“Actually, no,” I say, propping myself up on one elbow and using the other to brush her hair away from her face. It’s the most disheveled she’s ever looked. It’s probably because she just went ass up in the snow. At the same time, she looks wildly attractive. “You look beautiful,” I say.
“What?” she asks with a laugh.
“You look beautiful,” I repeat. “I did not bring you here to fool around. I am here to make sure you are okay.”
“I’m fine,” she says. “I just feel stupid. I had no business putting those skis on.”
“No, you didn’t. If I had known just how bad you were at it, I would have never let you go out there,” I agree with her, and she swats me on the arm, making me laugh.
Then she yawns and lays her head down.
“I really am okay. You don’t have to stay,” she says.
“Just a little longer,” I tell her, pulling the blanket over her. “It’s my job to make sure everyone on my resort is safe.”
“Mmm…” she murmurs, and a moment later, she’s out.
She’s right. In the interest of us not getting caught together, I really should leave, but I don’t. I lay my head down, and I fall asleep with her.
When I wake up the next morning at the crack of dawn, it’s the first time I’ve ever done the walk of shame without actually sleeping with the person the night before. It’s also the first time I have held my breath while tiptoeing since I was a kid.
Luckily, I make it back to my cabin before anyone sees me…I think.
“Hey,” Ben’s voice comes from behind me just as I go to push my door open, and I nearly jump out of my skin.
“Jesus, you scared me, kid,” I say with a nervous laugh. “What the hell are you doing up at this hour?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” he says.
“Cold feet?” I ask.
“About Holly? You kidding?” he asks. “No, I just…I had other thoughts, I guess.”
“What kind of thoughts?” I ask. He doesn’t seem suspicious of anything, so I switch hats and go into dad mode.
“I always thought she’d be here, you know?” he says. I nod as my heart tightens in my chest.
“Yeah,” I say softly. “Yeah, I get it.”
“Sometimes I wake up and I still can’t believe she’s gone,” he says.
“I get that. I feel it every day,” I admit. “Then I see her smile on your face or her sarcasm in Madison, and I feel like I still have pieces of her with me here. Even if I could do without the sarcasm at times.”
Ben laughs with a sniff. “Yeah. Totally.”
“It’s going to be a great wedding,” I say, gripping his shoulder. “You’ve got the best of everything: location, food, drinks, family and friends. And the wedding planner Holly hired is on point.”
Ben’s smile fades just slightly. “Yeah, she’s good at what she does,” he says. It’s almost as if he had to search for the words.
“Not to mention an incredible bride,” I say. “You really picked well.”
“I think so too,” he nods, and it’s quiet for a moment before he looks over at me. “What about you? You think you’ll ever find someone special again?”
Charlotte’s face immediately flashes into my mind.
“I don’t know. Maybe,” I say.
“Well, I hope you do,” Ben says. “I think Mom would want it for you too.”
