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"I'm still really weak from the airplane ride. Think you can help me tug it off?" I ask sarcastically. She claps her hands and smiles giddily.
We reach over the carrousel railing, and I lift Em out to grab the bag. I reach my hand out to help her and I feign weakness as I tug it off the rotating belt.
"Good job." I high-five her.
"Looks like it arrived in one piece." A voice sounds from behind me.
We turn to see the girls approach us. Aria's hand in Dakota's. Maelie safely back in her carrier, looking fed and happy as her eyes explore her surroundings.
"One piece," I respond, and we take off toward the shuttle to get our rental car.
Meanwhile, my thoughts race of whether or not I'm going to return home from this trip as an engaged man with a ring on my firefly's finger.
Four
TWO DAYS UNTIL THE WEDDING
Hollis
“Do you even know these people?” I ask Jaxon as we walk through the door to the hotel room we’ll be staying in for the next week or so.
Vail is as beautiful as I’ve heard and imagined. It’s deep in the mountains of Colorado, surrounded by trees and gorgeous skies that stretch for days. It’s normally a little ski town from what I understand but in April, it’s green and warm while snow still melts on the ground creating this ethereal imagery of a wintery spring. It’s absolutely stunning. But it was soon dampened with the news that Jaxon has to immediately go run errands for his friend in the form of picking up some family members who have driven in and are waiting at Callan’s family home.
“No, I don’t know them. I mean, I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never met them and honestly don’t know much about them.” Jax throws the suitcase on the bed.
Our flight landed early this morning and it took us hours to get our luggage, get the rental car and even more hours to drive all the way out here. But it's proving to be so worth it with the view and this hotel, which is absolutely beautiful. And I was shocked to learn that Jaxon's friend paid for nearly everything minus our flights. So essentially, this wedding is like a big vacation, all inclusive.
The wedding venue is about ten minutes from the hotel and there are people traveling from all over to attend from what Jaxon tells me. I’m nervous and excited all at the same time. I feel like I might be the only outsider going to this thing and I’ve never been to a wedding before. I guess I don’t realize how much work is actually done behind the scenes which makes me really buckle down on my idea to elope if I ever wanted to get married. I’m stressed as a guest; I can’t imagine how the bride and groom must feel.
“So, explain to me why you have to be the one to go pick them up again?” I lean against one of the walls and cross my arms.
Jax quickly unpacks some of the essentials and so I take the opportunity to glance out at the giant window near the bed facing the mountains and dream about sitting my ass in a chair and reading for the next few hours. Especially with a view like that.
“I just thought we’d be able to relax after just driving for hours from the airport to this hotel.” I sound like I'm complaining, and maybe I am. But seriously, I didn’t think Jax’s friend would be putting us to fucking work right away. Again, that’s just me not understanding everything that goes into something so big like this wedding.
“Cal’s fiancé has no clue that they’re in town.” Jax looks up at me. “And Callan was supposed to meet them at the house and bring them back here, but I guess there was an emergency with the venue and schedules getting mixed up or something so he’s gonna be busy for the next few hours and he doesn’t want them stuck at the house for too long. I am the Best Man, after all,” he explains, and I can tell he doesn’t want to do this just as much as I don’t, but I know he’s just trying to help out his friend and I love him even more for it.
“Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to nag.” I hold up my hands in a gentle defensive gesture. “I just wanted to maybe break in the bed or jump in that hot tub with you for a little while before we started to stress ourselves more than we need to on this trip,” I quip with a smirk. “It’s our first time traveling together and well, this whole trip is a lot of firsts and I just want to enjoy it with you. Sorry if I already made it lame,” I admit, sending him a sincere look to go along with my apology as he approaches me with his devilish grin.
He reaches his arms out and yanks me gently off the wall to pull me into him.
“We will have plenty of time to enjoy this trip, Little Moon. Let’s do this one task first and then I promise we can come back, and I will give you all of my attention for the rest of the night.” He kisses me on my forehead, a gesture that gives me butterflies every fucking time.
“And you could never make anything lame, Hollis Marie. Having you with me doing anything is a fucking dream. Don’t sell yourself short, baby.” He caresses my cheek with his thumb and settles his adoringly blue eyes to wonder over my heated face.
Jax never fails to make me feel seen or loved in any scenario.
He nods his head over to the hot tub in the nook off of the bedroom, it’s facing a window that shows off the little ski town in the distance and some more mountainsides covered in glistening snow.
“We will for sure be enjoying that later,” he adds before bringing his lips down on mine.
“When should we leave then?” I ask as he reaches over to the counter for the car keys.
“Probably now. The house is about two hours back the way we came. It’ll be a lot of driving back and forth, but we should be back here by the time the sun goes down. Got a monster smut book to listen to for the car ride?” he asks. And I can’t help but smile because he’s so fucking good to me.
He’s good for me.
“You bet your ass I do.” I walk over to where I dropped my bag and pick it back up, swinging it over my shoulder, ready to walk back out the way we came.
