Chapter 30
THIRTY
The next morning, I wake in an unfamiliar bed, my head on a familiar chest with light streaming into the room, and I have to fight back tears when everything feels so perfectly right.
This is what I’ve wanted. This is what’s been missing.
His warm chest beneath my cheek, his thick arm around my back, the even sound of his breathing, not a worry about sneaking out before anyone catches me here.
Even though part of me is nervous, worried about what happens next, another, louder part screams that it doesn’t matter: it’s going to work out.
“Morning,” Jesse’s gravelly voice says, rumbling against my cheek. I lift my head, and his hand moves, brushing hair back from my face and smiling softly down at me.
“Morning.”
A moment passes between us before he speaks again.
“How do you feel?”
I barely had a full drink at the bar last night, and while we fucked—a lot—last night, I know he’s not asking how I feel physically. He means with everything that happened the night before.
Instead of answering right away, I think and try to sift through my thoughts and feelings before responding.
How do I feel? There’s no world where Wren and Madden missed the show I put on the night before, so the cat is kind of out of the bag about that, but when I dig deep, I find, strangely enough, I feel… relieved.
I don’t have to hide my feelings anymore, and I don’t have to force Jesse to conceal his. Things are out in the open, for the most part, and it feels good. It seems the most challenging part was just taking that jump.
“Good,” I murmur with a smile, and when Jesse grins back, his is nearly blinding. It warms my chest to see it and know I did that, knowing that the small feat of my being open about my feelings for him is what put that look there.
“Yeah?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
My phone blinks from where it is charging on the bedside table, though I don't remember plugging it in. Jesse must have further proof that he always takes care of me in the smallest ways. “I’m sure your sister has texted and called me eight million times,” I groan.
“I texted her last night and told her we’d talk to her in the morning,” he murmurs, his fingers moving through my hair, scraping at my scalp as he does.
A pleasant shiver moves through me. “You did?”
He nods. “There was a good shot that if neither of us responded, she’d show up at my room demanding answers last night or first thing this morning, neither of which I was interested in.”
That’s a great point.
“I can’t believe you dragged me out of the bar,” I murmur.
“I can’t believe you kissed me in front of everyone,” he counters, and I smile, mirroring the one on his lips.
“I was tired of playing games.”
“Well, I for one am very glad you did.”
I nod, agreeing, leaning up to kiss him. As I do, my stomach growls at the words. He laughs, then rolls both of us off the bed and to our feet.
“It’s almost eight. I’m sure everyone is waiting for us for breakfast,” he says.
“We slept till eight?” Usually, if we’re on a ski trip, we’re at breakfast by seven to get on the mountain early. I wonder if Jesse included a delayed morning in his text to Wren, too.
“We had a long night,” Jesse says with a grin, and I roll my eyes.
“I need to go to my room. I can’t wear the same outfit I did yesterday.” A blush blooms on Jesse’s cheeks before he goes to his bag, digging before lifting something. “Are those my leggings?”
“You left them at my place the night of the hot tub. I washed them, of course. I was hopeful you’d be stuck there one morning.”
“Wow, condoms and a change of clothes? I really was a sure thing, wasn’t I?
” I ask with a laugh, snatching the fabric from his hands.
He shrugs but grabs one of his sweatshirts and tosses it my way as well.
I start to change, then stare at the heels I wore yesterday with an irritated glare.
“Unfortunately, we still need to go by my room. I can’t wear those. ”
This time, his smile isn’t embarrassed but excited as he digs in his bag. Grabbing a box, he hands it to me.
“What is this?” I ask, though it’s clearly a shoebox.
“Shoes.” I furrow my brow, then open the box to find a brand new pair of my comfy slipper shoes, but these have a more durable sole. “The best of both worlds. Cozy and grippy.”
“Oh my god, where did you get those?” I ask with a laugh, opening the package and then sliding one on. It’s a perfect fit.
He shrugs one shoulder as he pulls a sweatshirt over his head.
“I was going to give them to you for Valentine’s Day, but you wouldn’t have accepted them. We weren’t there yet.”
I let out a loud laugh. “And now we are?”
“Now you’re mine, so you can’t argue as much when I spoil you.”
I tip my head. “I don’t think that’s how that works.” Still, I slide the other shoe on and stand, smiling at the exquisite coziness. God, this man gets me.
“It definitely is, trust me.” He pulls me into him.
“You spoil Emma, I spoil you. The world keeps turning.” I’m warm and comfortable, and everything feels perfectly right as I sigh, leaning my head into his chest. His fingers move through my hair, gently brushing it, before tugging a bit so I look at him.
“Come on. Let’s brush our teeth, then head down.
You can even share my toothbrush.” I grin, then nod, and we finish getting ready before stepping out of Jesse’s hotel room hand in hand.
“Good morning, lovebirds,” Wren says, and I shriek with a bit of surprised panic. She stands in front of us, hands on her hips, face unreadable. Adam stands beside her, back against the wall, scrolling on his phone. At this point, the man is entirely immune to her quirks.
“Oh, my god, Wren, you scared the shit out of me!”
“Told you it was creepy,” Adam says, but Wren glares at him.
“You used to watch me through my office window. I don’t think you have a leg to stand on.”
He shrugs as if he knows that, and Wren turns back to me.
“We have to talk,” she says, and my stomach drops. Then she turns to Jesse. “Everyone is downstairs for breakfast; we’ll be down in five.”
Jesse stares at her for a moment before he must conclude that there’s no point in arguing. He pulls me into him, giving me a soft kiss and a reassuring look before abandoning me with his sister, who is holding open the door to the hotel room.
With dread, I follow her inside, the door slamming ominously behind us.
“Oh, my god, it smells like sex in here,” Wren says, looking like she might gag.
“It does not, you’re so dramatic.”
“Are you denying you fucked my brother in here?” she asks with a raised eyebrow.
My pulse is pounding, and my throat is tight, but I force the words out before I lose steam.
“Wren, I’m so sorry, I—”
She lifts a hand and closes her eyes as a mother at her wits’ end might do, and I stop talking.
“If you apologize for being the one to put that smile on my brother’s face for the past two months, I’m actually going to scream.
” She steps closer to me, and I stand frozen, unsure and nervous.
She stares at me for long moments, and I realize she’s waiting for me to say something, anything.
I’m not sure what to say or where to start, so instead, I tell her the only thing I think actually matters in this moment.
“I love him.”
“I’m glad you can finally admit it,” she says pointedly, sitting on the edge of the bed.
She must have read the look of utter confusion on my face, because she explained further.
“Hallie, you’ve been in love with my brother for years.
” I stare blankly, and she shakes her head, as if I’m being hardheaded.
“You used to write his name in the margins of all your notebooks.”
“Yeah, but back then I was a kid.”
My best friend shrugs, reaching out to grab my hand, her eyes suddenly going so sincere as I move to sit beside her.
“And then you weren’t.” It’s as simple as that, I guess. And then I wasn’t a kid, and it wasn’t a cute crush, and we suddenly were…everything. “So, when did it happen?”
“When you were in Paris,” I whisper, and she smiles, then gives me an all-knowing look.
“All according to my plan.”
I laugh, rolling my eyes and pushing her shoulder. “You’re so full of shit. You didn’t even know you were going to Paris.”
She grins and shrugs.
“I mean, maybe not my plan, but I could hope.” She takes me in, tipping her head in assessment.
The thing about Wren is that she can read people better than anyone I’ve ever met.
It’s why she’s so great as a teacher and so great at helping everyone.
“And last year? In Vermont? After, you two got super weird.”
I sigh, then explain. “We kissed, and then I ran off because I got scared. I avoided him, and he thought it was because I had a thing for Madden, so he let me have that space.”
A look of incredulity crosses her face.
“You and Madden? You’d kill each other if you dated.”
I laugh, loving that everyone but Jesse could see that.
“Thank you! That’s what I said.” We sit in silence before I take in a deep breath. “So, you’re not mad?”
“That you’re with my brother? No way. Just as long as I don’t have to hear the details.” Wren goes a bit green, and I laugh.
“Nat’s going to want them all, you know.”
“And I hope you and Nat have a jolly good time yapping about it every moment I am not around,” she says deadpan, then pauses. “Did you really think I’d be upset? Is that why this took so long?”
I scrunch my nose and shake my head.
“No, not really. Honestly, kind of the opposite. I thought you’d start planning our wedding.” She lifts an eyebrow, then tips her head as if to say it’s not totally out of the question. “If you start planning mine, I’ll start dropping hints to your mom that you’ll be getting engaged soon.”
She gives me a horrified look, and I let out a loud laugh.
“A truce,” she says, standing and putting a hand out. I follow, and when she takes my hand, she pulls me into her, a familiar hold I’ve felt a million times over my lifetime. “I’m happy for you, Hallie. I know this was a big step for you.”
And this is why Wren King is my best friend in the entire universe, more sister than friend: she knows me.
I don’t even have to tell her I was scared, why I was scared, or why I fought the pull to Jesse for so long.
She gets it, accepts it, and appreciates it.
When I pull back from the hug, her eyes are as watery as mine, and we let out teary laughs.
“Now, let’s get downstairs before our guys come barging in to check on us.” Then we walk hand in hand out of the room, and I’m not even a little surprised that Jesse and Adam never actually went downstairs without us, instead waiting near the elevator just in case we needed them.
As a group, we move downstairs and find the rest of our crew in the lobby. Once Colton catches sight of us, he grins wide and starts clapping, and Madden, Nat, Adam, and Wren join in quickly, hooting and hollering and generally causing a scene as my face burns.
“That was hot,” Nat says as the ruckus dies down. “Hallie going over there, claiming him? Hot. And then, of course, the kiss.”
“I’m still trying to bleach my brain of Jesse’s hands on my sister’s ass,” Colt says with a grimace.
Nat lifts her shoulder. “It still was hot.”
“I’m just glad we can all finally admit that the temper tantrum Jesse had at The Mill was because he had the hots for Hallie,” Madden says.
“I don’t have the—” Jesse starts.
“Excuse me?” I say, turning on my…boyfriend? Lover? Shit, I suppose I should have talked that part out. He grins at me, an arm moving around my waist and pulling me into his side.
“Oof, already headed to the doghouse. Come on, Jesse, you just got her. Don’t fuck it up this fast,” Madden says. Jesse looks down at me with a soft smile.
“I don’t have the hots for her. I’m in love with her. There’s a big difference,” he says, and I think I might melt into a puddle.
“Oh, he’s good at this,” Wren whispers.
“Told you he would be,” Adam says. “I saw the looks he gave her.”
I’m sure Wren rolls her eyes, but I don’t. I’m too busy moving to my tiptoes and pressing a kiss to Jesse’s lips in front of everyone.
And god, it feels good.