Wishing Star

Chapter 32

When Max woke up in the morning, she opened her eyes to find the roof of the tent covered in snow. She gasped in delight, looking to her left and then right, but both of the guys were gone.

She sat up, cringing at the feel of her hair. Her curls were practically floating into space, and they felt weird, like how camping always seemed to make a person feel like they're slightly wet even though they're dry. She grabbed her hair tie, haphazardly throwing her curls in a bun. She didn't have a mirror, so she had no idea what she looked like in her current state, but she'd have to make due until she could get inside and shower.

She'd never been one for camping, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't see the appeal after yesterday and last night. Despite the weather being on the brink of snow the past few days, the campsite had remained toasty with their ingenious idea of adding the heaters. Combined with the warm fire and their warmer bodies, she could say she was officially a fan of camping in the winter.

She hurriedly removed herself from her sleeping bag, throwing on her jeans, wincing slightly at the stiffness. She unzipped the tent flap to see both brothers walking around the campsite, gathering supplies and taking down the lights. The sun was barely up, and most of the campsite was already torn down. The fire had been doused, and the food packed up. She gaped at the side by side that was sitting right outside their campsite, wondering how in the world they had gotten it up the mountain. Come to think of it, it made sense that they had brought everything up on the 4x4.

She hadn't thought much about the logistics of their surprise, but she couldn't imagine them making multiple trips up the mountain to carry those heavy heaters and all of the supplies.

Caelum glanced over, seeing her face peeking out. He smiled at her, dusting the snowflakes off of his eyelashes.

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

She smiled in return. "Why didn't you guys wake me? I could have helped you pack up everything."

Clark turned towards her, his biceps bulging with the weight of the cooler. "Nonsense. This was our surprise for you."

She stepped out of the tent and grabbed the boots that Caelum held out for her. They were surprisingly warm and not full of snow like she thought they would be after accidentally leaving them outside all night.

"Put your boots on, baby girl. I'll take you down the mountain on the side by side before we start hauling everything back."

She shook her head. "I can help you. That way, we can be done quicker."

After she was fully dressed, Caelum grabbed her in his arms and gave her a quick hug, kissing her on the head before passing her to his brother. Instead of a good morning kiss like she expected, Clark picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, carrying her to the vehicle.

She pounded on his back. "Clark! Put me down! I can help, you Neanderthal."

He tossed her down into the passenger seat, holding her in place until the seatbelt was secured. He leaned forward, kissing her hard until she had to move her face to the side for air.

"Be a good girl for us, yeah?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes but finally conceded with a nod.

He winked and placed a quick kiss on her forehead. "Go inside and get warm. We'll be done here soon."

Caelum came and got in the driver's seat, starting the vehicle and speeding down the mountain before she could protest. The loudness of the vehicle kept them from talking, but her screaming, followed by Caelum's laughter, could most likely be heard in town.