine, I need to have multiple attacks ready at once. After I’ve made five snowballs, I start following him through the snow.
It’s a lot of work to run in calf-high snow, but I’m lighter than Adam and make it over to where he’s hiding around the corner of the castle pretty quickly. I take aim, and my first two snowballs miss, but my third hits him on top of his head.
“Ouch!” he exclaims, rubbing his head with a gloved hand.
“Oh, no! Did that hurt?” I drop my other two snowballs and run over to him, guilt running through me.
Shoot. Did I just injure Adam Stone? Is he going to sue me?
I reach him, not sure if I should touch him or what. His face is contorted in pain, and I feel awful. Before I can make a decision, though, he hits me in the chest with another snowball that was hidden by his side.
“Hey!” I cry out.
His eyes are filled with delight.
My mouth drops open in shock. “It was a trap!”
He laughs out loud, throwing his head back. It’s a glorious sight. I haven’t seen Adam this happy and free the entire time I’ve been here. In fact, he never portrays this even in his movies. Brooding, stoic, and serious are his strong suits. But this fits even better than I would have expected. A deep sense of pride wells up in my chest, and I beam at him.
He looks back down at me with a wide smile.
“Are you making a snowman?” Theo’s little voice sounds from around the corner at the front of the castle. I turn my head, breaking eye contact with Adam, but I can’t see him from where we’re standing.
“Theodore!” I hear Brigette call. “Get back inside this instant!”
“But I wanna make a snowman!” he whines back.
“We’re not making a snowman, Theo,” I call.
Adam doesn’t say anything, and the levity is gone. His expression is back to its stony default. I sigh inwardly, disappointed that all my work has gone to waste.
I leave Adam’s side, trudging through the snow to find Theo. Adam follows behind until we see Theo standing at the front door in his Captain America pajamas and fur-lined boots. Poor kid has been stuck inside too, and now we adults are outside having all the fun.
I point at the sky, where the sunset has turned into an inky blue sky dotted by a few stars. “It’s dark now, see? But we can make a snowman tomorrow. I think the storm is over.”
“I want to make a Snow Hulk,” he says.
“That sounds like a great idea.”
Theo looks satisfied and goes back inside. I look back at Adam. His expression is serious, unflinching. Gone are the laughs and the cheer we shared. But even still, I want to finish this occasion on a good note. “Thank you for coming outside with me. I needed this.”
He nods silently. Lionel opens the door to the castle entrance and we walk back inside.
As disappointed as I am that Adam snapped back into his usual self, I saw a flicker of who he could be. And maybe who he once was. He has so much affection for his little sister, Lily. Did he ever play outside with her like this? Even from the couple of pictures I’ve seen of her, I can tell she has a sweet and playful personality. Surely he wanted to entertain her, too .
I head off to my room, looking forward to a warm bath, but I can’t stop picturing that moment when Adam seemed like someone I’d like to know.