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Male bonding is a bizarre ritual.
Just then, Lily and Ella finally reach the bottom of the hill. They were too busy doing the sledding version of wheelies to care if they got to the bottom first. When they hear about Ben and Cam's sled duel, the girls shriek and start betting on who will win. I would've thought they'd both root for their father, but Ella decides to defect to Ben's team. Cam clutches his chest and pretends he's having a heart attack when his daughter makes her choice.
Ella giggles.
Yeah, my brother is weird. Okay, my whole family is weird. Guess that includes me too.
We trudge back up the hill to the starting point for what Cam announces is the Great Brit versus American Sledding Apocalypse. What does the end of the world have to do with a silly sled race? Cameron is definitely the weirdest Lockhart. Both men take disk sleds to make sure the playing field is even. If one of them had the inflatable sled, it might skew the race or something. But I stop listening to Cam, Ben, and my dad discussing the details of the race. I'm distracted by staring at Ben.
He's so…wonderful. I've known him for such a short time, but I feel like I've known him all my life. That's dumb, I know. It's how I feel, though. Ever since Bennett Montague crashed into my life, I've been happier than ever before, and that's all thanks to the crown prince. Even before I knew about his background and his title, Ben had already impressed me with his sweetness, his humor, his sexiness, and so many other amazing qualities. I don't want him to go back to England or Mithoria. I want him to stay here with me forever, in this cozy cabin, sharing a bed and sharing our lives.
I freeze, not even blinking, my gaze still locked on Ben. I think I've just had an epiphany. And the longer I gaze at Ben, the stronger this sensation inside me gets. It feels warm and soft and yet strong too, like a weight has pressed down on my chest, but not in a bad way. No, I like this feeling. Even as that weight settles on my chest, I experience a sensation of weightlessness like my entire body is floating above the ground.
Oh yeah, I've had an epiphany all right. I'm in love with Ben.Holy shit.
Ben and Cam get on their sleds and make engine revving noises as if their sleds are race cars. Dad and I stand behind the competitors with our hands on their backs, ready to send them careening down the slope. I'm behind Ben, while Dad is behind Cam. Ella and Lily count down to liftoff. And no, I don't care that I'm mixing metaphors. This is exactly like NASCAR meets NASA because I have a feeling these two men will want to rocket down the hill.
"Ten, nine, eight," the girls holler. "Seven, six, five—"
Dad winks at me and smirks.
I have no idea why he did that.
"Four, three, two, one," the girls shout. "Go!"
Dad and I give our guys a strong shove, and they're off.
Ben and Cam rush down the slope, shouting things I can't make out. From their tone of voice, though, I'm pretty sure they're razzing each other. I clasp my hands, bouncing on my toes and biting down on my lip. Should I be rooting for my brother? I don't know what sled-race etiquette would say, but I can't do anything except hope Ben beats Cam.
The race is a dead heat.
"Go, Ben, go!" I holler.
Lily and Amy shout their support for Cameron, but Ella stands beside me, yelling for Ben. Mom and Dad don't declare their preference, though they do whistle and clap.
Cam inches ahead of Ben, but he makes the mistake of gloating by pumping his fist in the air. That makes his sled veer sideways, slowing him down just enough that Ben zips past him and crosses the finish line first.
We don't have an actual finish line, though. It's imaginary.
Ben reaches the bottom of the hill well ahead of Cameron and wins the race.
I jump up and down, waving my hands in the air, and scream, "Woo-hoo! Go, Ben! You rock!"
Maybe that's a dumb thing to scream, but I don't care. My guy won, and I'm so happy about that.
The guys shake hands, then begin their slog back up the hill.
As soon as they reach us, I throw my arms around Ben. "Congratulations, you won. I'm so proud of you."
"Proud?" he says with a laugh. "It was a bloody silly race. I didn't win the Nobel Prize."
"No, but you do get a prize for winning. Maybe it's not a Nobel, but I think you'll like it."
I wrap my arms around his neck and hoist myself onto my toes so I can plaster my mouth to his.
"Ew," Ella and Lily say.
When I peel my lips away from Ben's, he glances around like he's a little embarrassed by my public display of affection. But he recovers from the shock swiftly and slings his arms around me to pull me in for a kiss that's much more passionate than the one I just gave him.
