Page 34 of Always and Forever
Okay… I won’t mention we considered trying to find them.
“We heard the snowmobile,” I reply as I help him pull down the zipper on his jacket.
Every inch of his clothing is laden with a crust of snow, frozen into a crystalline armor that proves how unforgiving the conditions were outside.
“We were going out of our minds with worry,” I continue, as I gently pull the balaclava from his head and take his face into my hands. His skin is so cold.
I stand on my tiptoes and pepper him with kisses. I just need to touch him, feel him, and make sure he’s okay.
Sobs suddenly bubble up from inside me, all the tension of the last hour needing a release. And then the tears stream down my face as unstoppable as the gale outside.
Tiero’s face immediately softens. He shrugs out of his heavy wet jacket and takes me into his arms.
“Shh, angel,” he soothes, rocking us from side to side. “Shh, it’s alright. I’m here now.”
“I was so scared! What if something had happened to you?”
“Shh,” he says over and over again. “Nothing could ever keep me from you. If a bullet couldn’t stop me, do you think a blizzard could?”
“That’s what Claudette said, too,” I hiccup.
That makes him chuckle, and the sound soothes my tattered nerves.
“Come on. Let’s get you guys in front of the fireplace. We need to warm you up,” I say, trying to pull myself together.
“Agreed,” Claudette adds, appearing in the doorway. “I’m heating up soup and making hot cocoa.”
“Put some rum into it,” Tiero mutters. “I sure could use some.”
“No alcohol,” Claudette replies sternly. “It dilates blood vessels and causes heat loss… counterproductive when you’re trying to warm up.”
Rhia and I help the guys strip off their remaining outer layers and take off their boots. We leave everything in a big heap as we take their hands and lead them into the warm living room. It’s toasty compared to the cold mudroom.
Lex and Tiero are only in their thermals and even those are moist and cold. Claudette returns with a pile of dry clothes she must have collected from our rooms.
“Here, get changed into these,” she orders. “Anything wet will suck the heat right out of you.”
Without hesitation, the guys strip and put on the dry clothes.
I help Tiero; his movements are jerky, his body stiff from the cold.
Claudette watches us, a big smirk on her face.
“What?” I mouth over Tiero’s shoulder. I guess she hasn’t seen him like this before.
She fans herself. “Great view,” she mouths back. “And that tattoo… wow.”
I bite on my lip to stifle my smile. This is so Claudette.
But I have to agree. Tiero’s lion tattoo is a work of art. Before him, I wasn’t a fan of tattoos. But this one has converted me.
“Wrap yourselves up in the blankets I put on the sofa. Sit by the fire and let the warmth seep into your bones. Hot cocoa is coming right up,” Claudette directs.
I shoo the dogs into another corner of the room and throw a few more logs into the fire, making sure it’s well stoked.
Tiero hasn’t commented on the dogs in the house yet, even though I know he saw them. Hmm, he must be in shock—I’d sure be if I had faced the blizzard head-on like he and Lex did.
As the guys settle by the fire, Claudette hands them steaming mugs, the warmth emanating from the cocoa a welcome contrast to the icy ordeal they just endured.
