223

Margot

I said goodbye to James and stood outside the cabin. The lights were on inside, but I couldn’t remember leaving them on. I checked the cabin number just to be sure, and everything matched. Assuming housekeeping must have come by, I walked in, holding the champagne bottle like a weapon, just in case. Knowing my luck, Braxton could be hiding in there, or worse, a masked attacker. I raised the bottle, prepared to defend myself.

“Whose jacket is that?”

I swung the bottle without thinking, narrowly missing Jaxon’s face. He caught it just in time and tugged it—and me—closer.

“Forget about me that quickly?”

For a moment, I thought I might be seeing things due to the alcohol. Then, Lucas’s voice from the couch behind me made everything clear.

“Who was the guy walking you home?” His angry tone snapped me to attention.

I quickly pulled away from Jaxon and backed away from him. Lucas and Ryder were standing by the couches, staring at me. The cabin was full of flowers, gift-wrapped boxes, and even a big teddy bear. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s my cabin, Margot.” Lucas took a step forward, and I instinctively stepped back into the door. “Come sit down so we can talk.”

I gripped the door handle. “What’s there to talk about?”

“Us. We shouldn’t have left. Come sit down, we owe you an apology.” Ryder held his hands up, giving me a pleading look.

“No.” I yanked the door open and rushed into the snow. The cold was biting, and James’ jacket barely offered any protection.

Jaxon grabbed my arm, stopping me. “It’s freezing out here. Come back inside.”

I struggled against his hold. “No. I’d rather freeze than go back into that cabin with you guys. Why are you even here?”

“We messed up, Bubba.” He pulled me close enough for some of his warmth to reach me, but I wasn’t ready to let go. “You’re angry, I get it. You have every right to be. But at least be mad inside, where it’s warm.”

Tears blurred my vision. “You think I’m just angry? I’m not angry. I’m crushed. I’m hurt more than you can imagine. You left me. You didn’t even ask for my side of things. You just left. You showed me how little I matter to you, how much you care. And now you think you can just waltz back in? No. That’s not how this works. I’ve spent too much of my life being treated badly by a Heather . I won’t take it anymore.”

Lucas watched me, snowflakes stuck to his lashes. “Margot, please. Come inside. We need to talk.”

I shook my head. “I’m only saying this because I’m drunk. I thought it was love. How stupid was I?”

“It was-”

“I don’t want to hear it! I’ve spent days crying and drinking. I don’t want to open myself up to any more pain from you. How I feel doesn’t matter anymore. We had our little wedding fling, and now it’s over. Leave me alone. It was easy enough for you the first time.”

“Dammit, Margot!” Ryder shoved Jaxon aside and wrapped his arms around me. His warmth, his scent, his hold on me only made the ache in my heart grow. “We got scared. We messed up. But we came back, okay? Constance called us, and we came as soon as we could.”

I pulled away from him, stumbling back. “Constance called you?”

Lucas took another step toward me, like he was walking on eggshells. “She told us everything. We came back as fast as we could. The storm held us up, or we would’ve been here hours ago.”

“You only came back because someone else told you I was innocent. If I’d spoken up, it wouldn’t have mattered. You didn’t care enough to listen to me. I tried calling you. I needed you.” I held up my hands to stop them from talking. “I can’t do this. I’m done. You don’t trust me, and you didn’t care enough to hear me out. It’s over.”

“Where are you going, Margot? Please, just come inside. You don’t have to talk to us, just get out of the cold.” Lucas’s voice was pleading, but it didn’t reach me.

“I’d rather face the storm.” I turned and walked away as quickly as I could.

I wanted them to stop me almost as much as I wanted them to let me go. In the end, they chose to let me walk away.

When I stepped back into the lodge, I lost control. Silent sobs wracked my body. Everything hurt. I hated myself for leaving, but I would have hated myself for staying even more. It felt like a no-win situation. How could I stay with them after they’d thrown me aside so easily? But God, I wanted to.

“Margot?”

I tried to turn away from James, but he moved in front of me and gently gripped my shoulders. I lifted my eyes to his, forcing a smile. “I’m fine.”

He shook his head and pulled me into a hug. “Forget about what I said earlier. Forget about asking you out. Just think of me as a friend and tell me what you need.”

“I just want to go home.”

“Well, it’s your lucky day. The storm’s letting up, and flights are starting to go out again. If we leave now, you can be home by morning.”

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I’m not exactly the best driver on a good day.” He smiled softly and then pulled back. “Can you be packed and ready in ten minutes?”

“Yes.” I thought about the things I’d left behind in the cabin, accepting that they were gone. “I’ll be ready in five.”

“Even better. Meet me back here when you’re set. My little brother’s coming too—he wants to get home to his dog.” James grinned as he saw me smile. “I’ll tell you all about him and his dog while we head out.”