Chapter 33
Charlotte
A snowball whizzes past my face, and I stop just in time not to get hit.
Despite the craziness of it all, I’m laughing.
Taking part in an adult snowball fight is not something I usually do.
At least not before I met Gavin. Considering everything, it feels like a very new me thing to do.
Chill Charlotte can also be competitive Charlotte, and competitive Charlotte is going to win a snowball fight against Gavin.
Despite the bodies running every which way, I can pick out his shadow amongst the rest. The only light source is the moon, but it makes the snow very bright. I can make out his broad shoulders, defined chest, wavy hair, and sharp jawline. He’s closing in on me, but I’m ready.
As he gets closer, I throw a ball, but it misses him. He throws one, and it hits me. I shriek and throw another. It hits him in the thigh, almost hitting him somewhere else.
“Wow, I see how it is,” he says, and I laugh.
“I didn’t mean to,” I giggle.
“Uh huh. Right. Load up, girl, because I’m taking you down,” he says, scooping up more snow.
I take the opportunity to run, forfeiting the ammo altogether.
I dash into the trees, weaving around until I find what looks like the perfect place to hide and create a fortress for snowball building.
But as I scurry down into it, I see something near one of the cabins; I stop.
Ben is sitting there. Not looking around or crafting snow into balls. Just sitting there. Instinctively, I go and sit next to him.
“Hey,” I say with a smile. “You doing alright?” I ask.
“Well, I was really hoping no one would find my hiding spot,” he says.
“My bad,” I grimace. “But now that I’m here, you might as well tell me why you look so down in the dumps.”
“This is wild, isn’t it?” he asks.
“You and I broke up, and now I’m the wedding planner at your wedding that is happening in less than twenty-four hours?” I ask, somewhat jokingly.
“Mostly the me getting married part,” he says, and I’m a little surprised. “If I’m being honest, and I’m going to be because I’m pretty buzzed, my feet are kind of cold.”
“I mean, you are wearing Converse in the snow,” I joke, but Ben isn’t laughing. He’s not smiling either. It seems that something is really eating at him, and worry is not a normal look for Ben. “I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Let’s see. Do I want to talk about being nervous to get married with my ex who happens to be my wedding planner, unbeknownst to my fiancé?” he asks sarcastically.
“Well, when you put it that way–” I shrug and start to get up, but then he keeps talking.
“It’s just that it’s moving so fast,” he goes on, and I sit back down.
“I mean, that is true. There’s a rumor that you were in another serious relationship not that long ago. The cold feet isn’t a side effect of being stuck on your last girlfriend, is it?”
I’m still trying to make him smile, and this time it actually works, though it’s only about a fourth of a Lacey smirk. Right now, I’ll take it though.
“No. I am sorry to say, Charlie, that I am not still hung up on my last relationship. As great as she was, she wasn’t a good fit,” he says.
“Oh, trust me, she knows,” I say. “But she also understands how crazy this all is.”
“I really do feel bad about it, Charlie,” he says.
“Charlotte,” I correct him. “Please? No one calls me that.”
“I know,” he says, leaning back against the wall.
“Do you love her?” I ask. “Like a forever kind of love?”
“Am I a shitty ex-boyfriend if I say yes?” he cringes.
“No, but you might be kind of a crappy fiancé to Holly if you say no. I mean, the clock is ticking, Ben…” I say, and he laughs a little.
“No, I love her. I really do. She’s beautiful and fun and adventurous and spontaneous…” he rattles off.
“So totally your type,” I nod.
“I don’t know that I have a type…” Ben argues, and I roll my head over to look at him.
“Well, we both know what your type isn’t, so…”
“Oh really, and what is that?” he asks, turning his body to face mine.
“Less color-coded and sticky-noted,” I say.
“I liked the sticky notes,” he lies. “They reminded me when to take my multi-vitamins.”
I laugh at that, and for a moment we just sit there. He may not be my soulmate, but he’s easy to talk to.
“I don’t think you have anything to be nervous about,” I say after a moment. “You two are going to be very happy together; I can feel it.”
“So you don’t think we are rushing into it?” he asks.
“Oh, I never said that,” I tell him, and he laughs again. “I just mean that I think she’s the right girl for you.”
“Thanks, Charlotte. I really hope that for you. That you find the right guy for you, I mean.”
I take in a deep breath and let it out. “Yeah, well…I have met someone.”
“Really?” he perks up. “That’s great! Isn’t it? Your face says it isn’t.”
“I don’t know. It’s…complicated,” I tell him, leaning against the wall too.
“Really? More complicated than all of this?” he asks, pointing between me and him.
“Oh, trust me, my love life compared to yours right now is like comparing an afternoon shower and a hurricane,” I tell him. “Category three at least.”
“Okay, you’re going to have to tell me more than that,” he says. “Because now I am curious.”
I don’t know what makes me say it. Maybe because, like his father, he is easy to open up to. Or maybe because, other than Josie, I haven’t admitted it to anyone yet. Even if I've never said those words out loud, saying them now feels like having a strip of duct tape over my mouth removed.
“I’m pregnant,” I say, and for a split second, I feel the most overwhelming relief.
“You’re pregnant?” he asks, and right before I nod, I hear the words again. But this time, the voice is not his.
“You’re pregnant?”
I look up and see Gavin and Holly standing a couple of feet away.
Oh god…