Page 52 of Snowed In with Three Mountain Men

The four of us take a moment to come back down to earth, the intensity of what we just shared almost more than all of us can take. None of us can speak right now—but there’s nothing that needs to be said, not really.

No, all that matters is that we’re together. And I don’t know what this new development means for our relationship, but I know I could seriously get used to having these guys lay all their passion at my feet.

And I can hardly wait to see what else I might be able to enjoy when it comes to the three of them soon. But for now, as I sink back into the bath, a blissed-out smile spreading up my face, I know that all I really want in the world is to get some rest.

And linger under their gazes just a little while longer.

26

CHARLI

As I fidgetwith my hands in my lap, Callum reaches over from the other side of the truck and covers my fingers with his.

“Hey,” he murmurs. “You sure you’re going to be okay?”

I manage to plaster a smile on my face, and I nod. “Yeah, yeah, I’m going to be fine,” I promise him. “Just…just ready to get this over with, that’s all.”

“Right,” he agrees, and he lifts my hand to his lips and plants a kiss against the back of it. I steady my breath as best I can, staring out of the window as we arrive in Harrietsville. I can’t believe we’re here. I can’t believe this is finally happening.

Because this is, at last, really it—we’ve found a journalist who’s willing to talk to us about the situation with James, a woman who’s been working on a story about him and his father for a few months now, but has been lacking the final sting she really needs to bring it all together. Having heard a few snippets of the audio we got of him abusing me, she’s agreed to come and meet us in the nearby town of Harrietsville to get the inside scoop, and if everything goes to plan, bring him down once and for all.

But that doesn’t mean that I’m entirely convinced it’s going to go that way. Of course, I hope it does—and there’s no reason to think that everything we have on him isn’t going to be enough. God knows that there should be more than enough evidence to end his career for good, and his father along with him.

But it’s been so long since someone has actually believed me when it comes to all of this, it’s impossible not to second-guess myself and wonder if things will really have changed that much. I’ve spent so many years covering up for the kind of person he is, and it’s hard to trust that people will believe me when I tell them I was lying all that time. After all, if I could mislead them about our relationship being good, right up until the point that we were supposed to be married, why in the name of holy hell would they suddenly trust me now when I turn around and say something entirely different…?

Callum insisted on coming with me today—I guess he could sense how nervous I was. Dax and Chuck offered too, but I told them I would prefer it was just us. Not because I don’t want them there, but because I know if I turn up with three triplet brothers who are all fussing over me, that’s going to be more of a story than the one I’m really trying to tell.

Callum pulls the truck to a halt outside the diner where we’re due to meet this woman. Inside, I’m pretty sure I can already see her sitting in one of the booths, tapping her long nails on the table, looking around as she waits for us to get here.

“You okay?” Callum murmurs, and I nod, trying to keep a smile on my face.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” I reply. “Just, uh…just ready to get this over with.”

“Me too,” he agrees. “Come on, let’s go in.”

He gets out of the truck and offers me a hand to help me to the ground. My legs feel like jelly as I follow him into the diner, my heart pounding against my ribs like it wants to get out.

Inside, the journalist rises to her feet as soon as she sees us come through the door. I texted her a picture of myself to confirm my identity, and even though I shouldn’t be surprised that she knows who I am, it still throws me off for a moment.

“Great to meet you, Charli,” she greets me. “I’m Kennedy. How are you doing?”

“I—I’m a little nervous,” I admit. “Can we sit down…?”

“Of course,” Callum murmurs, and he quickly puts an arm around my waist and steers me toward a booth. I notice Kennedy’s gaze flicking down to his hand against my back, and I pray she’s not judging me too harshly for moving on as quickly as I have. I feel like any wrong move will be enough reason for her to paint me in a bad light, and I’m not sure I can handle the weight of it, knowing that she might see me as someone untrustworthy.

But as she moves in before me, her brow furrows sympathetically, and she reaches across the table to give my hand a squeeze.

“I know I’m here under a professional capacity,” she tells me gently. “But I just wanted to say—I think what you’re doing is incredibly brave, Charli. I’ve been following James and his father for a long time, and while I knew there was corruption in that campaign, I didn’t realize just how deep it went, just how much hurt they caused over the years. I know this can’t be easy for you, but you’re doing the right thing. You’re helpingto protect other women from the same fate in the future, and stopping that father of his from abusing his power any more than he already has.”

I manage a small smile. It’s not exactly enough to make my doubts fall away entirely, but I appreciate her kindness—God knows I need it right now.

“Thank you,” I reply. “I—we brought the rest of the recording from when he kidnapped me. You want to listen to that now? I can fill you in on everything that he’s referencing as we go…”

“If you think you can handle that, sure,” she replies. I glance over at Callum, who reaches beneath the table to give my leg a squeeze. I nod.

“Yeah, I can handle it,” I reply. And to my surprise, I actually mean it.

So, I hand over the recording to her, and she starts to listen to it. I can see a dark cloud of shock crossing her face as she takes in what she’s hearing—I almost hate having to put anyone else through the shit that he said or did to me, but it’s only by facing it that I have any chance of moving on.

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