Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
STERLING
Turning Maisy down—again—was the last thing I wanted to do. I can see it’s still sitting heavy on her, because not only is she completely distracted during our lesson, but she’s also doing a damn good job of avoiding my eyes whenever her goggles are off.
Last night we crossed a line. One I swore to Levi I wouldn’t cross. The only reason I’m even teaching her how to snowboard is because Levi trusted me to keep my hands to myself.
When Maisy and I first started seeing each other years ago, it didn’t take Levi long to put two and two together.
Maisy doesn’t know this, but before we were even officially dating, he pulled me aside and told me flat out that if I ever broke her heart, he’d kill me.
That was the first time I’d ever seen Levi’s protective side, and it scared me more than I expected.
When Maisy broke up with me, he was the first person to show up at my door.
I thought he was there to finish me off since she’d already gutted me.
Instead, he came with a six-pack of beer and planted himself on my couch.
We spent the day watching the sports network without saying much of anything.
When he finally stood to leave, he asked me to promise him one thing—that Maisy and I would never try again.
That the furthest we’d ever go was friendship.
At the time, it was an easy promise to make. I couldn’t picture a future where Maisy and I would ever get back together, let alone be friends. But now? After what happened last night? I feel like I’ve already broken that promise—fingers in places they shouldn’t have been.
Maybe that promise is a blessing in disguise, because it’ll keep me in check going forward. Being anything more than friends with Maisy—even just casual, even just messing around—feels too much like the life we had three years ago. A life Maisy didn’t want.
Back then, life was damn near perfect. I had Maisy, the most amazing girlfriend, Levi, my best friend, their parents who treated me like one of their own, and I was right on the edge of going pro.
Snowboarding was supposed to be my dream career—traveling the world, conquering mountains, and doing it all with Maisy at my side.
But when she ended things, I lost all of it in one shot.
Not just her, but Levi and their parents, too.
Even the career I wanted, because suddenly I couldn’t picture it without her in it.
So I left. I packed up and swore to myself I’d never let anything feel permanent again. Because permanence is just an illusion.
Maisy’s sharp squeal yanks me out of the memory, and my heart slams against my ribs when I realize she’s not practicing her edging like she should be—she’s flying down the fucking mountain uncontrollably.
I snap into motion, tossing my board down, slamming my boots into the bindings, and tearing after her as fast as I can. The slope is steep, trees closing in fast, and I push hard to catch her before she gets hurt, but I’m too late.
She crashes into a pine tree with a sickening thud, the impact knocking her flat onto her back.
“Fuck.” The word tears out of me as I skid to a stop, rip out of my bindings, and sprint to her side. “Maisy, are you okay?”
She doesn’t answer as she lies still, goggles hiding her face. Panic surges through me as I drop to my knees, peel the goggles away, and find her eyes squeezed shut, her throat working as if she’s trying to swallow back pain.
“That was a hard hit,” I say, my voice tight. “Can you move? Does anything hurt?”
Relief washes through me when her eyes finally crack open. She groans and tries to sit, but the sound she makes when she lifts her arm sends a shiver down my spine. She grabs her wrist and hisses.
“You’re hurt.” I gently take her forearm, tugging her glove off to check. Her wrist doesn’t look broken, but it’s already swelling. “It might just be—”
Maisy snatches her hand back before I can finish, shoving her glove on and muttering, “I’m fine.”
Fine, my ass.
She unclips her boots and forces herself to stand, wobbling like she might topple at any second. I’m on my feet, instantly grabbing her elbow to steady her.
“Maisy, listen to me. You hit that tree hard. You can’t just walk it off. We need to get you down to the medics and make sure everything is okay.”
Her expression turns stone-cold. “Sterling, I said I’m fine.”
She shoulders her board, starts climbing back up the slope, and I scoff as I trail after her. “Yeah, you keep saying that, but it’s clear you’re not.”
She ignores me.
“Maisy, don’t push me on this. If I have to call the ski patrol to drag you down the mountain, I will.”
Still nothing.
“Fine,” I snap. “Lesson’s over.”
She spins on me, eyes blazing. “I’m not some fragile little girl, okay? I’ve taken harder falls than this.”
I hear the tremor in her voice, and the fear she’s trying so hard to push down.
I see the way her shoulders are tight, how her jaw works, and I realize that the fall scared her, maybe even pulled her back to that crash three years ago.
And she’s doing exactly what she did then—shutting down and pushing everyone out.
“Yeah,” I say, climbing up to meet her glare. “I know. I was there. I watched you crash, I watched you get hurt, and I was the one that got blamed.”
Her eyes blaze into mine, but she doesn’t say a word.
“So let’s not do that again,” I press. “Let’s get you checked out so none of us have to watch you fall apart. Sounds good?”
Her laugh is bitter. “Sorry my falling apart was such a pain for you, Sterling.”
I growl in frustration. “It wasn’t just me, Maisy. Your family, your friends—we all watched you shut us out after that accident.”
“I’m not having this conversation,” she snaps, spinning away from me.
“Will you ever?” My voice follows her as she comes to a stop, back still facing me. “It’s been three years and you still won’t have a real conversation about what happened.”
“I told you, I felt like our relationship was distracting me from my career.”
“Oh, you and I both know that’s a load of bullshit.”
She whirls back, eyes cold as ice. “Fine. You want the truth? You were the perfect fuckbuddy, but a terrible boyfriend. I was so focused on being the perfect girlfriend that I stopped paying attention to my training. I broke up with you because if I’d been single—if I’d been focused on skiing—I wouldn’t have gotten hurt. ”
The words make my chest ache.
“Maisy—”
“I broke up with you because—” Her voice cracks, her words cutting off as she stares at me with tears in her eyes.
She doesn’t have to finish because I already know what she’s going to say.
“You broke up with me because you didn’t love me anymore,” I whisper. “That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it?”
She doesn’t answer, but her silence is confirmation enough.
My chest aches as I take a few steps back, needing distance from the truth now burning between us. I reach for my walkie talkie.
“Ski patrol, come in. It’s Sterling. I need medical transport.”
“Copy that, Sterling. Snowmobile’s on their way. Where are you?”
“West side, just where the trees start.”
“Got it. Hang tight.”
I clip the walkie back, avoiding her eyes as I crouch to strap into my board.
“What, you’re just going to leave me here to wait for them alone?” Her voice sounds like she’s seconds away from crumbling.
“No.” I keep my gaze on the slope below. “I’m going to wait until they get you. Then I’m heading into town. Don’t wait up.”
“Don’t wait up? What—are you planning to stay somewhere else tonight?” she asks, voice shaky.
I close my eyes. “No, Mais. I’ll be back. I just need some…space.”
The snowmobile arrives minutes later, and I stand aside while they help her on. As promised, I push off, carving down the mountain alone.
Away from Maisy. And away from the truth.