Enjoy 🤍.

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."– Buddha
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Chapter 69
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"Ow! Damn it," Kade grumbled a curse as Grandma Jacky smacked his hand so hard, the skin turned red.

She snatched her drink away from his hands, doubling a glare at him. "I told you about my alcohol, boy!"

"Aren't they the cutest?" Daisy - Jacky's friend and partner in crime - admired. "I wish I could get my grandson to visit me for the holidays like Kade does Jacky."

Two hours in, the room was full of Grandma Jackys' friends and associates. They were all a mix of personalities, but they blended together quite well.

Except when the games started.

Kade and I played a couple of rounds of spades before it started to turn toxic. He even had to break up a fight between Jacky and another elderly woman since she claimed she won. I wouldn't admit it aloud, but I saw Jacky slide the card under her sleeve when she thought no one was looking. Because of that, she won a hundred dollar bet.

After a couple of bottles were broken, they all switched to gambling. Jacky was right, Kade was her good luck charm. Together, the two beat everyone who dared bet against them. It was hilarious seeing the two argue and bicker then take the game home.

I smiled at Daisy. "I'm sure he'll come around."

Ray, who was just as Jacky described, hopped around the room with a charming smile. The man had gelled black hair with peppered grey strands. His golden tooth was his money maker every time he flashed a smile. He'd lost his leg in a war, but was given a prosthetic one to help him get around.

He tried some type of pickup line when he sauntered over to me earlier, but Kade shut it down in a heartbeat. The man took the sign and walked off to go and try those lines elsewhere.

Kade glared at his grandmother, who was on her third beer. "You're a hateful woman, you know."

She glanced around the table, her eyes narrowing at her opponents before she slammed a card down. "Boom goes the motherfucking dynamite! Sent all of you geezers to an early grave!" As she slid her earnings toward her section, people all around the table groaned and some even walked off. I don't blame them, that was her third win in a row.

Kade chuckled despite his earlier comment. My smile never fell even when he started to tease me. His hand stayed just above my knee the entire night, acting as if his strokes were casual. I smacked it away every time I finally grew the strength, but was met with a witty smile.

"Your social battery dead yet, sweetheart?" Kade leaned over to whisper in my ear.

I could barely hear it past the loud room. For elderly people, they sure knew how to get the hell down.

I nodded. "You're not just saying that so you can steal me away, right?"

Kade rolled his eyes, palming his chest in feigned hurt. "I would never." But by the way his hand edged into my inner thigh and squeezed, I thought differently.

He flicked his head toward Grandma Jacky. He had to raise his voice over the music to be heard. "We're gonna head up to our room."

Jacky nodded, having her friend put a cigar in her mouth while the other lit it. "Oh yeah, I don't need you two anymore. Daisy's staying over!" She placed an arm around Daisy, who had moved to become partners with her. She eyed over her next set of cards.

"I feel the love, granny," Kade chuckled, gripping my hand to pull me up. "Truly."

"Yeah, yeah," Grandma Jacky nodded us off. "Send me a message of what you want for breakfast. Ever since Daisy showed me DoorDash, I've been thirty years younger." She placed her hand out to Daisy, who did some type of handshake in return.

She stood up with cards still in hand, then walked over to our side of the table. She pulled us both in for a hug before leaving a lipstick print on our cheeks.

"To my grandson and future something in law!" she shouted, waving her cigar to the crowd, who responded with cheers of their own.

She patted Kade's cheek before walking back to her table. In a matter of seconds, she disappeared in the crowd.

We went upstairs to grab our things before heading back down. "We get the cabin all to ourselves, sweetheart," Kade grinned down at me as we entered the quiet of the kitchen.

I nodded, feeling my heart thump. Tonight was the night. I knew I was ready, but that didn't help the nerves.

As we reached the door, Kade stopped and turned to me. "I can drive us up there, if you want. I don't want you to catch a cold, or anything."

I might freeze my tits off out there, but I wanted to see and feel the scenery for myself. When we baked earlier, the snow started to fall. Slowly but surely, it covered every corner of the trees and the ground. I loved winter, and this was one of the many reasons why.

"I want to play in the snow," I suggested with a small grin. "Come on." I took his hand, hurrying toward the door.

It was one of my inner child's desires. My mom never would have let me even think about doing anything I enjoyed, especially the snow. Sometimes she would have me sit by the window while my brothers went outside.

Well...fuck her.

"I don't know," Kade hesitated as I pulled him along. "If you get sick, I'm not taking care of you, sweetheart."

I walked backwards, my feet crunching in the snow. "Yeah right." His scowl made me laugh. He would be the first one to show if I fell sick.

He let me tug him to the outside. There were an abundance of trees stretching out to the cabin. It was all white with snow.

I stepped into a winter wonderland. The view was magnificent.

The cold air stung my cheeks. As I looked around, I noted the white blanket of snow covering the trees, ground, and cabin. It was quiet besides our feet crunching in the snow. The smell of damp pine trees made the air exhilarating.

I felt loose strands of hair mock me as I crouched down to the ground. I started from the bottom on my snowman, but looked up when I noticed him.

Kade was standing there, just watching. His arms were crossed, expression blank as his eyes shifted to the white ground.

"Help me," I suggested with a hand full of snow. He didn't move.

I raised up, wiping my damp hands on my jeans. "What is it?"

He was as stiff as a board. "I've never built a snowman without my brother." His voice cracked near the end of his sentence before he cleared his throat.

I straightened my back, immediately stepping in front of him. I grew closer until we were chest to chest, wrapping him in my arms. His hard body slumped into my arms as he relaxed.

"My mom," I started, my voice muffled. "She never let me play in the snow. She used to make me sit and watch my brothers because she knew how badly I wanted it." The memory sent me into shivers more than the snow ever did. The memory was cold. She was cold.

His hand went to the back of my head, pressing me into his chest. "I hate her..." his chest expanded as he let out a sigh. Leaning back, he tilted my head up to plant a kiss to my forehead. "Come on, sweetheart. Lets build this snowman."

Afterwards, we were both soaked. Somehow, we ended up in a snowball fight. He won obviously, smacking me right in the face with snow. I persuaded him to get down, and leave our marks in the snow. By the time we finished, we were soaking wet icesickles. But, it was worth it.

Kade swept me up from behind, his damp shirt pressed into my cheeks. Bunches of laughter tumbled out of my as he led us toward the cabin. With his long legs, he cut the usual time in half.

As soon as the door opened, the heat smacked me right in the face. I encouraged it's warm embrace wholeheartedly.

His concerned expression fell over me. "You're goddamn freezing," he muttered as he placed me down next to the fire pit. "Don't move, I don't want you getting sick."

I craned my neck to get a look at him. He was gathering blankets, and heading toward me.

I smiled at his concern then pulled him down by his shirt. With an abrupt expression, he stumbled but got himself together quickly.

"You're cold, too," I argued, placing my hands on his: His skin was frozen. "Sit. I'm fine."

He hesitated, but finally relented. I smiled as he gathered me into his arms, then placed me between his legs. The fireplace warmed us, but his body did the trick, too.

This cabin was nice, really nice. If anything, it resembled a house. I hadn't seen the rest of it yet, but this room left a pretty good impression.

My eyes cut over the fireplace in thought. "Are you going to tell me about that surprise yet?"

Kade's body shook with a chuckle. "You're not getting it out of me this easy, sweetheart." I shuddered at the feel of his finger trailing down my neck.

I shook it off, forcing my lips into a frown. "What will it take?"

His hand gripped my chin from behind, raising my head. His own lowered. "Maybe this." He pecked my lips. "Or another." He repeated the action, again and again until my lips were sensitive. His eyes shone with mischief. "You're getting closer, sweetheart."

"Let me guess," I scowled. "You're still not going to tell me?"

I could see the humor in his eyes from the light the fireplace offered. "That's my smart girl." I groaned, earning a grin in return.

He flowered a kiss to the side of my head. Hopping up from his spot, he pulled me up with him. "You get the shower first, sweetheart. Unless you want to share." His hands reached out to grab me again, a smirk building at his lips.

I backed away despite how badly I wanted to accept. My plan was starting now; I couldn't let anything change it.

"You go first," I offered. "I'm gonna stay by the fire some more. You really got me."

Kade walked to his suitcase as I sat back down. "I didn't hit you that hard with the snowball, sweetheart."

I rolled my eyes, leaning back on the heels of my palms. "Are you kidding me? You gave me heartburn from that one hit."

His laugh echoed through the cabin as he carried on to the bathroom. Once I heard the click of the door behind him, I waited a couple of more seconds before finally standing up. Immediately, I went for my suitcase.

Here goes everything.