Page 4 of Puck the Halls
Oh, I am in so much trouble right now.
Crew's grin confirms that. “There’s a snowstorm,” he says. “Blew through Kansas and is hitting Decatur now. It’s south enough of Chicago that it isn’t affecting flights there.”
There’s a long stretch of silence on Danielle’s end of the call, then she says, “So you’re not coming?”
“We’re coming,” I say firmly.
I rarely fuck up, but when I do, I always fix it.
And when there is something upsetting my wife? Iabsolutelyfix it.
“How?” she asks. Now the anger is gone from her voice and I hear a little wobble.
Fuck. She’s going to cry.
Crew also hears it and his eyes widen. He gives me a look that saysI might punch you.
There is nothing that rattles all of us more than Danielle’s tears.
I will also be on Michael’s shit list. Especially since he’s the one there in Aspen with Danielle and having to comfort her.
“We’ll drive,” I say.
“You’re going todrivehere?” Danielle says incredulously. “That’s…really far.”
I don’t know how far exactly it is either but I know there are at least two relatively large states between her and me right now. “We can do it. There’s two of us. We’ll just trade off driving and sleeping.”
“How are you going to drive when there’s a snowstorm?” she asks. “If the snow is keeping planes on the ground, it’s not going to be safe to drive either.” She takes a deep, shaky breath. “No. Stay there. Just go to Michael’s mom’s house. You can be with the kids. Michael and I will come home.”
“You’re not going to come home early from this trip just because I fucked up,” I tell her.
There’s another long pause on her end of the phone and then she says, “I didn’t say we would come homeearly.”
Her meaning takes only a moment to sink in. Then there’s another little growling noise, but this one comes from Crew.
“You and Michael are going to stay there without us?” Crew asks.
“I guess so,” Danielle says. “I know he’ll appreciate the surprises I packed.”
That is a low blow. That is worse than Crew making me say that this is all my fault. That is worse than almost anything.
Knowing that my wife was very excited about two full days of uninterrupted, sexy times with the three of us, knowing she packed extra surprises, and knowing that she’s very willing to stay and let Michael be the sole recipient of all of her gorgeous, delicious horniness, hasmegrowling.
“Danielle,” I say in my bestyou’re pushing me little girlvoice.
But it doesn’t work.
“I love you both. I’ll see you… when I see you,” Danielle says.
“You will see ussoon,” I say firmly.
“Make good decisions, Nathan,” she says just as firmly. “Because if you die or kill Crew driving through a storm to get here, I will never forgive you.”
Then she hangs up on me.
I take a deep breath in through my nose and blow it out through my mouth.
Crew shoves his phone into his pocket. “Tell me you have a plan.”
