The Winter Boyfriend: A Stand-Alone YA Contemporary Romance Novel (The Boyfriend Series)

by Christina Benjamin

Chloe led him to the dance floor and once Ethan had her in his arms he didn’t want to let go. He found himself wondering how on earth he’d ever survived without spending every moment of his life with his arms around this girl. And even worse, how was he going to manage to let go when Christmas came to an end?

  Ethan swayed to the music, letting Chloe do most of the leading. He couldn’t seem to do more than run his fingers through her hair.

  “I like your hair like this,” he whispered. “You should wear it down more often.”

  “Ethan Hall, are you commenting on my hairstyle? You'd better be careful.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “You're starting to sound like a boyfriend.”

  He laughed. “Is that so?”

  “Definitely.”

  “Well, I guess I will have to take your word for it since I've never been a boyfriend before.”

  Chloe shook her head. “I still don't know if I believe you. You are definitely boyfriend material.”

  “Boyfriend material, huh? For who?”

  Before Chloe could answer Brady suddenly appeared. He wore a grin that Ethan wanted to wipe off his face. “Hey, Chloe. You owe me a dance.”

  She frowned. “I do?”

  “Sixth grade, you got chicken pox and I had to go to the dance all by myself. You said you’d make it up to me. Well, this is me calling in that dance.” Brady looked right at Ethan and winked. “You don't mind, right bro?”

  Of course he minded but once again Ethan kept his emotions in check and stepped away from Chloe without a word.

  Brady

  A new song started, its pace a little faster than what Brady would’ve preferred. But Chloe didn’t even seem to notice that they were the only two slow dancing to a fast song. Her eyes were still on Ethan. She’d watched him walk away with a longing in her eyes that Brady was familiar with.

  He’d seen that look before. The way Chloe was watching Ethan . . . it was the same way she used to watch Brady. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. Was he too late? No. He refused to believe it. He and Chloe had a history. He just needed to make her remember.

  Brady tucked a long strand of hair behind Chloe’s ear. “Clo?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I was saying you look beautiful tonight.” He’d said it once already but it was as if she hadn’t heard him at all. She felt like a mannequin in his arms.

  “Oh, thanks.”

  “I had a great time snowmobiling today.”

  She smiled at him but not the way she used to. “Yeah, today was fun.”

  “Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow's Christmas, Brady.”

  “So. We always used to hang out on Christmas.”

  Chloe bit her lip. She was looking at him now, but he wished she wasn’t. “Brady, things aren't like they were before.”

  “What do you mean? I thought we were friends again.”

  “We are. And I’ll always love our friendship, Brady, but I don't want to go back to how it was before.”

  “Back to being my girlfriend you mean?”

  She nodded. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lead you on. I wasn't really sure how I felt at first, but now . . .” She paused and glanced over Brady’s shoulder again. He followed her eyes to where they landed on Ethan. “Now, I just feel like we’re not as right for each other as I thought.”

  “Because of him?” Brady asked, jutting his chin in Ethan’s direction.

  “I don’t know.”

  “It’s okay, Chloe. I’m not mad. All of this is my fault. I’m the one who screwed up and let you go.”

  “Maybe you didn’t screw up. Maybe we weren’t meant to be more than we are.”

  Brady tried to smile but he felt a dull ache in his chest as his hopes deflated. “Well, if the next guy screws up maybe we'll find out.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Make sure he treats you better than I did,” Brady said, kissing her on the cheek. “Merry Christmas, Chloe.”

  “Merry Christmas, Brady.”

  With a sigh, Brady let his arms fall away from Chloe. His heart felt heavy as he turned to walk away. Maybe she was right. Maybe they weren’t meant to be more. Either way, it looked like he wouldn’t find out. Chloe didn’t want to give him another chance. And he really couldn’t blame her.

  Brady stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked off the dance floor. When he passed Ethan he frowned. Brady wanted to hate the guy, he really did, but as he’d said to Chloe, this was Brady's fault, not Ethan's.

  Brady gave Ethan a sad smile and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Good luck.” Then he walked away.

  Brady found himself wondering if maybe he should’ve hung a different wish on the Christmas tree yesterday. Instead of wishing to find something he’d lost, he should’ve wished for knowledge. Because if he’d known what he had in the first place, he never would have let it go.

  31

  Chloe

  Chloe didn’t waste a moment before seeking out Ethan. She’d made sure never to lose sight of him the whole time she was with Brady. After their conversation she finally felt free. It made her feel like she was walking on air as she approached Ethan. Unlike Brady, Chloe knew a good thing when she had it and she had no intention of letting anyone else interrupt her before she let Ethan know exactly what was in her heart.

  Ethan

  Ethan’s heart was his throat as he watched Chloe walk toward him. She was smiling so he prayed he’d misinterpreted Brady’s comment. But it was hard to feel hopeful. From where Ethan had been standing while Brady danced with the girl who’d captured Ethan’s heart, it looked every bit like Chloe was getting back together with her ex.

  Please don't break my heart, Chloe. You don't have to pick me but you can do so much better than him.

  “Hey,” Chloe greeted cheerfully when she reached Ethan. “Can we finish our dance?”

  He nodded.

  For a while all they did was dance, but Ethan found it impossible to enjoy himself like he had been before. Each time a new song started he wondered if it would be the song he was listening to when Chloe dashed all of his dreams.

  Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. “Chloe,” he said, quietly. “I need to ask you something.”

  “Okay.”

  “Are you over Brady? Because I’m certain he’s not over you.”

  She sighed. “Maybe he’s not, but that doesn’t matter. He's not the one I want to be with.”

  Hope spiked through Ethan, sending his pulse through the roof. “Really?”

  “Really. I’m not interested in repeating past mistakes.”

  Ethan huffed a quiet laugh. “Harsh.”

  Chloe laughed, too. “I let him down easy. Besides, I think Brady will be just fine.”

  “How do you know?”

  Chloe jutted her chin toward the bar.

  When Ethan followed her line of sight he shook his head. Brady was already flirting with another girl. “Wow, it seems you made the right decision.”

  Chloe

  Chloe sighed. “Brady’s always been like a puppy with a new toy. I don’t think he can help it.” She laughed. “He just prefers things that are shiny and new.”

  Her heart hurt a little, realizing at some point she’d lost that appeal. Would that happen with Ethan?

  “What are you thinking?” Ethan asked, his lips so close to her ear that she shivered.

  “I guess I’m just wondering if everyone’s sparkle dulls at some point.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “I guess that's what happened with me and Brady.”

  Ethan pulled back and stunned Chloe with an angry gaze. “Sometimes I feel like we’re on the exact same wavelength and sometimes you’re ridiculously blind.” Ethan stroked a hand slowly down her cheek. “There is nothing dull about you, Chloe Price.” His hand trailed to her chest, pressing over her heart. “Your sparkle is right here. Anyone too blind to see that doesn't deserve you anyway.”

  Chloe swallo
wed against the fever threatening to engulf her. No one had ever said something that beautiful to her in her entire life. She never even knew she’d been waiting to hear those words but now that she had she felt like she was falling toward the earth without a parachute.

  That was it. Those words pushed her over the edge. Chloe was no longer falling for Ethan. She was head over heels plummeting. She was seconds away from letting her lips crash into his when something buzzed against her hip making her jump.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Chloe blinked back to reality and realized it was her phone buzzing wildly in the deep pocket of her flowy dress. “Sorry,” she murmured.

  Normally, Chloe wouldn’t have even brought her phone but she was worried about Margot. Her sister had been a complete mess the entire time the boys were gone, oscillating between fits of sobs and laughter. Chloe had taken her back to the house and made her lay down. She seemed better before they came to the party, but she said she’d been feeling queasy. Chloe chalked it up to nerves, but she told Margot she’d have her phone handy in case she needed anything.

  So when Chloe saw her sister’s name on her screen, followed by a cryptic text, her heart plummeted.

  Margot: 911. Meet me in the ladies room.

  Chloe reached up and kissed Ethan on the lips.

  He blinked at her in shock. “Please hold that thought.”

  As she started to pull away he grabbed her hand, following her off the dance floor. “Wait. Where are you going?”

  “Margot needs me.”

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “It’s private.” Chloe hated the look that crossed Ethan’s face when she told him she had to exclude him. “Can I see your phone?” she asked quickly.

  He pulled it from his pocket and Chloe swiped it from his hand, rushing to put her number in. Her fingers flew across the screen until she sent herself a text. When she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket she reached up and kissed Ethan again. “I'm sorry, but I have to go. I’ll text you later and explain. I promise.”

  32

  Chloe

  Chloe raced to the ladies room, finding Margot doubled over in a stall. She quickly locked the door and ran to her sister. “Margot? What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know. I think I ate something bad. One minute I was dancing with Owen the next . . .” She paused her story to wretch into the toilet again. “Oh my God. What if I have food poisoning? Will that hurt the baby?”

  Chloe grabbed a paper towel and ran it under the sink, handing it to Margot so she could wipe her mouth. “I don’t think it’s food poisoning, Go-Go.”

  “You don’t?”

  “It’s probably morning sickness.”

  “But it’s the middle of the night.”

  Chloe smiled. “It can happen at any time.”

  “What? How do you know that?”

  “Because Aunt Chloe is going to be a nurse,” she said, proudly.

  Margot’s eyes bulged and she wretched again. When she turned back she had tears in her eyes. They left streaks of mascara down her cheeks. “I’m going to be a terrible mother, Co-Co. I don’t know anything about babies.”

  Chloe pulled her sister into her arms and rubbed her back. “You’ll learn. And I’m pretty sure every first-time mother says that.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  Chloe spent the rest of the night holding Margot’s hair back while she got sick. Luckily, she got her back to the house between bouts of nausea so Margot at least could get comfortable. After checking all her sister’s vitals and asking her what she’d eaten, Chloe was positive it was nothing more serious than morning sickness.

  She gave her sister a jug of water and a packet of saltines. Once Margot fell asleep, Chloe felt her mind wander back to Ethan. The last she’d seen of him he’d been watching her rush off. He’d looked so confused. Chloe hated that she was making this awful time of year even more confusing for him. That wasn’t her intention at all. In fact, if he felt the way she did, and she suspected he did, she planned to make his holiday a whole lot better. She just needed a solid uninterrupted evening with him.

  An idea sparked to life and Chloe grabbed her phone. She quickly fired off a text to Ethan.

  Her: Hi. Sorry I had to rush out earlier.

  Him: That’s okay. Is everything okay with Margot?

  Her: It will be.

  Him: Where are you?

  Her: In my room with Margot. Where are you?

  Him: Still at the party. Should I come home?

  Her: Stay, enjoy yourself.

  Him: Kinda hard without you.

  Chloe smiled like a fool.

  Him: Want me to come home?

  Her: No. I’m still taking care of Margot.

  Him: What’s wrong with her?

  Chloe thought about that for a moment. The last thing she wanted to do was lie to Ethan, but it wasn’t her place to share Margot’s news. Chloe decided on a half truth.

  Her: Female issues.

  Him: Enough said.

  Her: There’s something I want to say to you but it needs to be in person. Can we continue our conversation tonight?

  Him: Same time, same place?

  Her: You read my mind.

  Chloe added a smiley face.

  Him: Looking forward to it.

  Ethan sent back a winking face.

  Chloe giggled. She loved that his emoji was smiling. It meant there was hope for him. Maybe she’d found a way to make him smile on the inside. That was progress. And with any luck, after tonight, they’d both be smiling.

  Margot stirred in bed. She opened her eyes and looked at Chloe. “What are you so smiley about?”

  “I think I just set a date with Ethan.”

  Margot grinned. “So are you going to tell him how you feel?”

  Chloe felt her cheeks heat. “Is it that obvious?”

  “To me it is. But you’re my favorite sister.”

  Chloe laughed. “I’m going to talk to him tonight and tell him how I feel.” She pulled Margot’s phone off the nightstand and handed it to her. “And you’re going to do the same with Owen. No more excuses. Tonight we lay it all on the line.”

  Margot sat up and took the phone hesitantly. She glanced up at Chloe. “Together?”

  Chloe nodded. “Together.”

  33

  Chloe

  Chloe and Margot were seated on her bed watching the clock. It was after eleven. They’d heard their parents go to bed over an hour ago. It was time.

  “Ready?” Chloe asked.

  Margot let out a nervous breath and nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”

  Chloe pulled her into a hug. “Good luck.”

  She picked up Darcy and quietly let herself out of her room to give her sister some space to talk to Owen. As Chloe made her way downstairs she repeatedly prayed Owen would take the news well. After the initial shock had worn off, Chloe couldn’t imagine him not being excited. Her sister was having Owen’s baby! Their family was growing! She was going to be an aunt!

  Each thought released a euphoric burst of excitement that tightened Chloe’s chest. She knew this news would change Owen’s plans and that being a parent was a huge responsibility, but she couldn’t imagine him not wanting to do it. Especially after what Ethan told Chloe about their own lack of family.

  And she’d seen the way Owen was with Margot. He looked at her like she was the sun, moon and stars. It was the same way her parents looked at each other. That had to be a good sign.

  Chloe busied herself in the kitchen making hot cocoa and pulling out all the supplies for s’mores. She couldn’t believe it was almost Christmas and she hadn’t made s’mores once yet. Normally she made them every day during winter break. This had certainly been a different Christmas so far. But strangely, Chloe wouldn’t change a thing about it.

  Once she had everything she needed, she grabbed a treat for Darcy and tucked him in his fluffy argyle dog bed under the Christmas tree. She was so busy gazing at
how cute he looked under the tree she almost didn’t see Ethan until he was right next to her.

  She grinned when she saw him. Tonight, it wasn’t a surprise to find him in the living room with her at midnight. She’d asked him to meet her. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” she said playfully.

  Ethan snaked his hands around her waist and pulled her in close. “What if I don’t want to?” he said softly, sending waves of nervous excitement though Chloe.

  Her cheeks hurt with the intensity of her smile. “I don’t want to either.”

  He kissed her beneath the twinkling lights that had been strung across the ceiling and Chloe felt her whole world narrow to nothing but Ethan. She could kiss him forever, but knowing they had much to discuss she forced herself to pull away.

  “Come on, I have a surprise for you,” she said taking his hand and tugging him toward the pile of pillows and blankets she’d set up in front of the fire.

  There were a million things she wanted to ask Ethan. Especially now that Margot was pregnant. Chloe knew she couldn’t tell Ethan yet. But even without Margot’s exciting news, there were still so many questions Chloe wanted answered. She wanted to know everything about Ethan. But more than that, she wanted to know how he felt about her.

  Ethan

  “What is all this?” Ethan asked as he watched Chloe settle into a nest of plaid pillows and fleece blankets in front of the fire.

  She set up a tray spilling over with marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers, along with dozens of types of candies and cookies. Next to the tray were two mugs of hot cocoa. As Ethan joined Chloe the enticing aroma of cinnamon made his stomach growl.

  “It’s your surprise,” she said. “S’mores.”

  “I've never made s'mores,” Ethan replied.

  His answer made Chloe grin fiendishly for some reason. “I know.”

  “Oh yeah, and how’s that?”

  “I asked Margot. She said Owen had never made them so I figured you hadn’t either.”