I sit on the bed, waiting, but every little noise I hear has my heart jumping. I’m scared that Nathan might come back. I was so sure Frost would have burst in here by now. What if he doesn't know yet?
I have no idea when his mom was going to tell him she kidnapped me. I don’t see how this crazy idea of hers is going to work. For all I know, Frost thinks I ran again. It’s really not that big of a stretch.
I wipe at my cheeks, trying to stop the tears.
Let's say he does agree to marry Chel. Then what? If Frost still wants me, there will be no stopping him, unless they threaten him. I bite my bottom lip as it starts to tremble. The idea of him marrying someone else takes the air out of my lungs, and my heart feels heavy.
I was so stupid. If I hadn't pushed him away in the beginning, I don’t think any of this would have happened. I’m sure Frost would have had a ring on my finger the second I let it happen, and now when I look down at my bare finger, all I feel is regret. If this plan works, I’ll have to see my Frost married to another woman.
Who have I been kidding? All the time I spent running from Frost was pointless. I thought I was trying to protect my heart, but that first day I saw him, I wanted him. I want to be the woman who could get close to him in ways no one else ever could. He’d had me back then already and it wouldn't have mattered if he pressed to be with me or not. He owned my heart from that first moment he lifted his head, and his eyes locked with mine.
I jump when the door to the bedroom flies open and I see Frost’s mother. She’s alone this time, but from the smile on her face I think she’s getting what she wants. I wipe away the rest of my tears because I don’t want to give her the satisfaction of making me cry. The woman is a sociopath, and I think she would enjoy it.
“I think you’re going to make it home in time for Christmas. This year it’s going to be magical.” She’s standing there with a sinister smile, waiting on me to what? Thank her? Yeah, she’s a sociopath.
“You got him to agree?” I ask, wanting to know what’s going on.
“It was easy really.” She waves her hand as if it was no big deal. “They will marry tomorrow. Then you’ll be free. Well, you’ll be free of me. I have no idea what Nathan wants with you, but you’ll be his problem then.” My skin crawls thinking of Nathan touching me.
“I don’t believe you.” I stand up.
“Once I showed him the pictures of you and Nathan, his mind was made up.”
How is that possible? I was pushing Nathan away, but I wouldn't put it past her to do some Photoshop work on them. “I told him I brought you here to have a chat with you and to show you that Nathan wants you back. When I mentioned that Chel misses him, he left to go talk to her.”
Jealousy hits me hard even though I know he wants me. If he wanted Chel, he would have been with her, but I still don’t enjoy the idea of them being around each other at all.
“Lies.” I shake my head.
“I might have thrown in there if he tries to leave Chel and go back to you, the next time I come to see you no one will ever see you again.” The smile on her face grows even bigger.
The truth of what she's saying hits me in the stomach. That would get Frost to stay away from me. “Why are you doing this? I love him. Don’t you want your son to be with someone who loves him?” I plead with her. I know it's not going to work, but I have to try.
“This is how things are done. You're not cut out to be Frost's wife.”
I don’t point out the fact that Miller didn't do what she wanted. I don’t need to draw attention to my sister. She scrunches her nose like she smells something bad.
“He’d rip you to pieces, trust me. You’ve known Frost for a few weeks. I’ve known him his whole life.”
That is what most people say about Frost, and I’ve seen him in action a few times myself. But I don't get that side of him. I get the side that no one else knows about besides my family.
“Why don’t you get some rest? Nathan is going to keep watch on your door for me. If I were you I wouldn’t try to escape. It will be Nathan running after you.” She winks as she goes to the door. “If you can make it past him.” She closes it behind her, and I fall back onto the bed.
I want to curl into a ball and cry the ache away. I know that's not possible. The only person that can stop it isn't here. I hold myself as I lie there and wonder where he is and what he's doing.
At some point I get up and shove a chair under the door in case Nathan really is out in the hallway watching. She could have been lying, but I’m playing it safe.
Sleep never comes as the hours pass, and slowly the room starts to fill with light. I left the drapes open because there’s not a clock in here, and I can only guess the time.
The sun is high in the sky when I look out the huge window, and all I see is an endless blanket of snow. The sun bounces off of it and makes it painful to look outside.
The landscape is sparse and barren, and the only thing making it nice is the snow. This house is miserable on the outside too, and I think about Frost and Miller growing up here. I can see why their exteriors are so hard because I’m guessing it's something they learned to do at a young age.
The door handle turns as someone tries to open it, and I hear Chel curse. “I’m coming.” I sigh as I walk over to the door and remove the chair. The door flies open, almost hitting me in the face, and Chel stands there in a wedding dress.
Oh god. This is really happening. He’s really going to marry her. Oh god, I’ll have to see them together if he lives next door to my sister. It’s not possible. I’d be so miserable, just like this stupid, overdone house.
At least Chel’s dress is horrible.
“Listen here.” Chel points a long finger at me, her nails painted blood red. She’s so pretty on the outside, I actually feel a little sorry for her. “You stay away from Nathan. You hear me?”
I nod. “I’ve been trying to stay away from him since the day I left him.” Not only is this a miserable house, it’s a crazy house too.
Between the lack of sleep and everything else I’ve felt, I start to laugh. The crazy is rubbing off on me.
“What’s so funny?” She scowls, but I see weakness in her eyes.
“Besides the dress?” I say through my laugh, and she glares at me.
“I bet you won’t think it's funny when Frost fucks me in it.”
My laughter dies in my throat after she hits her target. Her red lips, painted in the same shade as her nails, curl into an evil grin. I’m shocked her overdone lips can even form a smile, but rage like I’ve never felt fills my body.
I do the only rational thing I can as I ball up my fist and punch her skinny ass right in the face.
The first two punches are all I remember before everything goes black.