Arranged Marriage: The Lost Bet

Chapter Sixteen

The next morning, Lucas regretted coming to Ohio. He quickly threw on his slippers and his new carpenter coat, savoring its warmth before climbing back into bed.

At 32, he had never needed to sleep in thermal pants, a hoodie, a long-sleeved shirt, and two pairs of socks.

He glanced at the clock: 5 a.m. Groaning, he pulled Arianna close.

"It's your fault you're cold, mister. I told you we should've gone somewhere warmer, but you picked Ohio," she mumbled sleepily.

Lucas chuckled and hugged her tighter. "It's an adventure. Maybe we'll get used to it."

Arianna scoffed. "Don't hold your breath, big boy. This adventure is going to be a cold one."

A few hours later she had been making lunch when Lucas slammed the front door.

"I hate the cold!" he yelled.

Trying not to laugh, Arianna continued cooking. "Hi, honey!"

"Yeah, hi. It's snowing," he said, flopping into a chair.

Arianna glanced out the window and sighed. She couldn't understand why people loved snow or how they tolerated the cold. "I see that, Captain Obvious. It's just snow; it's not like they'll close the roads... right?"

Lucas scowled at his new phone. "The Weather Channel says Cleveland and all surrounding counties are under a severe winter storm warning and we're at level 2. Not that I know what that means." He sighed, slamming his phone on the table. "I'm so tired of feeling like my balls are going to freeze off. Do you know how scary that is for a guy?"

Arianna looked at his handsome face and burst into laughter. "Lucas, your balls are fine! They won't freeze and fall off, I promise."

Lucas wasn't convinced. "Blue balls I can handle, but this... I think they're frozen," he said, worry creeping into his voice.

Shaking her head, Arianna stifled a giggle. "Lucas, they're fine. Why don't you warm them up by the fire? Gabby should be waking up any minute, so can you grab her while I finish lunch?"

"I need to change out of these freezing clothes anyway. I'll take my lunch by the fire," he replied, standing up.

Arianna giggled as she heard Lucas mumbling that he hoped his manhood was still intact while he made his way down the hallway and up the stairs.

Smiling, she turned back to the counter and finished making the ham salad sandwiches.

♠ ♥ ♣ ♦

"Please, Lucas, let's go out and build a snowman," Arianna asked after they finished lunch. Within the hour, they had received six inches of snow, and there was no sign of it stopping.

"Arianna, no! It's too cold, baby, and I don't want you or Gabby getting sick. How about we put on a movie?" he suggested.

Arianna crossed her arms and smirked at him. "Fine, we can watch *A Walk to Remember*."

Lucas blanched, debating whether to brave the snow instead of watching a chick flick. "Fine, you are so damn lucky I love you. If it wasn't for the fact my manhood almost froze off, we would be outside. But since it's nasty out and I'm stuck in this freezing house, go ahead and put the movie in."

"Lucas, your manhood is fine. Stop complaining and just watch the movie," she said, inserting the DVD into the player. Taking her seat next to him, she made sure Gabby had her blanket wrapped around her before cuddling into Lucas.

"Landon is such an asshole, don't you think, Lucas? I mean, he knew how dangerous that jump was, yet he let the boy jump anyway. That's just wrong. He could've been killed!" Arianna exclaimed, shaking her head.