Page 14 of Snowed In with My Ex

To wherever texts travelled to reach their intended person.

“Shit!” I cursed, staring at the screen. Waiting for bubbles to pop up. As if Winston would just be waiting around for me to text. I doubted it. He had probably moved on a couple of times by now. I shook my head and set the glass down.

“No more wine for me,” I whispered. I hadn’t even made it into the living room when I heard it.

The clear sound of a knock on the door. I frowned, and my head tilted slightly as I waited. And just like that, another knock sounded. I stared at the tall, strong wooden door, wondering who it possibly could be. I hated how Piper’s warnings of crazycaveman-like mountain guys popped up in my head. That wasn’t a thing.Was it?I licked my lips and quietly made my way to the door.

I looked through the peephole and gasped at who was outside. I took an immediate step back. My eyes pinned on the doorknob like it could bite me.

Another knock came, and I frowned.

It can’t be.

There was no way that who I thought was behind that door was actually standing there. One little text and too much wine were messing with my head.

“I’m just imagining things,” I whispered to myself.Wishful thinking and all that.

First off, there was no way that Winston Nash was in the same small mountain town in Colorado as I was. No way possible. Second, how would he even know where I was? My imagination was most definitely playing games with me, thanks to Piper. Another knock sounded, this time louder, and I leaned in to peek through the peephole one more time.

“What the fuck?” I whispered a little too loudly. There, on the stoop, in the darkness, with nothing but silver moonlight casting down on him, stood Winston Nash.

The man of my dreams.The one I stupidly handed my heart over to and had broken up with. I watched his body still as he frowned.Shit, did he hear me?

“Allie baby, I know you’re there,” he called out.

“Allie baby?” I repeated. He hadn’t called me that in I had no idea how long! At the end, it had been Alaska that, Alaska this. For some reason, hearing it after a month of no contact really pissed me off. I stepped back and pulled the door open.

“Allie baby?” I repeated in an almost shriek.

“Babe—“

“What are you doing here?” I stomped outside, ignoring the icy wind that hit me. Was it normal for snow to fall that hard?

“Jesus, babe!” He scowled. I tried to ignore the way his dark intense gaze roamed up and down my body as if it didn’t leave trails of heat behind. “You’re going to catch pneumonia!” he scolded.

“Catch—“ Before I knew what he was doing, he was gently guiding me back inside, and for some forsaken reason, I was letting him! “Pneumonia?!”

“With how you’re dressed? Jesus, Al!” He ran his fingers through his short hair in frustration.

“How I’m––“ I started to say and glanced down to look at what he meant. My face immediately warmed up. I was in fuzzy socks and a satiny nightgown I had ordered back when we were together. I decided to bring it with me because after all, it was mine. I could wear it when I wanted to.

Especially when I was going to be alone. “I’m supposed to be alone,” I answered.

“But you answered the door in that?” he pointed out. My nipples started to stand at attention, giving away just how much his presence alone affected me.

“What are you doing here?” I growled, changing the subject.

“I miss you,” he announced. This was literally something out of a dream.

Winston finding me. Telling me how much he missed me. It sounded way too good to be true. The last time something had been too good to be true, our six months together, my heart ended up in a million little pieces.

“What?” I whispered.Did he read my text? Is that where this is coming from?

“I miss you, and I’m fucking sorry I was the way I was but––“ I shook my head and interrupted him.

“Let me guess.” I stepped back, needing some space. I crossed my arms over my chest because despite being pissed and still not sure why he was here, my body didn’t seem to get the memo we were over. “Whoever you were shacking up with or trying to hook up with let you go?”

“Allie—“