My face heats as all attention turns to me, the tears welling in my eyes once more. “He hasn’t kissed me…” I finally manage to say quietly. “We’ve seen each other five times since, but he hasn’t tried to kiss me again, only on the forehead or cheek. He holds me and takes my hand and tells me I’m beautiful, but he won’t kiss me again, and I don’t understand why. Did I do something wrong? Is it because I’m bad at it?” A tear slips out and I lift a finger to wipe it away.
“Oh, babe,” Ronnie coos as a smile spreads over her face.
That is not at all the reaction I expected, and it only confuses me more.What am I missing?She comes over, stretching her arms wide as her shiny silver curls bounce with every step she takes.
Ronnie changes her hair color every single month; this month it’s black at the roots and turns silver the rest of the way down. Last month it was half black and half pink. There’s been greens, yellows, oranges, reds, blues, and purples. Honestly, any color you can imagine, she’s tried it. I have no idea how her hair is still so healthy and holding up, but the person who does it must be amazing at their job.
“You’re forgetting one very important detail here,” she says once her arms are around me.
“What?” I sniffle.
“Shane is a gentleman. He isn’t kissing you again because he’s probably giving you time to adjust to this new stage of your relationship.” When my head pops up from against her shoulder, she chuckles.
I hadn’t even thought of that.“You think so?”
“Of course, Aubrey. Shane is crazy about you. Anyone can see that.” Cecilia comes to my side, squeezing my arm. “He’s probably afraid to go too fast and scare you off.”
“Or he might be waiting for you to make the next move,” Morgan says as she steps out of Noah’s hold and passes her fingers through my hair. “He might not be sure that you two are on the same page, and he’s waiting for you to show him that you are.”
“Then what should I do?”
“Kiss the damn man, baby Brey.” Emma comes back in with a piece of bread in her hands. Just like that, not toasted or buttered, just plain old regular bread. “What? I was hungry,” she says when she catches us all staring at her.
“What about you, Noah? What do you think his reason is?” Ronnie asks him.
He quickly raises his hands and takes a step back. “Nope. I’m not getting into this conversation. I already know how it’s going to end—with death. So, I’m gonna politely refrain from answering any questions regarding this subject.”
We all giggle, although he is kind of right; I know my brother will be completely against Shane and me. But I’m tired of fighting my attraction to him, and the more time I spend with him, the more I want to discover where this could go.
“Well, it will have to wait until after the wedding, since we’re leaving tomorrow for Toronto.” I shrug, hating that I’ll have to wait over a week before doing anything about our situation.
“Or you could confront him at the wedding,” Emma suggests as she munches on her slice of bread. “He’ll be there, and Greyson will probably be drunk by the end of the night, so will everyone else. Might as well take advantage of it.”
I think that over for a few seconds, then nod with newfound determination. “Okay, yeah. I’ll do that.” I’m not one to likeconfrontations, but if I want to settle this feeling in my belly, I need answers.
Chapter four
Aubrey
Room 206.
~ Wedding Day ~
Everyone attending my brother’s wedding flew in yesterday evening. Except for Clay and Morgan, who drove up and only arrived near one in the morning, since Morgan just hit the thirty-two-week mark with her twins and her doctor advised against flying.
We’re currently in a room that was set up for the bride and her bridal party to get ready within the main lodge where my familyskis and sleds every Christmas. The groom and his party are off in a separate room down the hall from us, also getting ready since the wedding will be starting shortly.
I’m pretty sure this lodge doesn’t usually host weddings, but since the owners know my parents and we’ve been coming here since I was a baby, they were happy to open their doors for us and make accommodations.
I know Greyson and Emma hired Amanda—Emma’s dad’s girlfriend, who also happens to be Emma and Cecilia’s old boss and owns a well-known event company—to plan the wedding. So in reality, the only thing they really needed from the lodge was to make sure the places we needed were free from any uninvited guests, as well as having free rooms for the wedding guests to spend the night in.
What used to be a spacious sitting lounge for families to warm up after spending hours in the snow has now been turned into a beautiful space, filled with rows of chairs and sunflowers lining a walkway up to where the ceremony will happen. And the dining area that used to host those hungry families after hours of fun will now be where the reception is held. Splashes of yellow, burgundy, and white cover the room with a dance floor right in the center.
We’ve just finished getting ready and are waiting for Emma, who is currently behind a separation wall getting help to slip into her dress. We’re all dressed identically in floor-length burgundy A-line dresses, with a slit up one leg, V-neck, and spaghetti straps.
Thank God the wedding is inside in the warmth because I would not have agreed to wear this during winter otherwise. Although we do have these nice shawls that go with it, but let’s be real, those things don’t really keep you warm. The dresses are super simple yet beautiful, and they fit all our figures perfectly,even Morgan’s huge belly. We’re all bridesmaids, except for Cecilia, who’s the maid of honor.
Emma finally comes around the separation wall, and we all instantly gasp, causing her to quickly fan her face as tears build in her eyes. “Please don’t make me cry because I’ve already had my makeup fixed four times.”
