Chapter Twenty-Six
COLE
Of all the nights Cole had ever lived, this was turning out to be one of the best. He had finally gotten to kiss Aspen—something he didn’t quite have words for.
He had punched the villain of the story, which felt better than he cared to admit.
Cole had always been told to solve problems with his words, but there was something deeply satisfying about landing a punch on someone who genuinely deserved it.
And then he’d watched the man cry. That part was stranger than he ever could’ve imagined.
Watching a grown man blubber like a toddler whose ice cream cone just hit the pavement was, honestly, more uncomfortable than the time he’d taught an entire group of women snowboarding lessons…
only to discover afterward that his zipper had been down the whole time.
Last but not least, he had spent the next hour making s’mores, laughing, kissing, and creating memories with the woman he was pretty sure he was falling for.
He would have to tell Jack he’d been right.
Here Cole was, thinking it took time to truly know someone before you could ever fall in love.
But it hadn’t even been six whole days, and he already knew Aspen was the one.
Not that he wanted to rush into marriage or anything that spontaneous, but he did want more time to get to know the woman he already adored. The problem was… how was he supposed to do that when she lived a five-hour plane ride away?
He contemplated his problem as they made their way back to where the sleighs were parked, waiting to take everyone to their starting point.
He held Aspen close, trying to soak up every moment he could while she was here, hoping beyond hope that they could make something work—and that she would want to.
They arrived at the cabin later than Cole had expected. But when he opened the door and saw Aspen’s dad waiting inside—just as they had planned—Cole let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Hi, Papa Bear. What are you doing here?” Aspen went straight to her dad and hugged him before tugging off her jacket.
“You might want to put that back on,” he said.
Aspen eyed the two of them suspiciously, her brows pulling together in confusion.
She shrugged her jacket back on, and her dad led the way to the back door.
“I don’t know what you two are up to, but it seems I’ve been had.” She poked Cole’s side, and he jumped in surprise.
“Oh? Someone’s ticklish, aren’t they?” She wiggled her fingers teasingly, and he shook his head, trying not to grin.
“I’ll get you back; you know I will.” He gave her a wink, and she responded with a playful frown as they followed her dad to the shed, where four Christmas trees were set up in makeshift stands, each one different in size and height.
Cole watched as Aspen’s eyes welled up with tears, and when her dad stepped forward to intervene on her behalf, Cole shook his head, signaling him to stay.
If Aspen was going to continue to grow, she needed to feel her emotions without someone always stopping them.
He wanted her to know that it was safe to be vulnerable and that she wouldn’t be judged for it, like she had in the past.
He turned toward Aspen, who sucked in a shaky breath, her arms wrapping around her body as she tried to steady her breathing.
Cole moved closer and reached up, placing his hands on both sides of her face, rubbing his thumbs gently across her tear-stained cheeks as she closed her eyes, leaning into the warmth of his touch.
“Sweet woman, would ya look at me?” he asked in a whisper. She opened her eyes slowly, a small, tentative smile appearing on her face.
Cole held her gaze, but before he could say anything else, her arms wrapped around his middle, pulling him in and hugging him tightly.
He returned the embrace, holding her close as he tucked her head under his chin, letting the calm settle around them and silently wishing he could pause time so they could stay like this forever.
With a sigh, she released him and walked to her dad, wrapping him in a hug. He looked at Cole, his expression shifting from a smile to something softer, tears shimmering in his eyes as he mouthed the words, “Thank you,” before she let him go.
They both watched in silent reverie as Aspen moved from tree to tree, exploring each one, before stopping in front of the fattest of the four.
She rested her hands on her hips, looking it up and down.
“It’s perfect,” she whispered, just loud enough for them to hear.
Her dad rubbed his hands together, hoisted the tree into his arms, and they followed Aspen inside as she led them to the spot she decided was its perfect home.
For the next hour, they blasted Christmas music and sang along as they decorated the tree with lights Cole had brought over from his cabin, the ornaments they had made the evening before, and the garland that Aspen had made, unknowingly, for the tree.
Once it was done, they all stood back, admiring the tree with grins on their faces.
“Well, you two, I’ve done my part and should be getting back to the lodge.” Her dad clapped his hands together and retrieved his jacket from the back of the couch.
“Already? But it’s not even that late ye—” Aspen’s words cut off as she looked at her watch. “Wow. Where did the time go? It’s already so late. Cole, you have work in the morning.”
“That’s okay. It was worth it,” Cole said, giving Aspen a wink. Her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink.
“As I was saying, I should be getting back. Thanks for including me in your little scheme, Cole,” her dad said as he moved toward the door, placing his hand on Cole’s shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. “You will never know how much that meant.”
Cole felt his eyes grow misty and cleared his throat before responding. “You’re welcome, sir. Anything for Aspen.”
He said goodbye to his daughter, giving her a long hug, both of them looking a little emotional as they embraced.
Once all the goodbyes had been said, they walked him to the porch and waved as he made his way down the pathway to the lodge.
Once back inside, they sank onto the couch, cozied up to one another in front of the fire, watching the Christmas tree lights twinkle as the scent of pine filled the cabin.
“I’ve got something for you, Snow. Just give me a second.” He popped up from the couch, went to the room, pulled a small paper box from his bag, and returned.
He wrapped his arm around Aspen again as she settled in, taking the small box from him.
She took it in her hands and studied it for a moment before speaking. “But I don’t have anything for you, Cole.”
He chuckled and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. “You’ve given me enough already, Snow. Now open it already.”
She fidgeted with the piece of twine knotted around the small box, and once she had it untied, she gently set it aside before lifting the lid.
She gasped and sat up, covering her mouth as she lifted the small wooden ornament from the box, her fingers tracing the intricate swirls of the snowflake and moving across the letters inscribed in the center that spelled out N-e-v-e.
Well, at least she knew now why he always called her Snow.
“It’s beautiful, Cole. But… how—how did you know?” she asked, turning the small ornament over and over in her hands before looking up at him.
“Well, when I was in high school, I had to write a paper about someone I thought would make it far in their career. I had recently learned about a young snowboarder named Aspen Sterling. She was only sixteen at the time, but I had seen a few articles about her after she won the X Games Youth Division. She was incredibly talented.” He paused, reaching up to run the pad of his thumb across her cheek before continuing.
“There wasn’t much information about her at the time, so I had to dig deep, find out what I could just so I could write my report without sounding stupid.”
She smiled and laughed.
“I got a job at a nearby lodge—the same one I still work at today—and saved up so I could pay to access a directory to find Brett Sterling’s number.
When I called, he answered, and I asked him a few questions about his daughter, telling him it was for a school report I was writing on someone I thought would become famous.
The man laughed on the other end, then called out to someone in the background using the name ‘Neve.’ ‘Neve, there’s some boy on the phone.
He thinks you’re going to be famous.’ I heard the girl laugh and wrote the name down on my paper as a side note. ”
Aspen grasped his arm, eyes wide. “Oh my gosh! I remember that! My dad thought it was so cool that someone thought I was going to be famous. He was so proud. He wouldn’t stop talking about it. That was you?”
Cole chuckled, nodding before continuing.
“The next day, I spent hours in the library looking up the name, trying to figure out what ‘Neve’ meant. When I saw the meaning—‘snow’—I understood. Having seen pictures of you at the X Games that year,” he reached up and ran his fingers through her hair, “hair as white as snow, I knew it had to be part of your name.”
“It’s genetic, you know. My mom had streaks of white in her hair too. It’s called poliosis.” She smiled at him, focusing on the ornament in her hands again.
“So now you know. That’s why I call you Snow. Not because you snowboard and love the snow, not because your hair is as white as snow—but because that is your name. All-encompassing. When I watch you out there on your board, you are one with the mountain. One with the snow.”
She sniffed, holding the ornament close to her chest, before giving him a quick peck on the lips.
“Well, it took you long enough to answer one of my very first questions I ever asked you. But thanks for making me wait. This was a far better answer.” She stood from the couch and hung the ornament front and center, where everyone could see it.
“Did you tell your entire class my name was Aspen Neve Sterling? No one has ever used it before—I thought only my dad knew it.” She sat back down, eyebrows scrunched together.
“Nope. I kept that part for myself. I just knew it was a secret I needed to keep. And I’m so glad I did because…” He motioned around them. “Well, here we are.”
She threw her arms around his neck, and he fell backward onto the couch as she kissed him senseless.
After a while, her kisses slowed, and she propped herself up on her elbows. “Well, we have a little problem here, Mr. Kringle. Also, your nickname for me is so much better than mine for you.”
He smiled and brushed his thumbs over her cheeks as she hovered above him. “What’s that?”
“Are you moving, or am I?” She laughed, and he pulled her back down for another kiss.
They stayed like that until the fire burned low in the fireplace, prompting him to get up and put another log on.
“Were you serious just now, Aspen? Because you know I would never ask that of you. Your career is important.” He sat next to her again, pulling her close as she nuzzled her nose into his neck.
“Mhm,” she murmured sleepily. “Why wouldn’t I want to live close to my person? You’re my person, Cole.” Her breaths evened out as she drifted into sleep in his arms.
“You’re my person too, Neve. I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.” He knew she was asleep, but maybe—just maybe—she heard him in her dreams.