20 Questions

Chapter 37

"Are you fuckers going to throw some snowballs or just dry hump my girlfriend all day," Hunter yells across the field, a big smile on his face.

Girlfriend.

We never discussed it or gave each other official titles, but I do love the way the word "girlfriend" rolls off his tongue. Even if it was screamed and following the word "fuckers." Patrick throws up his middle finger, releasing his hold on me.

"Game on, bitches," Patrick yells, immediately turning to me for an apology. "Not you, of course, Jenna. You're not a bitch." I laugh and throw a snowball at him. "Hey, I'm on your team! You're supposed to throw snowballs at the other team."

"Oh, I plan on it," I squeal as I take off across the field, getting this war started. Justin launches the first snowball, missing me by a landslide. I'm very agile, thanks to years of competitive volleyball. Hunter is crouched down with his back to me, assembling his first snowball. I see my opportunity and put my plan into motion. Bryson has successfully launched his frozen weapon at Patrick, drawing Hunter's attention away from me. I sneak up behind him and ruthlessly nail him in the back of the head with my snowball. He doesn't jump, he doesn't shiver, but he does rotate his head like the exorcist to identify his competitor. He's on his feet in seconds, charging my direction.

"Oh, it's on woman," he smirks while gathering the handful of snow he dropped, courtesy of my attack. I stick out my tongue and dart back to our fort. As I sprint through the field, I see snowballs continue to fly and a crowd of people starting to gather around the field, witnessing the child's game being played by grown adults. People are cheering, clapping and laughing as we battle. Some people have even joined in. I'm loving this tradition, a far cry from the obligatory Christmases with my unraveled relatives. Hunter launches his snowball, missing me and hitting a young woman who had just joined in. She was anything but pleased, despite Hunter's overzealous apologies and frantic explanation of his intended target. I successfully make it back to the fort, gathering more snow for my arsenal.

A few minutes later, Hunter and Kevin are in the middle of an intense battle, so I am once again able to discretely sneak around the back of their fort undetected. These guys really need to work on their peripheral vision and be more cognizant of their surroundings. They are making it way too easy. I pack more snow on my already sizable snowball and tiptoe up to Hunter. I raise the tightly packed white weapon over my head and slam it down on top of his, the ball exploding with contact. Turning around to find the culprit, a wicked smile covers his face and I know I am in for it.

"Girl, you are going to get it now!"

I scream and laugh as I take off running across the field. This proves to be difficult, running through shin-high snow and trying to escape a man with a longer leg span than me. His breathing is getting louder, the distance between us shortening and I know he is right on my heels. All balance is lost when his arms wrap around my stomach and tackle me to the ground. My breath is stolen as I faceplant into the winter wonderland. I laugh hysterically as he tickles my waist without mercy.

"You think you're slick, don't you, Jenna? You think you can hit me twice in the head and come out unscathed? Tsk tsk, woman. You will pay dearly for that," he taunts.

"I can't help it that you can't compete with my stealth-like attacks, grandpa," I argue between bouts of laughter. "Looks to me like you may want to watch your six a little better."

"I'm gonna take it out on your six later tonight," he whispers in my ear, his teeth clenched and his tone charged.

I manage to kick and squirm enough that I flip over onto my back. He grabs my waist again and instead of tickling me, he dips his head, crashing his lips against mine. The degree of fire in his kiss could melt all the snow in Colorado. I am so consumed in this moment with him that I barely hear the clapping and cheering around us, but I assume it's because somebody has just been nailed with a snowball. Our lips unfasten and we look around to see everyone staring at us, smiles on their face. I blush and Hunter's cheeks share that same shade of pink. I expect to see his buddies irritated that we have halted the game with our moment of passion, but I am pleasantly surprised to see them standing there, smiles on their faces and clapping. Their eyes tell me that they are happy for their brother. They are happy for me. They are happy for us.