Page 48 of Falling Like Snow

“Wouldn’t want you to think any less of me than you already do, I suppose,” he replies, a smile splayed across his face as he steps closer and prepares to pick me up.

I punch him in the arm, startling him. “Micah Cook! You are a nice guy!” I let out the laugh I was holding in as he turns around and looks at me like I’m unhinged. “I was just kidding—you don’t actually have to carry me.”

He exhales a quiet chortle as he swoops me into his arms, and I yelp. “Well, I am a gentleman, so I’ll carry you regardless.”

I link my fingers behind his neck, grimacing from the pressure of his hands on my blood-starved legs as he climbs the stairs. “Why, thank you, kind sir.”

“You’re something else, you know that?”

“Sure, if ‘something else’ means ‘hella cool.’ ”

“No one says ‘hella,’ ” he laughs.

I jut out my chin. “Not true. I just did.”

He shakes his head and walks me through the open basement door, around the corner, and to the front door, where my coat and boots are. He sets me down gently. But as soon as I take a step, I trip over my tingly feet and fall onto my knees.

I hurry to stand, my face burning with humiliation, and give him a wide smile. “Yep, gravity still works!”

Micah once again laughs at me. “Maybe I should carry you to your car…” Then he lifts a finger like he’s had a brilliant thought. “Or maybe you should stay. Your sleeping feet and a gas pedal seem like a bad combination.”

“Blood is flowing to my limbs now. I’ll be fine,” I tell him, the painful tingling subsiding.

He casts his eyes at the welcome mat. “You sure you gotta go?”

“Yeah. I just have to make sure everything’s okay with me and Asher.”

I throw my coat on over Micah’s hoodie and grab my keys from my pocket.

“He’s seriously that mad at you for coming here?” Micah asks.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I want to be sure.”

Micah looks like he wants to say something, but he only nods.

“Will I see you at the reindeer farm tomorrow night?” I ask.

He grins, a gleam in those big green eyes. “Do you want to?”

“Depends.”

“On…?”

I shrug. “On whether you’re okay with me hitting on other guys since you and I are just ‘getting to know each other.’ I don’t want you there if you’re going to cramp my style, you know?”

He lets out a deep, unexpected guffaw. “Gotcha. In that case, I’ll have to think about it. Not sure how I feel about seeing that.”

We stand there grinning at each other for a moment before it turns awkward—because part of me is expecting him to try to kiss me good night since we were interrupted in the basement.

When he doesn’t, I take a step backward toward the door. “Okay, well, maybe I’ll see you tomorrow. Maybe I won’t. I guess only time will tell.”

“I guess so.”

I turn and open the door. “Good night, Micah.”

“Night,” he says.

The air outside is frigid as I close the door behind me. I don’t even make it to my car before my phone buzzes again.