Epilogue
RAE
Izip up my last suitcase and look at the pile of luggage that we’re going to be lugging to Vail for the holidays.
It’s family tradition to go to the cabin Chandler and the guys bought and spend Christmas there with everyone.
And I mean everyone. Not only do they go, with Evie and Maya, but my whole family goes, along with Grayson’s and Audrey and Charlie.
Asher came a couple times when we were younger, but this is the first time we’re all going in a relationship.
I already anticipate it’s going to be interesting.
Plus, Grayson’s aunt Bailey from Washington usually comes with her husband who’s this giant ex-military guy.
He actually may have been useful to have around when all the Collins stuff was going down. Luckily, we will never have to see that guy again. The police investigated his house and found walls covered in pictures and article of me. Turns out he was also stalking me for a lot longer than I ever knew.
Shaking the thoughts away, I focus on the task at hand. I severely underestimated how much baggage we were going to have and even in an SUV it’s going to be a tight fit.
Oh well, we’ll figure it out. Tight fits never stop us.
My phone rings, and I see it’s my mom, probably wondering when we’re going to be leaving. I’m sure she’s already at the house with some of the other parents.
“Hey, Mom,” I greet.
“Hi, honey, have you guys left yet?”
“Nope, just finished packing. I assume you’re already there?”
“Oh good, no we aren’t. Turns out there’s a brutal blizzard going through and if we leave now, we’re going to get caught in it so we’re going to need to wait.”
“Good thing no one has left then, right?” I sigh in relief that I don’t need to move any of these bags again right now. I know Grayson and Asher would gladly help, but I’m still independent and I like them to know that.
“Your brother did. He got there two days ago because the snow was perfect for him and he wanted ample snowboarding time. You know Steele.” She sighs and I chuckle.
“You’d think he gets tired of boarding, training for the Olympics. For the third time.” I shake my head.
“Do you get sick of music?”
“Never.”
“Same for him. And now he’s stuck there without us for a few more days. I’m sure he’ll be happy to have more uninterrupted board time.”
“That whole house to himself and his snowboard? Oh yeah, he’s going to be miserable,” I joke sarcastically.
“Exactly.” My mom laughs. “Hopefully we’ll all be able to be there together in a few days.”
“I hope so,” I agree before we hang up.
Grayson comes home not long after I’m off the phone. Asher is with his coaches from Uncaged who are in town looking at possible locations for another gym here in Denver. He should be home soon as well because the plan was that we all would be leaving for Vail.
“Did you hear?” Grayson asks after he sweeps me in a vicious kiss.
“That you love me? No, I haven’t, actually,” I joke, which has him kissing me again, deeper and distracting me for an extra moment.
“I tell you every day how much I love you. Multiple times a day, actually.”
I giggle. “Can never say it too much.”
He nips the skin of my neck, and I yelp.
“I love you, Sunshine.”
“I love you, Gray.” I kiss him again, and think Asher may end up finding us in bed since we clearly aren’t going to be leaving today.
Which brings me back to what he was probably referring to when he first saw me.
“Did I hear that we can’t get to Vail right now and my brother is stuck there by himself? ”
He furrows his brows and rears back slightly. “Yes, kind of. I didn’t know your brother was there, though. Who?”
“Steele.” I shrug. “He’s probably happy to have that place to himself. It’s not a big deal.”
“He’s not alone. My mom called and said Maya was already there, but she didn’t mention Steele.”
I roll my lips together. “So, they’re both stuck there? Together?”
“Guess so.” He shrugs.
My mouth twists to the side. “Well, that should be interesting.”
“Why?”
Asher walks through the front door, and I love how he looks happier lately.
It probably helps that he has his world coming here, and though he’s still recovering he’s going to be able to get back to training.
He didn’t hurt his shoulder too much during the horrible night where they saved me.
It set him back a tiny bit, but he’s so strong and stubborn.
“Are we heading out?” he asks, looking between us and the bags at the bottom of the stairs.
“Not today,” I admit. “There’s a blizzard, so we won’t be able to get there for at least a few days.”
“Damn, we have you here all to ourselves and not in a house with all our families? How tragic,” he taunts.
I chuckle as he pulls me in for a kiss, and I melt into him, especially when he thrusts his tongue between my lips, but I push his chest to separate us before it goes too far right now. “Hold on, you just walked in the door.”
“And?” He tries to kiss me again, but I chuckle, keeping my lips away.
“You don’t have to maul her the second you come home,” Grayson scoffs.
“Oh, whatever, like you don’t do the same thing.” Asher rolls his eyes.
“Anyway,” I interrupt. “Before you two start a competition on who can make me come first, we have something more important to address.”
They both look at me like I just grew a second head.
“First of all, Sunshine, that sounds like a great idea for a competition.”
“Not much of one, when we already know who will win.” Asher shrugs, and Grayson opens his mouth to argue but I pin him with a look.
“Steele and Maya are stuck at the family cabin, alone, for who knows how long. How long do we think it’ll take before they kill each other?” I joke.
“I think the house is big enough they’ll just avoid each other.” Grayson shrugs.
“I think they’ll end up fucking,” Asher adds. “Which, speaking of, that’s what we should be doing.”
He scoops me up, and I know he’s probably about to try and make the competition I just mentioned a reality, and I don’t feel like stopping them anymore. Because, really, the extra days having them to myself is pretty nice.
I wonder what we’re going to find when we get up to the cabin. I doubt Asher’s prediction will be right. Though, I guess weirder things have happened.
The End