He clears his throat and then says something to me that I can’t remember hearing from another adult. “I love you, Henley.”
Little did I know how badly those three words would haunt me for years to come.
Chapter 1
Henley
You Know There’s a Baby in There, Right?
“So, if I call your references, they’ll tell me the same information?”
Hector nods from his seat across from my desk.
“Okay, then you’ll get a call from me by the end of the week.”
“Thanks for the opportunity.” He stands and reaches out to shake my hand before heading toward the front door of the lodge, giving me a moment to rub my temples as the headache I’ve been fighting off all morning throbs with each hum of the ceiling fan above.
Finding good help these days feels damn near impossible. Most people don’t have experience working at a ski lodge to begin with, and if I had a dollar for every fake or embellished reference I’ve checked, I would be a millionaire.
The truth is, I never planned on owning Sky’s the Limit Ski Lodge & Adventure Park in Blossom Peak. Yet here I am, still in NorthCarolina, and I actually love it. After high school, I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. Academics weren’t my strong suit, and the only things I cared about were football and girls. If it weren’t for my near-death experience and my sister’s pleas for me to stop chasing the adrenaline that made me feel something for once, I wouldn’t be standing here today with something to show for myself.
I honestly don’t want to know where I might have ended up otherwise.
My phone vibrates in my pocket for the tenth time today. When I glance at the screen and see the same number that’s been calling non-stop for the past two months, something in me snaps.
“What do you want, Meghan?” I shout as I bring the phone to my ear.
“Henley?” She sounds shocked. “So youdoknow how to answer the phone…” Her tone is clipped now, laced with the same irritation I’m feeling.
“What about one-night-only did you not understand?” My response has a bite to it I’m not proud of, but honestly, the only reason I even have her number is because she saved it in my phone herself. I never planned on calling her back, but having her number means I can dodge her calls. She was a tourist anyway, and we met outside of town. There’s not much information she has about me other than my number, so I didn’t feel threatened by her relentless calls. But after months of this, I’ve finally had enough.
I thought I clarified the type of relationship we would have before our night even began—sex, one time only, no repeats. It’s how I’ve lived my life up until this point, and I have no intention of changing that anytime soon. I’ve never been interested in relationships. The house, kids, and white picket fence most people dream about? No fucking thank you.
My childhood was a far cry from that picture-perfect fantasy, so a so-called normal life of checking boxes, playing house, and pretending life is sunshine and rainbows never appealed to me. Still doesn’t.
“What doyounot understand about answering your phone when someone calls multiple times?” she fires back.
“I was hoping you’d get the hint and I wouldn’t have to tell you out loud that…”
“I had a baby,” she says, cutting me off.
“Good for you.”
“She’s yours, Henley.”
And yet again, three little words flip my entire world upside down.
***
Standing in the parking lot of Hart Winery with a baby carrier in one hand and a diaper bag in the other is a situation I never thought I’d find myself in. But here I am, still trying to process what just happened.
“Fuck,” I mutter to myself before spinning on my heels and heading back inside to the party for one of my best friends, Fletcher Adams. He’s the wide receiver for North Carolina’s NFL team, the Carolina Thunder, and their preseason games start this coming week, so tonight’s the last hurrah before he disappears for the next four to six months.
As soon as I walk through the arched entrance of the main tasting room, my sister’s eyes meet mine, bugging out when she sees my new accessories.
“Is—is that a baby?” Dilynne asks, but I don’t bother answering her as I make my way over to my friends gathered around one of the tall, cocktail-style tables made from old oak wine barrels. “Why do youhave a baby, Henley? You’re aware that ababyis in that thing, right?” She points to the carrier in my hand.
I set the carrier on the table as I let out a heavy sigh. The baby girl dressed in pink is sleeping soundly inside, her jet-black hair combed to the side, but everyone’s eyes are locked on me. “Yes, I’m aware there’s a baby in here, Dil. Let’s just say, I finally found out why that girl Meghan has been calling me so much.”
