Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Lorcan

"Seriously!" Suzie cries out in annoyance. "Go! I've got my bed, Netflix and my e-reader. All I'm going to do today is lie around and sleep."

She's propped up in bed, a whole pharmacy's worth of meds lined up on her bedside table and the TV remote within easy reach. Her voice is nasally from being stuffed and her face is still pretty flushed from the fever that's finally coming down now that we got some meds into her. She's in the process of convincing us that Annie needs us more than she does, and she's doing a pretty good job of it.

"We've come all this way, and she's barely gotten to do anything other than hang out with me." Suzie takes a deep breath and blows her nose before zeroing in on me again. "Lo, she needs to have some fun. More than anyone I know. Help her have some fun."

"Suzie!" Annie cries out from her spot at the door connecting the two rooms.

I'm not sure when exactly she'd come in, but I suppose it saves us from having to fetch her and follow through on Suzie's request.

"I can't believe you're trying to shove me off on your parents!" Annie scolds her friend as she moves closer to the bed. "I came to check on you, only to find you arranging a pity hangout. Who says I don't wanna hang out in here with you, you little shit?"

Suzie responds with a sneeze before wiping her nose. She rolls her eyes, but smiles through all the tissues. "Annie, I love you. Please, go and enjoy yourself. You deserve it. Our last hoorah before we buckle down and get all the work done, right?"

Annie hesitates, so I move in behind her, my nerves fluttering at my next move when I place a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Annie. Suzie needs some sleep and you need to eat. Let's make the most of your time here."

Montgomery nods in agreement. "Lorcan's right. And I'm starving."

With Suzie's gaze narrowed on her, and my hand on her shoulder, Annie finally relents.

"Let me go grab a jacket and I'll meet you at the elevator." Annie sends a shy smile our way, not meeting our eyes before squeezing Suzie's hand and slipping out of the room.

I let out a breath I don't realize I'm holding as I watch her go. Turning to Suzie, I offer a reassuring smile. "We'll take good care of her. You just rest, alright?"

Suzie nods, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. "Thanks, Lo. And you too, Monte. Make sure she has fun."

Monte steps forward, giving Suzie a gentle hug. "We will. You take it easy, kiddo."

With that, we make our way to the hallway, closing Suzie's door softly behind us. We exchange a glance, both feeling the weight of the day's upcoming events. We haven't spoken about the kiss and Monte's reaction to it since that initial fight.

"This is it," I whisper. "We need to make sure she has a good time, but also... we need to talk to her."

My husband nods, his expression serious. "I know. We probably need to talk first, too." He looks at her door before grabbing my hand and pulling me closer. "I'm in. Okay? I'm all the way in, but we have to be careful and take things slow. And we have to make it clear to her we're in this together."

The words are exactly what I want to hear, and the earnest look on his face helps relieve any lingering tension and worry. "You're sure?"

In response, he wraps his arms around me, cupping my face before claiming my mouth in a kiss.

We pull apart at the sound of a door opening in the hallway and turn to face Annie.

"Ready?" I ask, giving her an encouraging smile.

Annie nods. "Ready."

The three of us head out down to the restaurant in the lodge. If we'd known that Suzie would get sick and we'd be playing tour guide to Annie in her stead, I'd have made another reservation at a fancier place, but at the end of the day, it's just breakfast and the start of the day.

The hostess smiles at us in greeting before showing us to a quiet booth in the back corner of the dining room.

Annie slides in, her nervousness apparent in the way she fidgets with her napkin. Monte and I slide in across from her, even though I'm sure he wants to scoot in next to her just as much as I do.

I'm not sure what about this girl has gotten us so obsessed with her in no time at all, but I'm tired of questioning it and relieved that my husband is on the same page as I am. I love Monte. Have loved him for a very long time, and if he was truly opposed to pursuing any kind of relationship with Annie, I would have respected his decision. That is why I didn't push him about it to start with. He needed to come to this without me pushing him.

I grab a menu and place a calming hand on Monte's bouncing leg.

"Morning! My name is Ted. I'll be your server today. What can I get you for breakfast?"

Annie blinks up at Ted before grabbing the menu on the table. While she hides behind the pages, I look at Monte before shrugging at him. In for a penny, in for a pound, right?

"We'll have three of the specials, Ted. Two coffees, one large juice and if you can please start us off with a couple of bowls of fruit salad, that would be great, thanks." I take the menu from Annie's hands and have to suppress the urge to laugh at the shocked expression on her face.

Ted doesn't seem to blink at me taking the reins before repeating the order and hurrying away to go put it in.

"Excuse me?" Annie's voice is a mix of confusion and amusement, her brows raised in disbelief. "Did you just order for me?"

Monte chuckles, patting my leg in a sympathetic gesture. Coward.

"I thought I'd take the pressure off. Plus, Suzie mentioned how much you love fruit salad."

Annie's expression softens, a small smile tugging at her lips. "She is the best friend ever. "

Her words seem to strike a chord because the smile that had just lit up her face falls and her brows pull together in a frown.

"Suzie will be okay. She is resting and will be back to her usual spunky self within no time." Monte rushes to reassure Annie, but her frown stays in place.

The rest of breakfast is a quiet affair. Annie responds to our questions, but very little comes from her side of the table. I'm uncertain if she's not as interested in us as I'd originally thought or if she really could be that preoccupied with her friend being unwell.

"So, Annie…" Monte speaks up after Ted clears away the last of our empty dishes. "What do you want to do with the rest of your day? I thought we could hit the slopes again, but after that, our day is pretty empty."

Annie looks thoughtful, nibbling on her bottom lip. "Well..."

"Yeah?" I push when it's clear she might not finish her thought.

"It was snowing quite a bit last night, which means there's a lot of fresh snowfall."

My face splits into a huge grin. I'm no mind reader but I'm pretty sure I know where this is going.

"You want to build a snowman?"

Finally, Annie's beautiful face lights up again and it's like I won the biggest jackpot.

"Can we?"