Page 86 of Blizzards and Brews
I was practically vibrating with excitement just like Ollie was, though mine was partially because of the big surprise coming up. Hopefully, they and Adam wrote it off as post-bonding bliss and holiday merriment down our bond. I hadn’t told any of the guys, which they might get me for later, but I knew Spencer was going to be so happy when he saw his family.
Alexandra and I had been texting non-stop, and she was quickly becoming one of my favorite people. She was the type to send random memes throughout the day, check in, and give those little updates that some people might find annoying, but I found refreshing.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I waited until Spencer and Ollie were distracted to pull it out.
“What are you up to?” Adam side-eyed me.
“Just a little surprise for Spencer,” I replied. Adam raised his eyebrows but didn’t argue with me.
“Oh my god, Beatty’s got her pie booth out. Get over here!” Ollie gasped, reaching back for me again and yanking me toward the booth. Adam let out a growl at me being manhandled but Ollie didn’t care. He was already focused on the baked sweets.
Every time she had one of these booths at Holiday Hollow festivals, we’d always get a whole pie and split it between us. Wemight be miserable afterwards, and on a little bit of a sugar rush, but there was no way I was turning down one of our traditions.
Ollie turned to me, his face suddenly serious. “Okay, the big question of the year: Apple, chocolate, or cherry?”
“Well, lucky for you, this year you don’t have to pick,” Beatty said as she held up a tin to show us the divided pies, cut into quarters and stuck together with little dividers so you didn’t have to choose.
Ollie let out a happy little squeal before slapping his chest and coughing, his voice dropping down to his normal range.
“I’ve always wanted to try pecan,” Ollie said. “We’ll take that one.”
I grabbed five forks from the tin in front along with a stack of napkins, before following after Ollie.
The pie was still warm and steam rose in the cold air as he took off the top. We all groaned as we breathed in the mixed scents.
“Beatty was on to something. I like not having to choose,” I hummed as I took a bite of chocolate, savoring the rich flavors before moving on to cherry.
“I’m going to need a drink,” Adam said. “You better save me some.”
“No promises. You better hurry,” Ollie said without a hint of remorse. No one got between this omega and his pie.
As we made our way through the pie I did a bit of people watching. The games were a huge hit right now with the kids running around, plus you couldn’t top the bubble machine. There were the usual small business and craft tents along with some face painting. It was the usual cast of characters that I’d come to adore.
Then I saw it.
“They brought back the ice skating rink,” I said, dropping my fork in the pie tin and hurrying past the rest of the craft boothsto see it. It had been a few years since they had one but now it looked just like it did as a kid. A wave of nostalgia hit me square in the chest.
“We have to try it! Who’s guarding the pie?” Ollie asked.
“Me,” Spencer said quickly… too quickly. The way he was eyeing the ice rink had all of us looking at him.
“You’ve never ice skated before, have you?” I accused.
“I’m sure I did it at some point as a kid.”
“That means no,” Dustin translated. “Lindsay and I will wait here while you guys have a turn. We don’t want to leave Adam alone, do we?”
“Come on,” Ollie said, while Spencer glared daggers at us. The moment they stepped away, Dustin turned to me, narrowing his eyes.
“You going to tell me why you keep checking your phone today?”
“Spencer’s sister got a hold of me. They want to surprise him, and I’ve been helping her get a place at the inn. They should be here in like an hour.”
A warm smile spread across his face. “You’re too good to us.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips across mine. It was sweet and gentle and sent a wave of warmth through me.
“I could say the same to you guys,” I mused as I picked my fork back up, taking a bite of the pecan and groaning at the mix of flavors.
I swear Beatty uses magic to make these pies.