“No,” he says with earnest. “I just can’t say anything right now, Drew.”
I decide not to push him. Mind spinning out over what went wrong in the last two minutes.
“It’s best if I keep my thoughts internal right now,” Will adds, moving his arms so they loop around my waist. “But that …” He finally looks at me with so much emotion. “You. Everything about you. Just … wow.”
Ten minutes later, I’m pleased to confirm that we’re both still alive, having reached the summit, and Will is back to his usual cocky self.
“Follow me.” Will guides me by the hand through a quiet woodland area until we find a small café nestled between pine trees.
“I didn’t even know this was here,” I say. “It wasn’t on their website.”
Will turns to look at me, upper lip raised in the corner. “Of course you’re one of those people who researches a place before she visits.”
I throw him a dubious glance. A forty-minute car ride is more than enough time to scan the visitor information for the basics. “I don’t trust people who go on day trips without making plans. How do you know where the nearest bathrooms will be? Or whether you’ll need to bring your own lunch?”
Still holding my hand, Will starts walking backward, voice laced with humor. “Are you serious? As in, like, a brown bag with an apple, sandwich, and a bottle of water?”
I feel my cheeks flush hot. “I mean, maybe? No one wants to be caught short, needing to pee or eat.”
My back is flat against a tree in a millisecond, Will’s tall figure looming over me.
He swivels his cap backward and drops his face into my neck. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“Of course,” I breathe out into the woodland, the smell of pine mixing perfectly with his familiar woodsy cologne.
He sets a kiss against my collarbone and pulls the collar on my blue parka back in place. “You know I’m part Canadian, right?”
I deadpan, “No, William. I wasn’t aware of your Canadian roots. Your dad only mentions it every Christmas.”
Will doesn’t argue because he knows I’m right. “On summer break, Mom and Dad used to stop here on our drive to Whistler. Hardly anyone, other than the locals, knows about this place.” Will pushes some hair out of my face.
He looks so freaking handsome every day, but today, I can honestly say that he’s spectacular. The sun outlines his broad frame and shoulders in a golden glow that looks almost mystical.
He gazes over his shoulder toward the café set behind us. “Secluded Sips does the best hot chocolate around. Every kind of flavor you can imagine, they have it. All the sprinkles plus Cadbury Flake, which is my personal favorite.”
I hesitate for a beat. “Wait a second. Are you trying to tell me that you, William ‘My Body Is a Temple’ Jones,” I mock, “actually like something that isn’t organic and not sourced from the purest virgin rivers known to mankind?”
His fingers find my ribs, and I burst out laughing, begging him to stop.
“Oh, I see how it is.” Will peppers kisses along my jawline. “I offer to buy you hot chocolate, and you proceed to berate me for looking after my body.”
He tickles me again, and now I’m crying out for him to relent.
“I thought you were ticklish that night we had dinner at my parents’ house. And now I know for sure.” His fingers slow to a torturous pace. “I plan to exploit your weakness every chance I get. If you play hard to get with me in the future, I’ll just use these”—he wiggles his fingers again, and I squirm—“until I break down all your willpower to resist me.”
Another few seconds, and he lets me catch my breath before I test to see if he’s ticklish. I’m left disappointed when he stands stock-still.
Will sets a palm against the tree above my head, and we make out for what feels like forever.
Today has been amazing, and I haven’t even sampled the best hot chocolate around.
“So, what happens once we get back to Seattle, Drew?” Will breathes against my damp lips. “Do I get to kiss you there too?”
When I boarded the flight to Vancouver, I felt sure that space was what I needed. As I stand against this tree, caged in Will’s arms, I know distance wasn’t what I was searching for.
“I want to carry on hooking up with you,” I confirm. “We’re having too much fun to stop now.”
Will’s hand slides down the trunk and cups my left cheek. The warmth of his big palm comforts me, just like his embrace did on the gondola.
