Page 75 of Blizzards and Brews
It felt like old times again, seeing her hop out of the car and rush toward the front door, casting glances back at me as the wind ruffled her hair in her face. The wave of nostalgia that hit me was strong, but I wanted to stay firmly rooted in this placehere, the one that meant she was mine and she wasn’t holding back anymore.
We walked down each aisle, Lindsay grabbing new snacks for us to try and tossing them my way. In minutes, we had a supply big enough that it could feed us all for a week.
She gave me a warning glance before she headed for the coolers, grabbing out drinks that Adam definitely wouldn’t have approved. But this wasn’t about him. It was about us, the open road, and releasing all of this extra tension.
She didn’t even protest as I paid for the snacks, taking the bag from the cashier and leading her back to the car. Lindsay plugged her phone into the aux cable and started pulling up our favorite playlist. She waited to blast my eardrums until I was heading down the backroads away from Holiday Hollow.
“Ready?” she asked, her smile bright and sparkling, life coming back into her face after that blow. I was so fucking proud of her for not letting this keep her down.
“Ready,” I promised.
That was all she needed to hit play, the music blasting through the speakers and our voices joining the mix as we sang at the top of our lungs.
An hour later, my voice was hoarse and we were well outside the town. That sad smile had been completely wiped from my girl’s face and a sense of pride and relief filled me.
“Oh look!” Lindsay exclaimed, pointing to a sign on the side of the road. “Sled fest!”
I made note of the exit and a few minutes later I was taking the ramp. “Let’s do it, Linds.”
“This is going to be so much fun,” she exclaimed.
I’d do anything, be anything, to bring her happiness and joy. The fact that I was able to do that by being myself and giving her this made me feel worthy.
Being a triplet was amazing, but sometimes, we fell prey to people looking at us as a whole instead of individuals. Even more so when our designations hit.
Suddenly, I had an alpha and omega for brothers who came with a new set of characteristics while I more or less remained the same.
There was a brief moment where I’d felt like I got left behind, but thankfully, I had the best brothers in the world and they always made sure to make me feel the opposite.
The fact that Spencer had called a Holloway for me and Lindsay told me that he would be the same.
We quickly found Sled Fest, the crowds were big but manageable, and got our tickets and sled before we took it up one of the big constructed hills.
“This is just what I needed,” Lindsay said, bumping her shoulder against mine. “Thanks, Dusty.”
“Anything, Linds. You know that.”
She sighed. “I just feel stupid, and you know I hate feeling that way.”
“I know, but I also know you’re anything but. So, why did you let him stay, Linds? That’s not like you.”
“The truth?”
“Always,” I said seriously.
“I was exhausted of constantly denying my feelings for you all, and I was lonely. When he said he wanted to stay a couple more weeks so we could spend time together, it made me feel wanted.”
My stomach turned. “I’m not going to ask if you loved him. But, I’ll be honest and say that it kills me to hear. I’ve always wanted you, Lindsay. Always. There hasn’t been a single day of my life that I remember that I haven’t wanted you with me. When you broke things off with me–”
Fuck, my voice broke. The line moved forward and provided a brief distraction but then once again, we were at a standstill while the next wave of riders went.
“I never loved him,” she said, after a moment. “Not even close.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“I do,” she said, that fierceness I loved so much emerging once again. “We started something together and then when our designations hit and you all were stuck in the city for a month, I completely got scared and bailed. I was trying to protect myself, protect all of you, but I’m not sure what it ultimately did. I’m sorry, Dustin. Truly, I am.”
I hadn’t realized that I needed to hear the words until she said them.