“I’m not so sure about this.” Bellamy worried, standing beneath the lit-up wooden awning at the entrance of the lodge.
I turned so I was standing in front of her, using my body as a buffer for the harsh night wind. Winter nights here in Caribou were not for the faint of heart. Bellamy was a California girl, so this type of wind had to feel bitter.
“You don’t want to go into town?” I asked quietly as I snuck a glance at her lips.
I wanted to kiss her again.
I wanted to kiss her a thousand times.
“It’s not that.” She hedged, her eyes moving up to connect with mine.
“You’re afraid,” I murmured, stepping closer.
She nodded once.
“The restaurant is a small, local place. It’s already dark outside, and I’m driving, so no strange cabs or buses.”
“How’d you know I came here on a bus?” she asked, suddenly suspicious. Her wide eyes glanced around uncertainly.
“Uh, I didn’t. But I do now.” She came here on a bus? Alone.
What the actual fuck…?
She blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. I’m jumpy.”
I tilted my head. “We can go back up to your room. I’ll order room service.”
I could almost hear the debate going on inside her mind. A gust of wind rushed in, and the ends of her hair blew sideways, covering part of her face. I shifted again, stepping so I was in front of the new wind pattern.
Bellamy brushed the hair from her cheek. “The restaurant is small?”
“Very. And they have tacos.”
“Can we come back here after?”
“Of course.”
“Okay. I want to go.”
The sound of my truck was distinct as the valet pulled it beneath the awning. Sliding my arm around Bellamy’s waist, I said, “C’mon.”
The valet came around the front with a smile. “It was a pleasure, Liam.”
I chuckled. “Thanks.”
Bellamy’s eyes fell on my truck, and her steps faltered. “That’s your truck?”
“Never seen anything like it, have you?” the valet interjected.
“I don’t think I have,” Bellamy replied, still looking at it.
“It’s just a Chevy,” I said and urged her forward.
The valet laughed. “And you’re just a ski instructor.”
“I am!” I yelled over my shoulder.
More laughter sounded from the valet post. I pulled open the passenger door and stepped back.
Bellamy glanced between me and the truck.
“How about some help?” I knew the smile on my face was wolfish.
“Maybe just this once.”
“Foot here,” I said, pointing to the runner. She stepped up, and I lifted, depositing her onto the orange and black leather seat.
“I guess having big tires like this makes it easy to drive in the snow,” she said, gazing at me.
“Sure does.” I leaned around her, palmed the seat belt, and fastened it. “Be right back.”
Jogging around to the driver’s side, I jumped in and adjusted the vents so they were pointed toward her. Then I flicked on the heated seats.
“Why are they staring?” Bellamy asked, gazing through the tinted window at the valet guys.
I laughed. “It’s the truck, sweetheart. The guys always paper, rock, scissor it to decide who gets to pull it around.”
“I guess it’s not just a Chevy?” she asked.
I chuckled and pulled away from the curb. My eyes flicked over the custom leather interior. Most of it was black, but the seats were trimmed in bright orange and so was the dash and steering wheel. The monitor built into the dash was touchscreen and everything was state of the art.
“It’s a Chevy Colorado Extreme. Basically a Chevrolet Colorado model with a ton of upgraded specialty parts and bonuses to make it suitable for rugged outdoor use. Perfect for an extreme athlete like me.” I paused to give her a wink. She rolled her eyes. “Technically, this truck isn’t in production, so it’s not available for purchase. It was created by Chevy as a show truck. Chevy caters a lot to the Thai market, and this was built for that.”
“But we aren’t in Thailand.”
“Nope. But I was once. Chevrolet was a major sponsor of mine when I was still a pro boarder. I used to travel for them a lot. I did an ad campaign a few years back and visited Thailand with them. I saw this beauty during that time and commented how much I loved it.”
“And they gave it to you.” She surmised.
“It was considered a gift from the country.”
She made a choked sound. “The country of Thailand sent you a gift?”
“They like me.”
She laughed and shook her head. “You have to be making this up.”
I shrugged. “Nope. That’s why all the guys at the resort get a hard-on for driving it. Because it’s like driving something that doesn’t even exist.”
“Well, it is a pretty truck.”
I snorted. “It’s not pretty. It’s extreme.”
“Well, I like that it’s orange.”
I laughed.
“Although, I thought we were trying to blend in tonight. You know, not draw attention. This truck is an eye magnet.”
“Meh. Everyone is used to seeing it around here. They know it’s mine.”
Bellamy turned and stared out the window. It was dark, but as soon we came down off the mountain where BearPaw was perched, the streets lit up from the shops and string lights in the trees lining the road.
I pulled into a spot behind the restaurant and killed the lights and engine.
“Stay there,” I instructed so I could go around to her side and help her out. The parking lot was slightly icy from the snow we had several days ago. It would melt during the day but refreeze when the sun went down. “Careful,” I told her, making sure her feet were firmly on the ground before letting go to shut the door.
We walked around to the front of the little place that had a multicolored fabric awning over the door. On the underside were some string lights that illuminated up the red front door.
“I haven’t had Mexican in a while,” she murmured as I pushed open the door.
“Liam!” a round woman with dark hair and red lips exclaimed and rushed around a wooden podium.
“Rosa.” I spread my arms and smiled. She came forward, and I folded her into a hug. “Looking beautiful as always.”
“Oh, you,” she said, swatting me in the chest. Her eyes slid to Bellamy. “He’s a charmer, this one.”
“Yes, he certainly is.” She agreed.
Now why didn’t it sound like a good thing when she said it?
“Table for two?” she asked, tucking a menu under her arm.
“Something in the back?” I asked, hopeful.
“Ah, yes. Private.” Rosa led us to a corner booth in the back of the place. The tabletop was still damp from where it had been cleaned. I took the seat that looked out over the room, leaving the one for Bellamy that would hide her from view.
I didn’t even know what I was protecting her from, but it didn’t matter. It felt like the most important thing I’d ever done.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you around Caribou before,” Rosa said to Bellamy after handing me the menu.
“Um,” Bellamy replied, not sure what to say.
“She’s a guest at the resort. Thought I’d show her around the town while she was here.”
“Ah, yes. Very good. Well, enjoy your dinner.”
When she was gone, Bellamy slumped against the tall, wooden back of the booth. “You’re a regular here?”
“They make good tacos.”
“You aren’t just a ski instructor, Liam.” She sat forward, her eyes studying my face. “You’re a town celebrity.”
I shrugged. “My family has always been famous in Caribou. You know that.”
“Yeah,” she said, a dark note creeping into her tone.
“Why you say it like that?”
“It doesn’t matter.” She tugged the menu out of my hands and perused it.
I grabbed the top and pushed it down with one finger so I could look at her face. “It does matter.”
“Liam!” The waiter approached. “Good to see you. Will you be having the usual?”
“You know it,” I said, sitting back. “But I’ll just take a coke to drink. No beer tonight.”
The waiter nodded and turned to Bells. “And for you, señorita?”
“I’ll have the same as Liam.”
“Very good.” He took the menu and went off to put in the order.
I tapped the tabletop in front of her. “Bells, we need to have a talk.”
“We’ve been talking.”
“A serious talk.”
The color seemed to leech from her face. “I know you want to know what’s going on with me.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I damn sure do. But I’m not talking about that.”
She blinked. “You aren’t?”
“Nope. I’m more interested in knowing what happened between us eight years ago.”
She made a face. Her eyes became shuttered. “Pretty sure you were there, Liam. Or do you not remember? Was I just another notch to add to your belt?”
Anger rumbled through me like thunder in a storm. “You were never.”
“Pretty sure when you sleep with someone, tell them you think you love them, and then disappear, that’s exactly what it means.”
I frowned. Was that really what she thought? “I didn’t disappear.” Thinking back to that morning, I said, “You never showed up.”
She whispered, “Oh, I was there.”
A rush of memories and emotions came over me all at once. Suddenly, I was transported back in time to that morning eight years ago. To the last time I saw Bellamy.
The sun hadn’t even begun to rise when I glanced at my clock. For the first time in my entire life, I actually felt there was more to life than a mountain filled with snow.
The thought alone was shocking. Feeling it almost made me numb.
Rotating my head to the side, I glanced over at the blonde beneath the covers with me. We’d slept with the fireplace on all night. The warm glow in the room gave her dark-blond locks and golden sheen. Her light-colored lashes swept over her cheeks, making her look innocent and so damn beautiful.
I didn’t want to go.
I didn’t matter, though. I didn’t have a choice. I’d worked almost my entire life for this. My parents worked for it. Getting here wasn’t easy, and finally, finally, I had the contract in my hand and the promise of a career I knew could make me a star.
The past week changed me. I knew it. I felt it. It was practically unexplainable, and I knew no one would believe me if I tried.
They would all say I was too young to feel like this. That I was thinking with my cock and not my head. Giving up years of work for a girl who didn’t even live here was stupid and irresponsible.
I might even agree.
But I loved her.
It didn’t matter I’d only spent a week with her. It didn’t matter I wasn’t even eighteen years old yet. People had been treating me like an adult half my life. It really wasn’t that surprising that I would act like one.
She stirred, her head lolled toward me, and one of her eyes cracked open enough to see I was staring at her. She smiled softly, and her body rolled, following her stare.
“What time is it?” she whispered.
“Not quite time to get up yet, but soon.”
Her hand moved beneath the quilt, found mine, and I threaded our fingers together.
“I wish I didn’t have to go.”
Blue eyes settled on mine. Their weight made me feel a little steadier. A little surer. “I wish you didn’t either.”
“We’ll make it work, okay?”
“You promise?” she asked.
I went forward and kissed her intimately, rolling her onto her back and pushing her down with my weight. Her skin was bare against mine and warm from sleep. Unable to stop at her lips, I kissed across her jaw and down her neck, sucking the skin as I went.
Lifting my head, I gazed down into her eyes. “I love you, Bells.”
Her breath caught.
“I know it’s crazy. But that’s how you make me feel. Half crazy. But I love you. I’ve never felt like this about anyone ever.”
Tears glistened in her eyes, and she cupped my face and smiled. “I love you, too, Liam.”
Not long after, she had to sneak back to her room and I had to get ready.
I knew the car was waiting downstairs and I didn’t have time, but I found my father anyway.
“I can’t go,” I said.
He jerked up, his eyes wide. “What?”
“I know this is crazy, Dad, and I’m sorry. But I can’t go today.”
“Son.” He stood from his desk. “I know you’re nervous, and it’s scary you will be away from me and your mother—”
“That’s not it.” I cut in. “I’m in love. I can’t leave her behind.”
He made a sound. “The girl you’ve been with this last week?”
I nodded. “Her name is Bellamy. I’m in love with her”
My father chuckled. “I’m sure it feels that way now, son. But—”
“Don’t you dare tell me I’m too young. Or my hormones are out of control,” I snapped.
His brow furrowed, and when he looked up, concern shone in his eyes. “I don’t think you’re too young. I wasn’t much older than you when I met your mother. We were young and crazy. Just the two of us building a resort from nothing.”
“Then you understand,” I said, the tension coiled inside me starting to let go. I started to feel some peace.
“I do.” He reached out and put a hand on my shoulder. “I also understand that you signed a contract, Liam. You’re a pro athlete now. People are counting on you. They’re putting their faith and resources into you. Being a man is honoring your commitments.”
My shoulders slumped.
“I’m sure this girl—”
“Her name is Bellamy.”
“Bellamy is very special. And if so, then this isn’t the end. She’ll be there for you, supporting you just like the rest of us.”
“I won’t get to see her.”
“Not often. But if you two are really meant to be, you will find a way to make it work.”
I felt as if my heart had been hanging together by threads, but this conversation severed all of them. I was no longer a man with one heart.
I had two.
One that beat for Bellamy and one that beat for boarding.
“Go find her. Tell her good-bye.”
“She’s meeting me down at the car.”
“Good.” Dad nodded. “Tell her you’ll call her. You’ll email.”
I nodded.
“Now is the time to follow your dreams, Liam. If you don’t, you will regret it for the rest of your life.”
I knew he was right. Of course he was.
We said good-bye in his office. It wasn’t hard because I knew him and Mom would be at my first competition.
I went downstairs and waited. Nervous energy filled me. But so did determination. I wasn’t going to choose today. Not between my two hearts.
I was going to have both. I would make it work.
“Liam!” the feminine voice called out.
I pushed off the car and spun, a smile dying on my lips. It wasn’t Bellamy that rushed toward me. It was Kelsey.
It didn’t seem to matter how many times I told her I wasn’t into her. It was like she had selective hearing. She thought because she was popular and beautiful and we grew up together that she had some kind of right to me.
“Hey, Kelsey,” I said, stepping back.
“I came to wish you luck!” she exclaimed.
Before I knew what that meant, she threw herself at me. Locked her arms around my neck and kissed me. I was so shocked it gave her a chance to thrust her tongue in my mouth.
The second I realized what the fuck she was doing, I shoved her off, holding her at arm’s length away from me. “What the hell?” I spat and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
“I’ll see you when you’re home next,” she said and then pranced away as though she were proud of herself.
I went back to waiting.
Waited some more.
I waited until my manager got out of the car and told me I had to go.
She never came.
Bellamy never came to say good-bye. For years and years, I wondered why.
The sound of two cokes hitting the tabletop of the tiny Mexican restaurant snapped me back to reality.
I gasped and looked up.
Bellamy was watching me with a funny expression on her face.
“You saw.” I panted. “That morning, you saw.”
She didn’t seem confused at all, almost as if she too had been sitting there reliving that morning.
Slowly, Bellamy nodded. “Yes, Liam. I saw.”