Not your fault. Unless you control the weather now.
Hallie:no weather machine here
Shame, would’ve been cool to be related to a supervillain
Hallie:you’re related to Mom
Harsh.
Hallie:but not entirely unfair. Stay safe, okay? I’ll let you know if I hear anything about a rescue before you do.
Thanks. Love you.
I blinked at those last two words after I’d sent them.
Had I ever told Hallie I loved her before?
Had I ever told… anyone?
I’d said the words, sure, but I hadn’tmeantit. I couldn’t remember meaning it.
Was that what Dad meant about not hugging me enough?
Aiden appeared beside me, chin tucked over my shoulder and cold hands curled around my arm, holding onto me.
“We’re snowed in, huh?”
“Looks like,” I said. “Hallie says hi. And that we’re at least not alone.”
“I think we’ve established that it’s not a good thing not to be alone in situations like this.”
“Well, it’s good that Dad and Trent are here,” I said. “That way when we draw straws to see who we’re eating first, there’s a seventy-five percent chance it won’t be me.”
Aiden laughed. “I wouldn’t have eaten you anyway,” he said. “Couldn’t have handled the guilt. Would you eat me?”
“We’re not gonna be stuck here long enough for it to come to that,” I said.
“That sounded suspiciously like a yes,” Aiden said, holding onto me a little tighter.
“It wasn’t supposed to.”
“And yet, you’re still not sayingI’d never eat you, Aiden,” he pointed out.
I couldn’t stop myself from smirking as the perfect response came to my mind. “Think we established yesterday that I would, though. And I’d enjoy it.”
Aiden laughed again, the sound chasing away the worst of the sudden cold that’d settled over me as I looked out at the snow.
“It is pretty,” he said a moment later, breath tickling my skin. “C’mon. Plenty of decorating left to do while we wait for someone to come rescue our asses.”
* * *
“Comfy?”Aiden asked as we settled into the nest of table cloths, coats, and cushions we’d managed to gather up from around the reception venue.
Rescue was still on its way, but the temperature had dipped and it was late. Sleep seemed like the best option for all of us.
Dad was already snoring softly in Trent’s arms, the two of them curled up in their own nest, Trent petting Dad’s hair as he kept watch. Not that anyone needed to keep watch—the whole problem was that no one could get in here, and we couldn’t get out.
Outside, the snow was still coming down like someone was pouring it out of a salt shaker.
