Chapter 32
AXEL
One year later
The snow outside the windows of Mt. Snowlodge is falling steadily, blanketing the mountains in a thick, white layer. The lodge is buzzing with life—families, couples, everyone preparing for Christmas Eve. But here in the lobby, it’s just the four of us, sitting around the fire, waiting.
Waiting for her.
I’m sitting on one of the oversized leather couches, legs stretched out, my boots propped on the coffee table in front of me. The lodge is decked out in full holiday spirit—twinkling lights, wreaths, and even a Christmas tree taller than I can crane my neck.
Tanner’s slouched beside me, looking as relaxed as ever, his arms draped over the back of the couch. Jace and Ben are across from us, both nursing mugs of hot chocolate—though Jace, predictably, spiked his with something stronger.
Tanner’s already cracking some joke about how he had to wrestle with the tree we helped Collie set up, while Ben sits next to him, nodding along with a quiet smirk.
“I think she thinks we’re part of her staff now,” Tanner is saying.
“Not her fault, we’ve been up here so many times since Hailey’s wedding,” I say. Hailey is on her second honeymoon in Thailand, and according to Jace, he’s expecting some good news once they return.
Jace is to my left, flipping through his phone, but I know he’s not really paying attention to it. None of us are.
We’re all waiting for Emily.
It’s been a year since that crazy winter storm, since everything changed for us. A year of figuring out what it meant for all four of us to be with her, to share something we never imagined we could. And it worked. Somehow, it worked better than any of us thought it would.
Tanner kicks back, rubbing his hands together like he’s about to launch into a story.
“You guys remember that time in June, when we all went camping with Emily? She was trying so hard to make s’mores, but man, she burned every damn marshmallow.
” He laughs, shaking his head. “I swear she was doing it on purpose just to get us to feed her.”
I chuckle, the memory clear in my mind. Emily, looking all innocent, batting her eyes while Tanner and Ben fumbled with the marshmallows to make sure she got the perfect one. “You fed her half of them, so don’t act like you didn’t enjoy it,” I say, smirking at Tanner.
Ben smiles quietly, adding, “Yeah, but you didn’t see her later, Axel. She sneaked off with the rest of the chocolate when you weren’t looking. I had to track her down to stop her from eating the whole stash.”
Jace finally looks up from his phone, smirking. “She has a thing for chocolate. Remember that time on her birthday? She got that cake, and by the end of the night, it was all over us—and I don’t mean just because we were eating it.”
Tanner grins, his eyes lighting up as he leans forward. “Yeah, that night was...memorable.” His voice drops, full of suggestion.
I can’t help but shake my head at that. That night had been one of those moments where everything between the five of us had clicked into place, all the uncertainties and doubts melting away in the heat of the moment.
“She’s gonna be late, isn’t she?” Jace mutters, tapping his phone on the table, looking frustrated but trying to hide it.
I check my watch, realizing she’s running behind. “Yeah, probably caught up in town,” I say, but I know we’re all feeling the same thing. We miss her. Even if it’s only been a few hours since we last saw her, every minute feels too long when she’s not with us.
Tanner stretches out, putting his hands behind his head, looking completely at ease. “So, Axel,” he says, his tone shifting to that playful teasing he always falls back on, “how’s the Christmas gift planning going? You think she’s gonna like what we got her?”
I shrug, trying to play it cool, but I know she’s going to love it. “It’s not about what we got her. It’s about how we give it to her,” I say, smirking.
Ben rolls his eyes, his voice soft but firm. “You’re so full of it, man. But yeah, I think she’ll love it. It’s her first Christmas with all of us together.”
A year has passed since that wild night we said yes to this arrangement, and somehow, all four of us—me, Tanner, Jace, and Ben—are with her.
It’s unconventional as hell, but it works.
The guys tease each other, but there’s an unspoken understanding, a sense of shared connection, and yeah, sometimes competition.
But it’s always rooted in the fact that we all want what’s best for her.
The four of us, so different in our own ways, yet somehow finding a balance—sharing her, loving her, making it work. We’ve had our moments, our struggles, but the bond between us has only gotten stronger. Who knew it was going to be this easy?
“So, what do you think she’s planning this year?” Ben asks, stirring his drink with that calm, thoughtful demeanor he always has. “She’s been hinting at something all week.”
“The last year was fucking unreal,” Ben says. “I’ve never been happier.”
All I can do is nod.
“We’ve definitely had our moments, though,” Jace says.
“Remember when we took that weekend trip to the lake in September? Emily kept insisting she could row the boat herself,” he says with a grin, shaking his head.
“And then she ended up stuck in the middle of the lake, yelling for one of us to come get her.”
“But she knows what she’s doing,” I say.
“Yeah, remember when she beat you on that trail you begged her to go to, by a whole twenty minutes.”
I lean back, staring into the fire. “You guys don’t know what it’s like going hiking with her and Raffle.” My German shepherd practically worships her, and he doesn’t leave her side every time she's around. “It wasn’t my fault, they practically abandoned me.”
Jace chuckles, shaking his head. “Raffle’s in love with her, man. You’re just an afterthought.”
Ben looks up from his mug, smiling faintly. “I remember when we had that quiet weekend at the cabin. She spent the entire evening reading by the fire, and I just…watched her. It was peaceful. She doesn’t need to be doing something grand all the time to make you feel like everything’s just right.”
That’s the thing about Emily. She’s the center of this—of us. No matter what each of us brings to the table, she ties it all together, balances us in ways we never thought we needed.
Raffle, lying beside me with his head resting on his paws, suddenly perks up, ears twitching. He sniffs the air, a low whine escaping his throat. I glance down at him, raising an eyebrow. “What is it, boy?” But I already know. Raffle senses her.
Before I can say anything, Tanner, who’s been lazily glancing toward the window, sits up straighter, a grin spreading across his face. “Speak of the devil,” he says, chuckling.
All of us turn to look out the large, frost-covered window. Sure enough, there’s Emily, bundled up in her winter coat, her scarf wrapped tightly around her neck as she trudges up the hill toward the lodge.
“She never packs light, does she?” Jace mutters, shaking his head, but there’s a soft smile on his face as he stands, already moving toward the door.
“Guess we better go help her out,” I say, standing up and giving Raffle a quick scratch behind the ears. He bolts to his feet, tail wagging furiously. “C’mon, boy. Let’s go.”
We step out into the cold, and the icy air hits my face, but it doesn’t bother me—not when I see Emily up ahead, struggling with her suitcase as it gets stuck in the snow. She pauses, trying to readjust, a frown forming on her lips as she gives it another frustrated tug.
“Need a hand?” Tanner calls out with a teasing grin.
“Hey, boys,” she calls out. “Chivalry isn’t dead, huh?”
Raffle bounds forward, his tail wagging furiously, and nudges Emily with his nose, demanding her attention. She laughs, crouching down to ruffle his fur. “Who’s a good boy?”
The air changes instantly. It’s like everything shifts back into place now that she’s here.
As she comes to her feet, I walk up to her, brushing the snow off her jacket. She wraps her arms around my waist, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Miss me?” she whispers, her breath warm against my skin.
I chuckle, pulling her closer. “You have no idea. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she says. The first time I told her I loved her was when she found me right after I finished my hike.
“Where’s my love?” Tanner says, walking up to her and grabbing her by her waist.
“I love you, too, Tanny. And I love you Ben and Jace,” she adds, leaning in for a kiss from the both of them.
Tanner scowls. “You know I hate that nickname.”
“I think you secretly love it when I call you that,” Emily says with a laugh.
“Alright, that’s enough, let’s get you inside before you freeze,” I say, gently pulling her back up from the snow. “You know how easily you catch a cold.”
Emily rolls her eyes.
As we walk through the entrance and into the lobby, I can’t help but feel that same rush of anticipation, the same sense of rightness I felt a year ago. Everything may have changed, but some things—like the way we all feel about Emily—stay constant.
She drops her scarf and coat onto the nearby bench, glancing around at the decorations, the Christmas lights twinkling above us. “I never get tired of coming up here for Christmas. It’s so beautiful.”
“Do you want to go skiing tomorrow?” Tanner asks.
“Sure,” Emily says as she rubs her hands together, her cheeks still rosy from the cold.
She’s grinning, and there’s this buzz in the air, this feeling that something special is about to happen.
Raffle is practically glued to her side, his tail wagging as if he hasn’t seen her in years.
I can’t help but smile at how easy it is to feel at home when she’s around.
“So,” Emily says, looking at us mischievously as she digs through her bag. “I’ve got something for you guys.”
Tanner arches an eyebrow. “Gifts? Already?”
“Come on, it’s Christmas Eve,” she says, laughing. “And I found something for each of you that I think you’ll really like.”