Chapter 437

Around midnight, the family starts to fade.

"Actually," Rafe murmurs at my side, looking around the room as mom and dad herd a sleepy Mark off to his bedroom, Juniper following close behind, and Roger and Cora bid their farewells to their oldest son, who is staying overnight here so that he can go to school with the rest of us in the morning. “This might.....be the perfect time..."

"What?" I ask, frowning up at my older brother, Jackson slumping slightly on my other side, I think already half asleep. I laugh a little as Jacks rests his weight against me, because if he thinks I'm going to be able to hold his weight then he is sincerely overestimating my strength.noveldrama

"Hey, Jacks," Rafe says, giving Jackson a nudge on the shoulder as Jesse kisses his mom and gives his dad a big hug before the pair march out with their ducklings in tow. "Do you think I could... steal Ariel for a bit? Just for a few minutes?"

Jackson growls a little, low in his throat, his arm slipping around my waist as he lifts his head to glare at my brother.

I burst out laughing at this, giving him a smack on his chest. "Jackson!"

"My mate," Jackson murmurs, sleepy and half drunk. "You...can't borrow her. She's mine."

"My sister first," Rafe laughs, I think as tickled as I am to see the ever-controlled Jackson in this state. Rafe raises an eyebrow to me as Jesse comes to stand with us. "Do you think he can get to his rooms by himself, Ari?"

"Yes, he's very capable," I say, grinning up at Jackson, who nods at me with assurance.

"Ohhh, are we doing secret cousin stuff?" Jesse asks, grinning around at the three of us and figuring out what's happening lightning-fast, as he always does.

"Just for a minute," Rafe says as I stand on my tiptoes and whisper to Jackson that I'll meet him in his room shortly, and not to open the present that's waiting there. Jacks gives me a swift kiss on the cheek and murmurs his assurances that he won't, waving his goodnights over his shoulder as he heads out the door.

"What's going on?" I ask, turning to Rafe, just as eager as Jesse now. Because this - a secret meeting of the three of us on Midwinter? It's entirely unprecedented.

“Come on," Rafe says, grinning at both of us, I think a little abashed. "Lets...go to the roof."

"What?" Jesse gasps, delighted at the secrecy and the mystery. I squeak a little with joy, instantly agreeing, and then the three of us quickly head out of the now-quiet living room and up the stairs, back to the little roof garden, which is still kind of a mess from the day's activities.

Rafe shoots us a grin and heads for the little fridge in the tiny outdoor kitchen. "Don't get excited," he sighs. "I didn't plan anything big." He bends over, grabbing a bottle of champagne out of the back and beginning to unwrap the foil that covers the cork as he stands straight.

I watch in fascination as Jesse gets glasses, likewise baffled and pleased. "What's this all about, Rafe?" Jesse asks, placing three glasses on the counter before he leans against it.

Rafe doesn't answer, instead popping the cork with a satisfyingly loud sound and then beginning to pour three glasses. "Now don't freak out," Rafe says, smirking a little. "But I'm going to get...sentimental."

Immediately, I freak out.

"Rafe!" I gasp, clasping my hands beneath my chin, my eyes already welling with tears. "What - why are you getting sentimental!? What's happening!?"

"Oh my god, Ariel," Rafe laughs, grinning, tilting his head back like he can't believe it, or should have expected this, or both. Jesse laughs too and just wraps a warm arm around my shoulder as Rafe sighs, tilts his head back up and begins to hand us each a glass of champagne.

I give a little squeak of anxiety low in my throat, looking at my brother and my cousin with wide eyes as Rafe sighs and raises his glass. Jesse and I instantly raise ours, clinking them together, willing to play along even if we have no idea what's happening. That's always been our vibe, after all - the three of us, always in it together, no questions asked.

"Seriously, Rafe," Jesse says, a little smile on his lips as he sips his champagne. "You've always been the stoic one, out of the three of us. If you keep mixing up our roles we won't know what to do next."

"You just keep cracking jokes, Jess," Rafe says, smirking at our cousin and slipping his free hand into his pocket. "Keep us steady."