ME: It's incredible. Like a winter wonderland underground. How are you guys?
ROSALIE: Snowed in but cozy. Justice is on the phone right now actually...
My heart stops.
ROSALIE: With Spence.
Oh god.
ME: Is everything okay?
ROSALIE: That's what I'm trying to figure out. Justice got all tense and excused himself to the bedroom. Very mysterious.
ME: Probably just checking in?
ROSALIE: Liberty Anne Cruze, do NOT play innocent with me. What is happening there?
I stare at my phone, heat flooding my face. How does she know?
ME: Nothing! We decorated the tree. Had dinner. Dessert. Then some snacks. This place is completely stocked...like 5-star stocked. Anyway, it's all very wholesome.
ROSALIE: Uh huh. And where are you right now?
ME: ...in bed.
ROSALIE: AND WHERE IS SPENCE?
ME: In the hallway. On the phone. With your husband. WHO, APPARENTLY IS PSYCHIC.
Three dots appear, disappear, appear again. Then my phone actually rings.
“Oh my god, you cannot call me right now,” I hiss into the phone, glancing at the door.
“I absolutely can and am.” Rosalie's voice is gleeful, conspiratorial. “Spill. Everything. Now.”
“There's nothing to?—”
“Liberty. I have known you for exactly eight months, and I can count on one hand the number of times you've texted me past nine PM. It's almost midnight, and you're wide awake in bed while a smoking hot former SEAL is on the phone with my very protective husband. Connect the dots.”
I drop my face into my free hand. “We're just... spending Christmas together. That's all.”
“In the same bed?”
“How did you?—”
“Because you said 'in bed' not 'in my room.' And because Spence has been half in love with you since Justice's wedding and everyone except you two idiots could see it.”
My heart does something complicated in my chest. “He has not.”
“Liberty. Sweetie. The man couldn't take his eyes off you. Justice nearly had a stroke watching it happen.”
“Then why would Marshall orchestrate us being alone together?”
“Because Marshall is smarter than Justice and knows that Spence would rather die than hurt you. Also because he's a meddling romantic who thinks he's Cupid with a security clearance.”
Despite everything, I laugh. “That's... actually accurate.”
“So what happened? And don't you dare say 'nothing' again or I will drive through this blizzard right now.”
