Chapter Eleven Ella
Chapter Eleven
Ella
Christmas has come and gone. We spent it eating too much, watching Christmas movies, and playing board games.
There was much laughter and a warm togetherness as we knitted our first holiday memories together.
Rhia took us out on the sled more than once, showing off her ever-growing mushing skills. Each time, her confidence grew, her control over the dogs sharper and more assured. I can’t wait to have a go myself.
The laid-back holiday atmosphere was a new experience for Tiero, and it took him a while to settle into it.
From what he told me, his father stopped celebrating Christmas after Tiero’s mom died.
What remained of the tradition was a large get-together for the entire la famiglia. It didn’t include movies or games, just plenty of booze instead, though Tiero and Mateo rarely touched it, preferring to stay sober and alert.
Even now, with the danger removed from his life, Tiero rarely drinks more than a glass of wine or a shot of whiskey.
Staying sober wasn’t Claudette’s or Rhia’s plan, though. Those two are hilarious when tipsy.
Their answers in Trivia Pursuit grew more and more creative as the night went on, while Lex and Tiero, of course, dominated the game. Especially when it came to history, Tiero was unbeatable.
I was an extremely proud fiancée and happily claimed his victories as my own. After all, we share everything now, right?
Rhia and I also carved out some quality girl time. We both needed that.
Not only did we plan every detail of this wedding, but we also dreamed up a grand proposal for Rhia to use on Lex. He won’t know what hit him.
It’s now the morning of the twenty-ninth of December, two days before our nuptials. Well, nearly three, given we’re getting married just before midnight.
We’re still without our marriage license. When we turned up at George Roberts’ place on the afternoon of the twenty-seventh, not all the checks had come back yet. But he assured us that by this afternoon it would be ready.
So there’s no reason to panic, right? None at all.
We just finished breakfast. Lex and Tiero are in the kitchen cleaning up while we girls linger at the table, still sipping our tea.
Watching Tiero and Lex now, you would never guess they were on opposite sides of the law not that long ago. I don’t think they’ll ever be best friends, but they both respect the genuinely good parts in each other.
It’s such a relief.
Over the last couple of days, Tiero and Lex have spent the few daylight hours we get here in winter putting the finishing touches on the decorations around the spruce tree, the surrounding area, and the path leading to it.
Whenever they returned from their trips, they looked freezing cold but quietly pleased with themselves. They’ve timed the route to the wise, old tree, as they like to call it, and by snowmobile it takes ten minutes. Today, they plan to test the three-dog sled setup to determine the travel time.
“Shit, shit, double shit,” Rhia mumbles, typing away on her phone.
“What?” Claudette and I ask in unison while the guys look over at us from the kitchen.
She lifts her screen to show us. The weather app is open, and a map of this area shows dark, swiftly shifting blobs converging in our direction.
“What’s that?” I ask stupidly, trepidation swirling in my stomach.
Tiero is by my side within seconds, wiping his hands on a towel.
I twist the necklace Tiero gave me for Christmas between my fingers. It’s similar to the one he gave me on his island. I regret throwing it into the lake in Monza. I really loved it, minus the tracker, which this one, he assures me, doesn’t have.
“That’s a blizzard. A severe weather warning has been issued,” Rhia replies.
I feel the blood drain from my face.
No!
“But what will happen to our winter wonderland wedding?”
“Well, fingers crossed, the storm will have passed by then. But God knows what it will do to the decorations the boys spent hours putting up.”
Rhia’s gaze finds Lex’s across the room. She looks worried.
“In the worst-case scenario, I’ll marry you guys here in the house,” Claudette says, trying to calm me. “The fireplace in the living room is a gorgeous spot.”
My heart sinks. My face follows. It’s a nice spot, my favorite in the house, but it’s not where I want to get married.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Tiero says, kissing my forehead and rubbing my shoulders.
He takes the phone from Rhia to read all the information.
“It’s predicted to hit here early this afternoon and last for a day or two.” He rubs his face with one hand while keeping his other on me.
“But we were meant to pick up our wedding license this afternoon.”
Tiero’s brows furrow. “That’s not going to happen. We’ll get it when the blizzard is over.”
“And what if it’s not over in time?” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “We can kiss our New Year’s Eve wedding goodbye now. And everything was going so well.”
“No,” Tiero declares. “We’ll find a way. You and I will start the new year married.”
I huff. He sounds so certain, but on what grounds?
“Let’s not panic,” Claudette says, unfazed by the unfolding drama. “I agree with Tiero. Everything will work out. Remember the bird we saw when you went to get your license?”
“The one with the red eye?” She nods. “You said it was a symbol of good luck. I think it was wrong,” I say, frustrated.
Claudette chuckles, shaking her head.
“Remember, it’s also about flexibility and resilience. You’ve proven you’ve got both. So everything will be fine.”
I can’t say I follow her logic. I’m about to tell her that when Rhia nods at me reassuringly.
“We’ll make it work… somehow,” she says.
“No matter what, we need to salvage as much as we can of the decorations by the tree while it’s calm,” Tiero says, looking at Lex.
“I agree,” Lex replies, already on his way to their cabin to pull on his thermals.
“We’ll bring back the lanterns, torches, and rugs. Seriously, angel. It will be okay. I promise.”
He shouldn’t make promises he doesn’t know he can keep. But I’m not saying it out loud when he’s trying to comfort me.
“Do you want us to come and help?” Claudette calls after him when he’s about to leave the room.
“No, you girls stay here. The wind will pick up soon enough, and I don’t want you anywhere out there where you could get hurt. We need the bride, bridesmaid and officiant intact,” he says with a wink.
“What about the groom and the best man?” I mutter, but he’s already gone. Probably a good thing.
I go to the window and stare out. There’s no sign of the brewing trouble. The sky is overcast, but the treetops are still.
Rhia steps up behind me and winds her arms around my waist.
“We’ll work it all out, El. We always do. You will have a beautiful and memorable wedding day. Remember, everything has fallen into place for it so far. Why would that change?”
I shrug my shoulders, feeling very much at the mercy of nature.
But Rhia is right. Everything has been going wonderfully.
All I need is to trust, right?
“Girls,” Lex calls from the front door, and the three of us make our way over.
When we get there, his expression is unreadable, and my stomach plummets. Whatever he’s about to tell us, it’s not good.
“What is it?” Rhia asks her boyfriend.
“Um, you might want to take a look at the shed…”
Looking at me, he amends, “Perhaps only Rhia should go.”
My bestie is already sliding her arms into her jacket. But there’s no way I’m staying here.
“Oh my god, did one of the dogs die? Did they get into a fight?” I ask, frantically pulling on my jacket and grabbing my boots.
“No, the dogs are fine, but… um… well… you’ll see.” Lex sends a worried glance my way before taking Rhia’s hand.
She’s quiet. I can tell the wheels in her head are turning, running through scenarios of what we might find and how to deal with it.
Lex, Rhia, and I march down the stairs and toward the shed. Fresh snow has fallen overnight, making our boots sink into the white powder.
“Wait for me,” Claudette calls from behind as she rushes after us, pulling on a beanie.
Crap, I forgot mine, and now my ears are freezing. Tiero won’t be happy if he sees me without one.
His protectiveness seems to be growing by the day. It’s sweet and infuriating at the same time.
Would I want it any other way? Hell, no.
Nothing seems amiss as we near the shed. Lex has already pulled out the two snowmobiles and attached a trailer to both. But when he slides open the large door, what happened doesn’t need an explanation.
Rhia’s hand flies to her mouth to cover her gasp while mine just hangs open.
No sound comes out.
I blink a few times, but what I see doesn’t change.
I must be in shock because my mind is blank, and there’s a lack of physical reaction.
“Oh shit,” Claudette lets out when she catches up to us.
I stare at the mayhem before me.
Strike two for today.
First the blizzard warning, and now this.
Don’t they say all good and bad things come in threes?
So what’s next?