Chapter 9

Nine

JAKE

I t was a good thing I’d come home early.

There was an epic blizzard headed for our town—we hadn’t seen one this bad in seven years—and my flight had been delayed a day because of the weather. But at least I would make it home by the day before Christmas Eve. The chaos of my family, especially my adorable and incredibly energetic nieces, would help keep my mind off my anniversary.

When I arrived at the airport, the snow was already falling fast and thick, making the roads slick. I was glad I’d asked my dad to put chains on my Jeep and leave it at the airport because I didn’t want him or my mom driving in these conditions.

Despite the obscured view from all the snow, a smile crawled across my face as I drove through town, seeing all the places I’d loved as a kid. Some of my friends hated living in a town where it was perpetually Christmas. They couldn’t wait to get out of our little village. But I’d missed it every day since I left and always felt an overwhelming sense of home when I visited.

I’d known I wanted to settle back here someday and raise my family in this amazing place. Hopefully, Hannah would like it here.

When I reached the base of the mountain, I spotted the shuttle for The Snowed Inn and Lodge pulled to the side of the road. It was hard to miss, considering it was decorated like a giant snowman—not at all shocking when you knew my sister because she had an obsession with snow people—with snowflakes painted on the glass windows.

I parked behind it and put on my parka, hat, and gloves before exiting my Jeep and jogging to the front of the bus. The doors opened, and I quickly stepped in so the driver, Gus, could shut them again, keeping the cold outside.

“Jake!” he greeted with a crooked smile, doffing the Santa hat on his head. “I didn’t know you were coming into town for the holidays. It’s great to see you.”

“You too, Gus,” I said with a smile. “But I’d be happier to see you at the inn instead of the side of the road like this. Did you break down?”

I glanced around at the jolly interior, relieved when I noted that the cozy, suede-covered single seats and booths were empty.

“No,” Gus replied. “I was just checking on the chains and lights before I made the trek up the mountain.”

I nodded. “Smart. Do you need help with anything?”

“I’m good.” He gestured to the empty bus. “Thankfully, I was taking my last load down. Raven shut down the reservations once she realized how bad the storm was going to be.”

That sounded like my sister. The safety of her guests and employees would always be her top priority, even if it cost the business money.

She was perfect for running The Snowed Inn and Lodge. Our mother had been more than skeptical when my dad had passed the business on to Raven. He’d had a stroke, and the doctor told him he needed to cut the stress out of his life. Raven had only been twenty-two, but she’d been helping him run it since she was a teenager. The rest of us had known she would be amazing. We’d always planned for it to go to her since she loved it with all her heart, and neither Cammie nor I were interested in running the place.

Over the past decade, Raven had proven to our mom that she was more than capable. She’d made smart improvements and even expanded it. Then she’d brought on a partner who was just as perfect for the place as she was. They ran a tight ship and made sure that everyone was safe.

“I’ll follow you just in case the shuttle can’t make it all the way there,” I told him. If the roads got too dangerous, we’d park it on the side of the road and worry about it after the storm.

“Thanks, Jake,” he said with a nod as he opened the door for me. I braced myself for the wind and snow, then jogged back to my vehicle.

As I headed up the road to the resort, seeing through the snow was becoming more and more difficult. It was nearly whiteout conditions, so Gus and I slowed to a crawl, but eventually, we made it to the parking lot of the inn.

He waved in thanks, then headed toward the path to a group of employee cabins. I returned the gesture as I exited the Jeep and grabbed my bag. Then I ran to the entrance and yanked open one of the elegant wooden doors that were carved with Christmas scenes.

I grinned as I walked into the lobby of the Inn.

“Mommy! It’s Uncle Jake!” my six-year-old niece Hailey shouted as she jumped up and down, clapping wildly.

Four-year-old Rachel had to do everything her big sister did, so she joined in.

Their twin little sisters, Molly and Lucy, were on the floor next to the check-in desk in their bouncy chairs. They were only six months old and didn’t care what their older siblings were doing. However, they wiggled and gave me big, toothy grins that melted my heart.

Raven glanced up from the front desk and giggled when I dropped to my knees and braced myself just as two tiny bodies came barreling into me. “Oomph!” I grunted, just barely hanging onto my balance.

Colin, who was standing next to Raven, chuckled. “I’m impressed. The last time all the girls came running at me, I ended up a pancake.”

I snickered, then turned my full attention to my girls. “Hey, jelly bean,” I greeted Hailey, giving her a peck on her cute little nose. Then I turned to Rachel and did the same. “Hey, sugarplum.”

“We missed you,” Hailey sighed, looking extremely put out—an expression she got from her mother. “Why were you gone so long this time?”

I chuckled because she was just so damn adorable, but quickly covered it up with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, jelly bean. I’ll try not to stay away so long next time.” I felt a little guilty, considering I hadn’t seen them since they came to watch me compete in the Olympics. But if things worked out in my favor, they’d be seeing a lot more of me soon.

“Or you could just give up your nomadic lifestyle and settle down,” Raven suggested dryly.

I rolled my eyes. She was getting almost as bad as our mother at nagging me to find a woman and have a family. Okay, that was an overstatement. No one was as bad as our mother. If only they knew how easy she’d gone on them…

Choosing not to take the bait, I stood, holding a niece on each hip.

“Trying to talk your brother into wedded bliss again, baby?” Caleb queried as he came up behind Raven.

“What?” She sniffed defensively. “He’s not getting any younger?—”

“Gee, thanks, little sister,” I interrupted dryly.

“—and I just want him to be as happy as we are.”

“I’ll live vicariously through you,” I replied. At least until I found my wife, I thought darkly.

“One day, all the ornaments on the tree will belong to other people, bro,” she insisted. “You should drink the hot chocolate while it’s steamy.”

Deciphering her Christmas swear words and hot chocolate-themed advice took a skill level I’d never quite mastered. I looked at Caleb. “Do you understand her gibberish?”

Caleb put his arms around Raven and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Most of the time. But when I don’t, she’s so damn sexy; I don’t care.”

“Don’t!” I shouted, my face screwing up in disgust. “Don’t talk about my sister and the s-word in the same breath ever again.”

Caleb shrugged, and I narrowed my eyes as I hesitantly walked toward them.

“Congratulations on the win, Jake,” Caleb said, forgoing the handshake and slapping me on the back because my arms were full of giggling little girls.

“Do you think I could crash in one of the cabins for a few weeks?” I asked as I set the girls on their feet, sending them running into their daddy’s arms. I needed time to heal and hopefully figure out what the fuck I was going to do about Hannah. And the last thing I needed was my mother—who I loved despite her well-intentioned meddling—hovering.

Raven’s brow rose. “Um, sure. Of course.” She paused, then prompted, “A few weeks?”

I knew she was hoping for an explanation but didn’t want to get into everything, so I simply said, “Thanks,” and reached over the counter to hug her.

“No problem. Is everything okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I injured myself”—I held up a hand to ward off her inevitable freak-out—“it’s no big deal, so don’t make a fuss. Anyway, I need a quiet place to think and recoup in solitude.” I gave her a pointed look. “Somewhere that doesn’t come with a hovering, nosy mother.”

Raven winced and nodded. She certainly couldn’t argue with that.

Colin piped up as he started typing on the computer. “I’ll just look at reservations and see what’s available for you to?—”

“Don’t worry about a guest cabin, Raven,” Cammie announced as she strolled into the lobby. “You can use mine, Jake. I’m going on a trip with some friends for a few weeks.”

I frowned. I was home for Christmas, and she was going on a trip with…wait. Friends? My eyes narrowed on her. “What friends? Where are you going? A few weeks? Can you be more specific? Are any of these ‘friends’ guys?”

Caleb and Colin both muffled their laughter when Cammie shot a lethal look at me.

When Raven married Caleb, I sort of handed her protection over to him, but I couldn’t help it. I was still the overprotective big brother with my youngest sister.

Cammie sighed, raised her hands, then ticked off her fingers as she spoke. “None of your business, Europe, yes, no, and none of your business. Did I answer all of your questions?”

I scowled, but she ignored me and turned to walk around the desk, where she crouched in front of the twins. Hailey and Rachel rushed over to give her hugs.

“She’s a grown woman, Jake. If she wants to take a ride on Santa’s sleigh, you don’t get any say in it,” Raven snapped, glaring at me with her hands on her hips.

Cammie snorted a laugh, and I growled, “You better not be riding anyone’s sleigh, Cammie. You’re too young.”

“Oh, for the love of snowmen and their top hats,” Raven muttered.

The door opened behind me, letting in a gust of wind and flurries as a bunch of feet stomped inside.

“Cammie! Are you ready to go?”

I froze at the sound of the woman who spoke. Raven gave me a questioning look, but I ignored her and focused on the familiar voice.

“I need to get the hell out of Dodge,” said the same woman.

“Yeah, just let me say goodbye to my family, and we can hit the road,” Cammie responded, then she gave each of our infant nieces a smacked kiss on each of their cheeks.

“Fantastic,” the woman mumbled. “All these snowboarders are making me jumpy.”

I finally regained the ability to move and slowly turned around.

And there she was.

My wife.

Standing with a group of girls around Cammie’s age, she was staring at her phone, her expression tense. “And why is that, Hannah?” I drawled.

She jolted, and her head flew up, her sinful mouth forming a little O as her beautiful brown orbs met mine.

I raised an eyebrow. “Afraid you’re going to run into the man you’re hiding from?” My tone was even and calm, but inside, I was raging.

“What?” Cammie looked between us, her expression confused. “Do you two know each other?”

“Yes,” I growled.

Hannah squeaked, “No.”

“Well, that didn’t clear things up,” Raven quipped.

I took a step closer to Hannah and pierced her with my furious gaze. “You don’t think being married qualifies as us knowing each other?”

Cammie, Hannah, and Raven, along with the rest of the women in the room, gasped while the guys behind me tried to muffle their laughter.

“How about Cara and I take the girls to the playroom?” Colin didn’t wait for an answer. After a little rustling, I saw him in my peripheral vision at the entrance from the inn to the lodge. His wife, Cara, had appeared with their daughters, but he muttered something to her, and they were quickly gone.

Grateful not to have an audience of little ears, I refocused my full attention on Hannah. “A drunken wedding on Christmas Eve in Vegas might not be enough for us to claim we know each other.” I took another step closer to her and lowered my voice. “But what we did that night and for the next two days straight sure as fuck does.”

Hannah’s eyes grew big, and her face drained of color as she glanced around us before glaring back at me.

She was hot as fuck when she was mad, and I tried not to be distracted by my body’s response to her.

I heard some jingling, then Caleb called my name. “Jake.”

Tearing my gaze from Hannah, I glanced back at my brother-in-law. He held up a set of keys, and I turned, lifting a hand to catch them as they whizzed by Raven’s head. “Master key. First cabin on Holly Lane is vacant.”

Perfect. With a devious grin, I pivoted around again.

“Let’s go, Hannah,” I demanded, holding out my hand.

My tone warned her not to disobey, but she shook her head and backed up. I followed, stopping only when I was right in front of her, my expression hard.

“I’ll carry you there over my shoulder like a naughty child, but then you better be prepared for the consequences,” I threatened.

The room was silent for a minute, then it broke when one of her friends blurted, “You’re the Vegas hookup?”

I snarled as I lunged for Hannah, grabbing her waist and tossing her over my shoulder. “Husband, not a fucking hookup!” I shouted as I stalked out the door with Hannah cursing in a furious whisper.