Good. I’m all ears.
I could do this. Just admit how I felt and let the chips fall where they may, or however that expression went.Lord, please help me be brave.
Erykah
I like you. Not just as a friend, though you make the very best one. But I want more than friendship with you.
I blew out a breath, then hit send. Immediately the dots waved in a dance as I waited for Chris to respond.
Chris
I feel the exact same way.
Erykah
Really?
“Really.” Chris’s soft whisper reached my ears.
I turned and saw him standing in the doorway of our connecting rooms. Slowly my foot took a step before the other finally followed. I stopped right in front of him. “I’ve wanted to tell you so many times before.”
“Same, but I didn’t want you to think I was being disrespectful as you grieved or taking advantage of you since we’re sharing a house.”
I sighed. He was so good to me. “I wouldn’t have taken it that way.”
“Then can I...” He trailed a finger down the side of my face and down my arm until our fingers were entwined. “Take you on a date tomorrow?”
“Please.”
And we stood there doing nothing but holding each other’s hands and grinning like two fools.
Thirty-Four
The fresh powder made for a perfect day of skiing. Nevaeh had only tried once, then confirmed she belonged in the lodge with Erykah. Tuck and Piper had decided they loved skiing almost as much as they loved riding horses. And Lamont was apparently a pro.
“Ready?” Lamont called.
“Let’s go.” Chris pushed off.
Ever since the text conversation he’d had with Erykah, he’d been riding on a high. Knowing Erykah cared for him just as he cared for her had him elated. Nothing could bring him down.
He started as a bird dipped too low and aimed for his face. Chris jerked right and overcompensated. Before he could panic, he fell right off the side of the mountain.
Lord God!
A scream ripped from Chris’s throat.
His body jarred from the impact of the fall, but that wasn’t what had him screaming and praying to God. No, the piercing pain in his right leg stole his breath. Something was wrong. Catastrophically, if he had to guess from the pain that had him begging the acid to go back down into his stomach. Carefully, he lifted his head to look at his legs. He groaned and flopped back onto the snow.
“Chris! Chris! Can you hear me?” Lamont yelled.
Chris opened his eyes to see his friend peering over the mountain ledge. It took a herculean effort to hold up a thumb to let Lamont know Chris still lived. His hands shook as he tried to keep from vomiting.
“Help’s on the way, man. Hang in there.”
“I don’t think I can,” he mumbled.
Lamont probably couldn’t see how bad Chris’s injury was from his vantage point.Stupid bird.Not the first time he’d had a run-in with an animal, but the first time the result laid him flat. Heat pricked the back of his eyelids, so he attempted to blow out a breath.
