31. Booth
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
booth
“C’mon, my little ice queen,” I holler over my shoulder.
Not one second later, a flurry of cold white powder explodes in my face.
“Oops,” a sweet voice says.
Blinking away the snow from my eyes, I turn to look at Aly , twenty yards down the trail, with the prettiest death stare aimed my way.
“There’s my girl. Now hurry. The sun is gonna set soon.”
Powering ahead, I smile to myself when the crunch of her snow boots nears closer.
Aly was…well, Aly when we woke this morning.
Her story astonished me.
The hurt in her words was obvious, no matter how hard she tried to mask it.
It’s unfathomable that someone wouldn’t want to know her.
To witness her opening up like she did last night was monumental.
There was a beauty in her vulnerability.
Aly’s strength is a castle.
A fortress never weathered by the elements.
Brick by pristine brick, she dropped her walls and let me inside.
Martin was her grandfather.
Not her father .
She took a huge step visiting him yesterday.
Today , however, her walls are up again, and underneath her stoic expression, she’s frustrated.
So when we rolled out of bed, coddling her was not an option.
I welcomed her fire and let her do what she needed to do.
I understand why she guards her heart with ferocity, and last night I got a glimpse inside before she sealed it shut again.
“Where are we going?” she asks breathlessly, her legs finally catching up to me.
She blends in with the snowy landscape in her beige suede coat and cream knitted scarf and gloves.
“There’s a spot close by. The storm stopped me from showing you around last time.” I heft the large backpack over my shoulder and she eyes it suspiciously.
“And you’re not going to tell me what’s in there?”
“Nope.” I flash her a grin.
“I’m not helping you bury a body.” She blows a curl off her face.
“Unless it’s mine?” I bump shoulders with her.
She cuts me a side glance.
“ I’m still on the fence about that.”
Her sharp wit and banter are a good sign; it’s her silence that’s unsettling.
After breakfast, I wanted to distract her before we headed back to reality.
When she wasn’t looking, I stuffed what I needed in a bag, told her to dress comfortably with plenty of layers, and steered her out of the cabin.
Now, we’re surrounded by towering evergreens, their branches bowing with the weight of the snow.
There isn’t a single cloud hanging in the crystal blue sky.
Under the afternoon sun, the forest sparkles as the rays catch on the white canopies.
It’s whimsical, like something out of a fairy tale.
A flash of red catches my eye and I pull us to a stop, pointing to a hundred-foot pine.
“ See that?”
Aly squints, leaning in close to follow my finger before gasping softly.
“ What is it? ”
“A woodpecker. Listen .” My arm snakes around her waist, sealing our bodies together as we wait.
After a minute, the bird lets out a tchur as its red head jolts forward.
Drumming echoes through the trees and bounces off the bark.
“Wow,” she whispers.
“ Days like today remind me how different this place is to the city.”
Chuckling, I nod.
“ It’s pretty great. Some people say seeing a woodpecker pecking can symbolize resilience and perseverance?”
Aly swallows, shaking her head.
“ I didn’t.”
I glance down at her.
“ I think there’s a reason we’re witnessing it today.”
Her brow wrinkles a little but she doesn’t say anything more, lost in her own thoughts again.
Smacking a kiss to her rosy cheek, I link our gloved hands together and lead her the rest of the way until we reach a familiar break in the tree line.
A large chunk of my childhood took place here.
Summers splashing in the shallow waters.
Springs spent fishing with friends.
Fall campfires and spiced cider.
Winters racing on fresh blades.
I dump the bag on the floor while Aly gapes at the frozen landscape stretching past the frosty horizon.
“This place is… Wow . ” Her marvel strikes me with pride.
“ A lake?”
“Yeah.” I dust off the snow and reveal the sign sitting on the shore, veiled slightly by pale reeds.
Rosewick Waters . “ A little hidden gem.”
“It’s like we’ve stepped foot into Narnia ,” she whispers.
“It’s pretty magical. You should paint it.”
While she takes it all in, I rummage around in my bag.
“Now, I checked your shoes—not in a fetish kinda way. Unless you’re into that.” I dangle the skates between us by the laces.
“ Turns out you’re the same size as Florence . ”
She drags her gaze away, a dreamy look on her face until she spies the footwear.
“ Absolutely not.”
“Okay, okay.” I lower to a knee and hold out my hands.
“ It’s a no to the foot pics, but there’s zero negotiation on the ice-skating.”
With pursed lips and slightly furrowed brow, she says, “ I don’t know how. I’ll be like a baby giraffe taking its first steps. I’ve humiliated myself enough in the last twenty-four hours.”
Well, that certainly won’t do.
The skates thud at my feet.
In a heartbeat, I’m towering over her, fingers clasped behind her neck.
“ No ,” I state firmly.
“ No , you don’t get to do that. I’ll take your hardheadedness, insults, and cold shoulders, but I will not allow you to say that what you did yesterday was anything short of remarkable. You are remarkable, so don’t you forget that. But if you do, I’ll be here to remind you.”
Moisture clings to her lashes as she shakes her head.
Then her words cut me right down the middle.
“ You won’t always be here. Or I won’t. Remember ?”
I’d forgotten.
My smile is weak. “ Then I’ll have to double down on my efforts. Starting now.”
Fire and ice battle it out as I press my mouth to hers.
My tongue demands entrance, and I ignite when her taste hits me.
No amount of time is enough with her.
Maybe ignoring the end date and my rapidly increasing feelings is careless.
Maybe I’ll live with the most amazing memories.
Of moments just like this.
Maybe. Maybe . Maybe .
“In case that wasn’t clear,” I mumble against her lips before stealing another kiss.
“ That was me telling you that you’re incredible and you can do anything you put your mind to. ”
She doesn’t fight her smile or me.
“ You’re not too bad yourself, Dimples .”
I spoke prematurely.
Either Aly isn’t putting her mind to it, or she really is terrible.
I’m not complaining, because I’ve had her lithe body pressed against mine for the last hour.
Her frustrated little huffs and grunts are adorable.
More importantly, she’s switched off.
“One last try on your own,” I say encouragingly.
Her knees are bent, ass nestled into my lap as she grips my wrists hovering at her sides.
“Okay.” She puffs out her chest, hands shaking.
“ But tell me when you’re going to push me.”
“You got it. On my count. Five , four, three— Go !”
“Booth!” she screeches as I nudge her forward and she glides away, arms flailing in the air.
Cupping my hands around my mouth, I instruct her.
“ Keep your knees bent! Eyes up! Stop looking down! Now turn!”
“You didn’t teach me how to turn!”
“It’s easy. All in your hips.” She’s really picking up speed.
Her hair whips behind her as she races toward a huge bank of snow.
“ Aly , turn! Now !”
“You are the worst instructor! I hat—” Her tirade is cut off when she body slams into a drift, a plume of snow dancing up into the air.
“Shit. Shit . Shit .” I glide across the ice, pumping my arms and legs before skidding to a stop.
“ That was impressive. Ten out of ten.”
Two menacing eyes, with lashes weighed down with flecks of white, track my movements.
A gloved hand shoots up.
I should have seen it coming.
The moment our fingers make contact, she’s hauling me down.
I not so gracefully land on top of her, and then I’m the one screeching.
A sharp bite zaps down my spine when a handful of snow is dumped down my clothes.
“ Fuck , you little witch! I was helping you.”
“You sabotaged me! Now eat snow too.” And I literally do when she shoves a handful in my face.
We roll around, wrestling each other in the snow until we’re wheezing with laughter, faces flushed, clothing soaked through.
Frost bitten and shivering, we eventually stop and catch our breaths.
Birds chirp around us as we settle on our backs, staring up at the sky.
“Thank you,” she murmurs softly.
I glance at her side profile.
“ For what?”
“For being you. Shamelessly , without any walls or falseness. You don’t treat me like something about to crack under the pressure. I needed this.” She meets my gaze.
“ I’ll never forget this or my time in Sutton Bay .”
My heart jackhammers in my chest. “ I won’t forget this either.” I won’t forget you.
“ Now , let’s get back and warm up. There’s a bathtub waiting with our names on it.”