Chapter 46
Morella plops into one of the plush leather chairs with a yelp. “Cold!” she squeaks, tucking her legs beneath her.
I giggle at her reaction and settle into the couch, sliding in next to Silas. Archer drops on the floor next to me and oh. I immediately cover my mouth, biting back a laugh.
Silas catches my expression and follows my gaze. His eyebrows shoot up before he leans back, casually draping one arm over his face, clearly trying not to laugh too.
Archer has grabbed a pillow and strategically placed it in his lap.
I don’t blame him. That was… probably the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced.
My mind drifts back, slow and hazy, to the way it felt when he tied my hands behind my back.
I’d been nervous, trembling even, but he made me feel safe.
Safe and wanted. The way he pressed up against me.
God, the way he let me feel everything he was holding back.
I lift my hand to smooth my hair, suddenly self-conscious.
Silas leans in, his voice low near my ear. “You’re good, Princess.”
I give him a grateful glance, just as Morella turns to me, her grin wide and suspicious.
“So, Liv,” she begins, her voice teasing.
My stomach sinks. She knows. I’m sure of it. But then she continues, all bundled up now under Rafe’s thick throw blanket, looking cozy and excited.
“Every year during winter break, we go up to our family cabin for at least a week.”
I blink. That’s it? That’s what this is about?
“You guys have a family cabin?” I ask, still recovering.
“Yup. It’s awesome. There’s a hot tub, a huge stone fireplace, and a fire pit outside. The guys usually spend all day snowboarding, and I go shopping.”
“No gingerbread houses? Roasting marshmallows? Building snowmen or having snowball fights?” I ask, half-joking.
Everyone falls quiet. Silas tilts his head at me, puzzled. “We’ve never done any of that,” he says slowly. Then he grins. “But it sounds like a blast.”
I glance at Morella, who’s already nodding. “Hell yeah. I’m in,” she says.
The warmth in my chest spreads as I look from Silas to Morella, then to Archer.
The pillow’s still in his lap. When my eyes drop to it, then rise to meet his, he doesn’t look away.
His stare is all fire and tension, unspoken promises lingering in the heat of his gaze. “Sounds perfect,” he says, voice low.
The door creaks open, and Rafe steps in, hair damp like he’s just gotten out of the shower. He’s dressed in joggers and a black Henley that clings to his shoulders.
He surveys the room with a curious glance, then walks over and drops into the armchair across from us with a heavy sigh. “What’d I miss?”
Morella perks up, shifting in her blanket cocoon. “We’re talking about the cabin trip.”
Rafe raises a brow, interest piqued. “Already? Break’s still a week away.”
Silas stretches his legs out in front of him, arms draped along the back of the couch. “Exactly. Planning early means more time to escape this hellhole.”
Archer leans back beside me, relaxed but alert. “I’m down for whatever.”
“Same,” Morella chimes, tugging the blanket up to her chin. “As long as we bring cocoa and my playlist.”
Rafe chuckles. “Even if we said no, which every year we have, you’d still do what you want.”
Silas tilts his head toward Rafe, smirking. “I wouldn’t complain if we stayed the whole three weeks.”
“Dude, that’s not a trip—that’s relocation,” Rafe says, but he’s grinning now, like the idea isn’t the worst.
Everyone turns toward me, expectant.
“Oh, I’m so in.”
It’s finally Saturday, the start of winter break, and my room feels like a warm cocoon against the cold outside. Evan and I are sprawled in comfortable silence.
He’s curled up in my reading chair, legs crossed, flipping through a paperback he snagged from my shelf. “You actually read these books?” he finally asks, peeking at me from over the top of it.
“Yes, why?” I mumble, lying on my bed, phone held above my head as I scroll.
“Olivia Lovelace,” he sighs dramatically, shaking his head as he clicks his tongue. “Tsk, tsk.”
I glance at him sideways. “Pretty sure you’re reading it right now.”
He flips a page and lets out a gasp. “Oh my!” He pulls the book closer to his face like he’s genuinely scandalized, eyes wide as he reads some ridiculous passage.
I snort and roll onto my stomach, setting my phone down beside me for a second. But it’s impossible not to glance back at it again almost immediately.
Archer and Silas have added me to a group chat and it’s perfect. Like having them with me even when they’re not here. The notifications light up my screen in quick succession:
Silas:
Coffee shop is dead. Archer’s brooding again.
Archer:
Don’t exaggerate.
Silas:
Sending proof.
A blurry photo pops up. Archer sitting by the window, arms crossed, head tilted down, brows furrowed in that way that makes my heart skip. Even in a grainy photo, he looks like he could take a nap right there in his little chair. I bite my lower lip to keep from smiling too obviously.
“Is that the boyfriends again?” Evan asks.
I hum noncommittally, my cheeks warming as I scroll back through their messages. Silas updates me constantly, every mundane detail of his day, and Archer is always there to tell him he’s going to scare me off.
When they’re together, they send photos. Inside jokes. Quirks I’m starting to learn are theirs and theirs alone.
Even though I’m here now, tucked away in this peaceful moment with Evan, I’m aware of how much I want to be with them too. How seamlessly they’ve folded themselves into my life.
My phone buzzes in my hand, a FaceTime call from Morella.
I swipe to answer. “Hey you.”
“Hey,” Morella says with a smile, bundled in a huge scarf. “You busy?”
Before I can answer, Evan climbs onto my bed, casually plopping his chin on my shoulder so he’s in view. “Hey, gorgeous.”
“Evan,” she grins, clearly pleased. “What a surprise. You crashing our FaceTime?”
“Obviously,” he says, settling onto the bed beside me, tossing the book aside like it’s boring now. “What’s up?”
Morella tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Cabin trip prep. You should come with us, you know.”
Evan raises a brow, glancing at me for a half-second before grinning back at her. “Oh? Is that an invitation?”
“Of course it is,” she replies. “The more the merrier. Snow, hot chocolate… chaos.”
He laughs. “I have to work, but… I could probably swing a few days.”
“Perfect,” she says brightly.
I glance at him sideways. “You totally should. Cabin chaos sounds incomplete without you.”
“Clearly,” he teases.
Morella’s gaze shifts back to me. “So… are we still shopping for this trip today?”
“Yep,” I say. “Come get me whenever.”
“I’ll swing by soon. You’re gonna need new stuff for this trip anyway. You own, like… two sweaters.”
I roll my eyes as Evan climbs off my bed, stretching dramatically. “Speaking of which, I should go get ready for work.”
He waves toward the screen. “Later, Morella.”
“Bye Evan,” she calls, casual but warm.
He leans over me one last time, whispering playfully, “Tell your boyfriends I said hi,” before slipping out of my room.
I shake my head, smiling as my phone buzzes again.
Silas:
Archer stole my muffin. Again.
Archer:
It was mine.
Silas:
You’re trying to starve me so I can’t seduce your girlfriend.
Morella’s watching me, smirking. “Them again?”
“Constantly,” I say, not even trying to hide my grin.
“Good. Send them a photo later so they know we’re cute and thriving.”
“Deal.”
The morning air is crisp, breath-cloud cold, but it feels perfect.
Everyone’s outside now, gathered around Rafe’s SUV as we pack up for the trip.
The back is already open, half-full of suitcases and duffel bags, boots stacked on the side.
The snowboards are waiting off to the side, ready to be loaded up top.
Rafe leans against the driver’s side, surprisingly relaxed, his hands in his jacket pockets as he watches the chaos unfold with an easy grin.
“Careful with that one!” Silas calls, as Archer lifts a large plastic tub filled with food.
Archer just rolls his eyes. “I’ve got it.”
Silas flashes me a grin and steps closer, brushing a loose strand of hair from my face. His fingers trail gently across my cheek before dropping away, his smile softening for just a beat.
Morella swings the lid shut on another bin, calling out, “Okay, what’s next? Snowboards on top?”
“Yeah,” Rafe says, finally pushing off from where he was leaning and grabbing one by the bindings. His gloved hand brushes mine as we both reach for the same snowboard. He pauses, meets my gaze and there’s something almost easy in his expression today, his usual tension softened.
“Got it?” I ask softly.
He nods. “Yeah.”
“Princess,” Silas teases, tugging me to him, “this trip is going to ruin you in all the right ways. You ready?”
I lean into him for a second, smiling. “I’m ready.”
His lips brush my temple, casual but tender. “Good.”
Halfway there, and Morella and I are in full holiday concert mode—singing every Christmas carol we know, loud and unapologetic. It’s become a mission at this point. No pauses. No mercy.
“Fiiiiive goooolden riiiiiings!” we belt, leaning into it like we’re on stage, laughing through the notes.
Rafe lets out a slow, tortured sigh from the driver’s seat, fingers tightening on the wheel like he’s holding onto the last thread of sanity.
“Liv,” he says, voice low and almost pleading. “Please.”
Next to me, Silas has his head thrown back dramatically, eyes squeezed shut like he’s in pain. “You’ve sung the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ twice. Twice. I’m begging you…”
“You love it,” I say sweetly, nudging Morella.
“Obviously,” she agrees, flipping through her playlist. “We’re just spreading holiday cheer. You guys look like you need it.”
Silas groans. “I look like I need earplugs.”
Rafe mutters under his breath, “I look like I need a new set of friends.”
A few hours later the SUV crunches slowly up a narrow, winding drive, flanked by towering pine trees dusted in white. The teasing and laughter fade into a quiet hum as we near the end of the road, everyone instinctively falling silent—even Morella.
Then we pull into a wide clearing, and I feel my breath catch in my throat.
The cabin is perfect. Dark wood and stone, nestled at the edge of a vast expanse of snow that stretches out endlessly before us.
The world feels... untouched. Pristine. Crisp, clean air sparkling with tiny flecks of snow as sunlight filters through the trees.
The mountains rise behind the cabin, blanketed in powder, and the pine forest climbs and dips along the slopes like something out of a painting.
The snow itself glitters, each drift shimmering like it holds secrets.
I’ve never seen anything like this. I am so ready for this vacation.