Chapter Twenty-Two
COLE
“Keep your door locked, and don’t answer it for anyone.
I’ll be back in a second. I’ve got your key.
” He made sure Aspen was comfortable. The extra walkie he’d grabbed from the resort within arm’s reach, a cup of tea on the table, a fire roaring in the fireplace—every little thing he could think of before stepping away.
Without thinking, he bent down and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, then headed for the door, spinning around once more to double-check that she had everything she needed before he left.
“I’m fine, Cole. It’s not like you’re going to be gone for hours. You’re just running to your cabin to pack a bag.” Aspen chuckled and snuggled deeper into the cushions, her knee propped up on the ottoman.
“Are you sure you have everything you need? Are you warm enough? Oh, you’re probably hungry. Crap. We never got that soup from the lodge.” He smacked a hand to his forehead and muttered, “Idiot,” before lowering it again.
“I’m sorry, Aspen.” His shoulders sagged for a moment before he pulled himself together.
“I’ve got it. I’ll just have Jack do me a favor; he owes me anyway.
” He walked quickly back to her and pressed another kiss to her cheek before heading out the door, uneasy about leaving her alone.
Who knew where that creep Chase was lurking.
Cole bit back a curse under his breath as he trudged through the snow toward his cabin.
His earlier conversation with Mr. Mynt replayed in his mind—how the man had listened quietly, then sat in thoughtful silence before shaking his head.
“I’m sorry, Cole, but if we kick Chase out, the media will sink their teeth into it, and it could be really bad for the resort…
I can restrict him to certain areas and have someone keep an eye on him, but beyond that, there’s not much I can do. ”
Cole hadn’t been happy about it, but he understood—business was business, no matter how awesome a boss Mr. Mynt was. Still, at least he had some peace of mind knowing the idiot would be watched and kept to certain areas of the resort.
Cole hurried to his cabin and unlocked the door.
He went straight to his bedroom and shoved in whatever clothes he thought he’d need.
He headed to the bathroom next to do the same.
Then, he rushed to the kitchen, his heart racing with every passing moment at the fear Chase might show up while he was gone.
He grabbed a few ingredients to make his special hot cocoa, some tea bags, and a handful of snacks and treats from the cupboard, as well as whatever he could fit from the fridge.
He doubted Aspen had much food in her fridge or cupboards, and since he’d be staying there for a few days, he wanted to make sure she had something to eat.
Which reminded him—he needed to walkie Jack to see if he could grab some soup for him and Aspen from The Bread Bowl.
He switched his walkie to their special channel and pressed the button on the side. “Hey Jack, you there, buddy?” Maybe the buddy part was pushing it too far, but it might butter him up a little before he asked for yet another favor.
“Hey, Cole.” A little voice came through the walkie, and Cole couldn’t help but smile.
“Hey, kiddo. How ya doing? Did you finally land that jump you’ve been working on?” Cole adored Jack’s son. He was like an uncle to him, and he’d been there practically from the moment the kid came into the world.
“No. Momma doesn’t like it when I do the big ones.” His voice dropped almost to a whisper over the walkie. “So I can only do it when you or Dad are around.”
“Mace Jackson Morrison, who are you whispering to on that walkie? You know your dad doesn’t like it when you use his work walkie.” Cole heard Mae’s voice crackle through, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“But, Momma, it’s Cole! He is my friend too, you know,” Mace shot back, making Cole laugh as he listened to the walkie exchange hands.
“Hi, Cole. How’s the girlfriend? I can’t wait to meet her,” Mae said through the walkie, and Cole immediately sobered. Apparently, his buddy hadn’t been able to keep his thoughts to himself.
“Hi, Mae. She’s not my girlfriend, but she’s currently resting at her cabin—she hurt her knee.
That’s actually why I’m calling. Can you go grab Jack for me?
I’ve got a favor to ask him.” Cole tossed a few more things into his bag, pausing to scan his cabin for anything he might have missed before heading toward the door.
“Sure. But if you two have babies, you better name your first one after me.” She laughed, and then the walkie went silent. Babies? Jack’s wife was crazy.
Cole checked his watch as he hefted his bag onto his shoulder.
He’d only been gone fifteen minutes, but it felt like hours.
He hurried back to her cabin, hoping she was still in the same spot he’d left her, all the while imagining scenarios in which Chase had broken in—and he’d have to go in, guns blazing, to protect her at all costs.
Shaking his head at his own ridiculous thoughts, he stepped onto her porch just as Jack’s voice crackled through the walkie.
“Hey, Cole, what can I do for you this time?” Cole set the bag down gently on the porch and leaned against the railing, fully expecting the teasing that would come with his favor.
“Hey Jack. I need you to grab some soup from The Bread Bowl—for Aspen and me—and deliver it to her cabin. It’s a long story, but she hurt her leg, her ex-boyfriend is the cause, and I’m not leaving her alone.
” He exhaled slowly, waiting for a response, but all he heard was a clicking noise…
then silence… until Mae’s voice came through.
“We would be happy to bring you some soup, Cole. We’ll drop it off shortly.” The walkie went silent again, and Cole shook his head with a smile. Mae was crazy, but she was the best. He just hoped they wouldn’t want to stick around; he wasn’t sure Aspen was up for company.
He picked up the bag and quietly unlocked her door, only to find Aspen snuggled on the couch, sleeping peacefully in the same position he had left her.
He tiptoed into the kitchen and unloaded his bag of food and snacks into the cupboards, then headed to the bathroom to drop off his bag.
Finally, he sat down next to her on the couch and kicked off his shoes. She sleepily opened her eyes and shifted closer, snuggling into his side as he draped an arm around her.
“Took you long enough,” she murmured, yawning, and he chuckled as she sank back against him, drifting off to sleep—right where she belonged.
“Why didn’t you tell me your best friend and his wife are coming to drop off dinner? I’m a total mess!” Aspen yelled as she hopped toward the bathroom and Cole hurried to catch up.
“You were sleeping when I got back, and I didn’t want to wake you.” He slid his arm around her back to steady her the rest of the way.
“Well, I know that, but… still. Look at me.” She gestured to herself, and he raked his eyes from her toes to her head.
“I am… and do you know what I see?” He smiled, giving her a wink, watching her cheeks flush as they stood in the doorway of her room, one hand resting on her waist while her hair fell into her face.
“I see a brave, beautiful, pink-haired angel who couldn’t look bad if she tried.” He brought his other hand up to her face, tucking the strand of hair behind her ear as his thumb brushed over her cheek. He leaned in a little closer, his voice almost at a whisper. “Snow… I—”
A knock sounded at the door, and he instantly dropped his hand with a sigh. He gently guided her to the bathroom before heading to answer it.
He swung the front door open to Jack’s frowning face and Mae’s smiling one—ever the sunshine to his best friend’s grumpiness. It was the very thing that had won Jack over at the start of their happily-ever-after.
“We brought soup!” Mae lifted the containers triumphantly and stepped inside, her eyes already roaming the place.
“Mae, they don’t want us here. Isn’t it obvious?” Jack muttered as he followed her in—confirming, of course, that they were absolutely not just dropping off soup and leaving.
Mae shooed off her husband like she was batting away a fly. Resting her hands on her rounded belly, she wandered farther into the cottage, slipped off her coat, and draped it over the back of the couch.
“Well, where is she? Where is this girl of yours hiding?” Mae whispered.
Jack rolled his eyes, stepped in behind her, grabbed her coat from the couch, and gently steered her back toward the door.
“She’s in the bathroo—” Cole’s words cut off as Aspen appeared in the doorway of her room, her hair swept into a ponytail, wearing loose sweatpants instead of the random shorts her trainer had given her, and a fitted long-sleeved button-up shirt that made Cole seriously wish his friends hadn’t shown up—and that they could’ve picked up right where they left off moments ago. She really was beautiful.
“I didn’t know we had visitors. Cole, can you help me to the couch so I can meet everyone?” Cole tamped down his smile and moved over to help her. Little liar totally knew they were coming, but he wasn’t about to embarrass her in front of his friends. He could tell she was nervous.
She settled onto the couch, propping her foot up, as everyone found a spot around the small living room.
Cole sat beside Aspen, and her hand found his, making his heart race as Jack and Mae’s eyes flicked between their linked hands, exchanging knowing looks.
“So… I’m Aspen,” she said, pointing to herself. “And this is Cole,” she added, pointing at him. “And you are Jack,” she pointed at him, and Cole couldn’t help but laugh.
“But I don’t know who you are. Or you,” Aspen said, pointing at Mae and her belly.
“I’m Mae,” the woman said, smiling warmly as she rubbed her stomach. “Nice to meet you, Aspen.”
“I like her, Cole. You should keep her,” Mae said, and Cole could feel the heat creeping up his neck and into his cheeks.
“I… uh… do too,” he said, and Aspen squeezed his hand.
“I know technically there isn’t another ‘person’ in the room… well, kind of. But not yet, anyways. Do you know what you’re having? And does he or she have a name?” Aspen leaned forward, eager for the answer, and Mae smiled, rubbing her round belly.
“It’s a girl. And her name… well… we’re still working on that.
” Mae reached over and took Jack’s hand, and he smiled back at her.
“We have a son, Mace, but he’s staying with a friend so we could run a few errands.
” She held the soup up again, and Aspen squeezed Cole’s hand, motioning toward the soup with her head.
“Oh, right.” He stood from the couch, took the soup from Mae, and moved to the kitchen to put it in the fridge. “Thanks for bringing it, you guys.”
He returned to the couch and settled next to Aspen, her hand finding his again as though it had always belonged there.
They kept chatting, Aspen answering questions about life as a professional snowboarder and how she managed a social life with such a busy schedule.
Mae’s questions teetered dangerously close to sensitive subjects, like what her parents were like and what she did around the holidays, but Aspen handled it all extremely well.
Jack, who usually rolled his eyes at pro athletes, seemed a little starstruck as they all bantered back and forth. Cole just smirked, enjoying the show.
A small voice came through Jack’s walkie, interrupting the conversation. “You told me to call you once it had been an hour. Well… it’s been an hour.”
“That’s Mace,” Jack said, standing and helping Mae up from her seat.
“On our way, kiddo,” he called back into the walkie. “Time to go, Mae. We promised Mace he could go to Cocoa and Christmas Tales after dinner, so we’ve got to get back and eat our own dinner.” Jack guided his wife to the front door, picking up her discarded jacket along the way.
“It was nice to meet you, Aspen. I hope to see more of you. Cole needs a good woman, just like Jack doe—” Her words were cut off as Jack whisked her through the front door, and Cole closed it behind them.
He turned to find Aspen chuckling on the couch. “I like her,” she said, pointing toward the door and covering her mouth.
“I like her too. Mae’s the best thing that ever happened to Jack.
” He settled back on the couch, and as Aspen’s hand found his once more, his words echoed in his mind: And apparently, Aspen was the best thing that could have ever happened to him, confirming that things—at least on his end—just got a little more complicated.