Chapter 25 Emily
EMILY
I’m pacing in my room, still pissed off about everything that’s happened. My mind won’t stop racing, replaying the argument with Axel, Jace, and Tanner in the closet, and Chloe’s smug face as she blocked Jace from coming after me.
How could they think that was okay? How could they think they had the right to decide how things should go without even talking to me?
A knock on the door breaks through my angry thoughts. I stop pacing and glance at the door, my heart skipping a beat. I already know who it is before I open it.
Ben stands there, looking tense and unsure. His eyes meet mine, and I can see the guilt written all over his face. “Can we talk?” he asks softly, stepping into the room.
I cross my arms, not quite ready to let go of the anger that’s been bubbling inside me all day. “Were you involved in this pact too?” I ask sharply, not bothering with pleasantries.
He winces, then nods. “Yeah, I was.”
I can feel the frustration bubbling up again, and I take a step back, shaking my head. “Unbelievable.”
“Emily, wait,” Ben says quickly, stepping forward, his hands raised as if trying to calm me down.
“Look, I know it sounds bad—it is bad—but it wasn’t like that.
We weren’t trying to make you feel like some kind of prize.
We just—” He pauses, searching for the right words.
“We didn’t want to overwhelm you. We didn’t want to mess things up by all coming after you at once. ”
I raise an eyebrow, not entirely convinced. “And you thought the best way to handle that was to…what? Decide what was best for me without even talking to me?”
Ben runs a hand through his hair, looking pained. “We screwed up, I know that. But we were only trying to keep things from getting more complicated. We all care about you, Emily. More than any of us expected to.”
I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. “You guys have a funny way of showing it.”
He steps closer, his voice soft. “We didn’t want to hurt you, Emily. That’s the last thing any of us wanted.”
I sigh, rubbing my forehead as the frustration starts to ebb, leaving me feeling tired and raw. “I don’t even know what to think anymore, Ben.”
Ben’s eyes soften, and he reaches out, hesitating before lightly resting his hand on my arm. “Just…don’t shut us out. Please. Let us make it right.”
I look up at him, and for a moment, I can see how sincere he is, how much this is weighing on him. But even though his words are softening the edges of my anger, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m still hurt—still confused.
“I don’t know what to think.”
“Don’t think, just know. Emily I love—” Ben’s voice is shaky. “I think I’m in love with you.’
I inhale sharply. “Ben…”
“You don’t have to say anything back right away,” he says.
“I need some time,” I say quietly, stepping away from him, not meeting his gaze.
He nods, though I can see the disappointment in his eyes. “I understand.” With one last look, he turns and leaves, closing the door softly behind him.
I sit down on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. I can’t believe how complicated everything has gotten. This isn’t how things were supposed to go. It wasn’t supposed to turn into a mess of feelings.
But it has. And now I don’t know how to make sense of any of it.
After sitting in silence for a few minutes, I decide I need to get out of the room.
I can’t just sit here stewing in my thoughts.
Maybe throwing myself back into the wedding prep will help.
At least it’s something I can control—something I can focus on that doesn’t involve Axel, Jace, Tanner, or Ben.
I grab my notebook and head downstairs, my heart feeling heavy as I step into the hallway. The moment I reach the hall, though, I realize something’s wrong. It’s…empty. The workers are gone.
I blink, scanning the room. The tables are half-set, the decorations I’d been planning to hang are still in boxes. Where the hell is everyone?
Just as I’m about to go looking for someone, I hear footsteps behind me. I turn to see Collie approaching, her face drawn with concern.
“Emily,” she says, her voice low. “I was just about to come find you.”
“What’s going on?” I ask. “Where is everyone?”
Collie hesitates, her expression tight. “We have a situation. Whit and Sam are missing.”
I stare at her, my stomach dropping. “What do you mean missing?”
“When the snow stopped for a period they decided to go out skiing, and now we have another god-awful storm. We’ve tried radioing them, but there’s been no response.”
I clap my hand to my mouth. “Oh, my God.”
I stare out the window, watching the swirling snow come down fast. The sky has turned dark, and I can barely make out anything beyond the lodge. My stomach twists with worry. Where can they be?
“We’ve organized a search party with your friends leading it,” she continues.
My gaze whips to her. Is that where everyone has gone? Shit. What if something happens to them when they’re out there? No, no, that can’t be.
“Hey, you okay?” Collie asks worriedly.
“I have to go,” I say, running towards the stairs. I feel terrible about how I left things with them. Even when Ben showed up to apologize, I didn’t give him a chance to explain. Even worse, he professed his love for me, and all I did was turn him away.
What have I done?
But as I make my way down the hallway, something stops me in my tracks.
Axel’s voice.
I freeze, my heart skipping a beat. I didn’t expect to hear him, not here. I thought they’d already left.
The door to Axel’s room is ajar, and I can hear muffled voices inside.
My heart skips a beat. And then I see Raffle.
As soon as he spots me, he comes bounding over and starts to nuzzle against my legs.
“Raffle, is that Axel I hear?” I say, my heart leaping.
His tail starts to wag more insistently.
I take that as a sign and move closer, cautiously stepping toward the door, and when I peek inside, I see them—Axel, Jace, Tanner, and Ben—all there, gearing up.
The relief that washes over me is overwhelming, and I feel the tension that’s been building in my chest suddenly break.
“Oh, thank God,” I breathe, stepping into the room. They all turn to look at me, surprised to see me standing there.
“Emily?” Axel says, straightening up from where he’s been lacing up his boots. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought…I thought you’d already left,” I say, my voice shaky with a mixture of relief and panic. “Collie told me you were going to find Whit and Sam, and I thought you were out there in the storm already.”
Axel frowns, exchanging a glance with Jace. “We haven’t left yet. We’re just getting ready.”
I take a deep breath, feeling my heart start to settle back into its normal rhythm.
“I was so scared…I thought you were out there, and with the storm…” My voice trails off as I realize how frantic I sound, but I can’t help it.
The idea of them being out in the blizzard had nearly sent me into a panic.
Ben steps forward, his expression softening. “We’re not going anywhere without being fully prepped, Emily. Don’t worry. We know what we’re doing.”
“I know, but…” I shake my head, feeling ridiculous for how emotional I’m getting, but I can’t help it. “I just…I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you guys out there.”
Tanner shoots me a reassuring smile. “We’ve dealt with worse storms than this. We’ve got it under control.”
Axel steps closer, his hand brushing my arm gently. “We’ll be fine, Emily. We know what we’re doing. This isn’t our first rodeo.”
I nod, biting my lip, trying to hold back the surge of emotions threatening to spill over. “I know, I know. But I just…I was so worried.”
“We’re not going to rush in. Some people downstairs are still trying to contact them over the radio. And we’ll give it an hour or so and let the storm calm down before we head out,” Axel says.
I nod. “Makes sense.” I suddenly feel ridiculous.
I shut the door behind me, turning to face all four of them—Axel, Jace, Ben, and Tanner. My heart is still racing, the weight of everything pressing down on me like a heavy stone on my chest.
“I don’t feel good about how things ended,” I say, my voice trembling slightly as I speak. I can feel all their eyes on me, the tension between us building again, thick and charged. “About all of this. You guys…this whole situation has me so confused.”
They exchange glances, each one of them stepping closer, concern etched across their faces.
Axel is the first to speak. “Emily, we didn’t mean to hurt you with the pact. We thought we were doing what was best, giving you time and space to make your choice.”
Jace steps in, his brow furrowed. “It’s complicated, Emily. We all feel something for you, and none of us want to push you or make things harder.”
Ben nods, his voice soft. “But we know we didn’t handle things the right way. And I’m sorry for that. We all are.”
I bite my lip, feeling a knot of emotions twist in my chest. “It’s not just that,” I admit, my voice shaking a little.
“It’s everything. Whit…Whit’s missing, and I don’t even know what I feel about that.
Part of me still cares about him, but he hurt me.
And now you guys…I care about you, too, and I don’t know where this is all headed.
I’m just…I’m scared, okay? I don’t know what I’m doing. ”
There’s a beat of silence, and then all four of them step closer, surrounding me, their presence warm and overwhelming. Axel reaches out, his hand brushing lightly against my arm. “You don’t have to have all the answers right now.”
Jace moves in on my other side, his voice low and soothing. “We’re here. Whatever you’re feeling, whatever you need—we’re here for you.”
The heat between us shifts, becoming something more intense, more charged.
My heart pounds in my chest as I feel their eyes on me, the air around us thick with tension.
I can feel the pull between us, the magnetic force that’s been simmering under the surface for so long, finally starting to bubble over.
Without thinking, I step closer to Axel, my gaze locking with his. “I don’t know where this is headed,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper. “But right now…I need you.”
His blue eyes darken, his breath hitching as he looks down at me. “We’re not going anywhere, Emily.”
And then, before I can stop myself, I lean in and press my lips to his.
The kiss is immediate, hot and desperate, and the second our mouths meet, it’s like something inside me snaps.
Axel responds instantly, his hands moving to my waist, pulling me closer as his lips claim mine with a hunger that makes my head spin.
A shiver runs down my spine, the sensation of being between them sending heat flooding through me.
“Emily…” Axel murmurs, his voice husky as his hands explore my body, his touch gentle but insistent.
The room feels like it’s spinning, and my heart pounds in my chest as I stand surrounded by all four of them.
It’s overwhelming, but in the best possible way—the kind of intensity that makes your skin tingle and your pulse race.
I look around at them—Axel, Tanner, Ben, Jace—and I can’t wrap my head around the fact that I’m. Kissing. Them.
Tanner sinks his fingers into my hair as he kisses me.
I feel Ben’s hands on my hips, firm but gentle, his touch different from Tanner’s but no less intense.
His lips trail down the side of my neck, slow and deliberate, his breath warm against my skin.
I tilt my head back, giving him more access, and his mouth finds the sensitive spot just below my jaw. And I moan.
This is heaven.
But then Tanner pulls away. I can barely sigh in disappointment when Jace steps in with a low and husky, “My turn.”
His hands cup my face, and the moment his lips meet mine, everything else fades away. It’s soft at first, almost hesitant, but then the kiss deepens, his tongue brushing against mine in a way that makes my whole body ache.
I’m completely surrounded by them, each of them touching me, kissing me, and I can barely think.
Axel’s hands trail down my back, firm and possessive, while Tanner’s fingers grip my waist, pulling me closer. Ben’s mouth continues its slow, deliberate path along my neck, while Jace’s lips devour mine with a hunger that makes me dizzy.
I can feel it in the way their hands roam over me, in the way their lips claim mine, one after the other. It’s intoxicating, the way they all touch me, kiss me, like I belong to each of them.
I know I’ll have to let them go soon, but for just a few moments, I shut off my brain and let them kiss me.