The Broken Lake (21 page)

“Kerry, do you assume all boys from the West coast surf?” I asked.

Dawn settled herself down. “I’m
so
not into surfers.”

Kerry defended herself. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with surfers. That’s who I’d be looking for if I moved to Cali. One in a wet suit, for sure.” I looked over to see her twitching her neck again, just visualizing a fiiine one.

“Well, no offense, but surfers just aren’t my cup of tea.”

“Fair enough. Well, then, how long have you and the hottie-whatever-he-is been dating?”

“Not long. Almost two months.”

I couldn’t help but jump in. “Yeah, but you’d never know by the way they constantly cling to each other.”

“Yeah, whatever, Sophie. He’s a good kisser, and you’ve got nerve.”

“What?” I said innocently.

“Oh, don’t pretend that you and Wes aren’t always all over each other. Just because you act like old people about it doesn’t hide a thing.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you guys act like an old married couple. It’s ridiculous.”

Kerry was getting a kick out of us.

“What are you laughing at?” I countered. “What about you? ‘Oh, Rich knows how to start the fire and turn on the heat,’” I mocked.

“All right already,” Kerry said. “I just want to know who’s going to get it on in my parents’ chalet.”

“Not Sophie,” Dawn declared.

It was probably true, but the accusation still made me turn around with my mouth dropped open, making it obvious that I didn’t appreciate the comment.

“It’s true. Married people don’t do anything.”

Kerry laughed and looked at me. I didn’t say anything to counter. “Okay, Sophie and Wes can take the loft upstairs since they don’t need privacy.” She was still giggling.

“The loft is fine with me.” I crossed my arms.

The loft
was
fine with me. It was an upstairs rec room that had been converted into a third bedroom. It had its own bath, and aside from the open landing, it was plenty private.

We picked up three large pizzas and headed back up to the chalet. At Wes’ you could tell his view was amazing even at night, because the distant hillsides were lit up with house lights. There was nothing to see on this mountain after dark.

As soon as we got back and I stepped inside, I was relieved to see and feel that Rich had started the fire like Kerry had asked. Even though it was a gas fireplace, whenever they arrived, they always had to light the pilot, and do something more than flip a switch, so I was glad to see that it was taken care of.

The main level was one large, open space with a kitchen, great room, and one bedroom on each end. In the center was the stone, circular fireplace that was exposed on all sides. The back of the house was loaded with windows and a mountainside view that was out of this world in the daytime.

Rich and Jackson were at the table playing Xtreme Takeover, with Wes watching, intrigued. It was a relatively new game and I hadn’t seen one at Wes’ house, so he was probably fascinated. It was a strategy game, and although Wes had seen just about everything, it was good to see him interested—and also down to a sweatshirt.

“Okay, guys. Time to put the Xiacons away,” Kerry ordered.

“I’m almost in his bunker,” Rich pleaded.

“Come on, I’m starving. Put it away.”

Rich sighed, shrugged, and put the board back in the box. “We’ll pick this up later.” His glare challenged Jackson.

“Picking on the new people, Rich?” Kerry asked with a smile.

“I’m not. He’s played this before. He’s pretty good.”

With the table cleared off, Kerry opened up the pizza boxes and grabbed some paper plates from the pantry. Everyone grabbed a Pepsi and we ate. All of it. We were all starving from the long trip. By the time we were finished, it was after 9:00 and we wanted to settle into our rooms.

Interestingly, the guys had left the bags at the front door. They were not even going there with deciding who was sleeping where. They had left that for us, and Kerry had no problem taking control. She put her and Rich in the master bedroom and Dawn and Jackson in the smaller room directly across the great room. Like she mentioned in the car, she sent Wes and me upstairs.

I tried to pick up my bag, but Wes scooped it up first and motioned for me to go ahead. I rarely went up to the loft because, usually, it was just me and Kerry or us and her parents, so we only needed one level.

I was impressed again with the layout and was glad we had been given the space. At the top of the steps the room opened up to a large area with a fireplace and huge floor-to-ceiling windows on the entire back wall. I smiled, imagining the view in the morning.

To the left was a queen-size bed. It was set back, away from the stairs, which allowed some privacy. To the right, and closer to the steps, was a small round table with two chairs positioned in front of the window.

In the center of the space was a cozy-looking, double-wide chaise lounge positioned in front of the fireplace. It called our names the moment we saw it. I couldn’t wait to nestle into that with a fire going.

The bathroom door was right next to the bed and hid a small sink, shower, and toilet. The space was more than enough for us. One thing that was missing was a dresser, but Wes noticed a platform with built-in drawers beneath the bed. We went ahead and unpacked our clothes into those and tossed our bags into the corner.

I looked at Wes. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” My gaze traveled to the fireplace.

“Uh-huh.”

He approached the fireplace as if he knew how to make it work. He lay down and opened the vent at the bottom, turned on the gas, and pressed a red button. Next, he stood up and flipped on the wall switch.

A fire roared to life. I happily hopped onto the chaise. My body sank into the cushions, and once I settled in, Wes walked over with a contented smile and climbed on top of me. He held off most of his weight with his elbows, but I put my hands around his neck and pulled him all the way down.

I touched my lips to his in an urgent yet still soft fashion, and fire began in my toes and moved up. This was it. This was why we came here. Whatever was happening in the clouds was of no worry to me at that moment, because there was no other place I’d rather be.

As if my body was trying to do what my brain was thinking, I wrapped one leg around his waist in an attempt to secure him to me for what could’ve been forever. In response, he let out a deep breath that blew onto my neck and toward my ear. I heard myself sigh as I found his lips again.

What came next was unexpected. He gently but firmly placed his palm over my forehead and pushed my head into the cushion. “Sophie, Sophie,” he said.

Unable to move, I released the word “What?” between labored breaths.

“You know what. You’re attacking me.”

“What?
You’re
on top of
me
,” I pointed out.

“Well, if you unlock your leg, maybe I can move.” He was holding back a smile.

“Maybe if you release my forehead, I will.”

We both laughed and released our intertwined holds on one another.

“Sorry,” I offered.

He laughed a little and then turned serious. “Me too, but not for the same reasons you are.” He rolled so he was lying beside me.

“What are
your
reasons?”

“I just want to be with you always, and in every way.”

I propped myself up on my elbow to face him and made a promise. “You will get what you want.” Confidently, I added, “ I know it. We
will
make it happen. Everything that we want, and you will not lose track of a single minute.”

He moved closer, so his head rested against my forearm. “I hope so,” he said in a way that sounded less than optimistic.

I began running my fingers through his hair, and the gesture made me wonder why I had not done that sooner. I loved his hair. It was the darkest chocolate color with soft, inviting waves that I had never wrapped around my fingers before.

He was always the one cradling me and playing with my hair, yet here I was, twining the waves perfectly around my fingertips. It was a reversal that caught me by surprise. It was as if he was inviting me in to care for him and make him feel like everything was going to be okay.

I thought about why this shift took place right before my eyes, and the only conclusion I came to was that it was because we were in
my
element. He knew nothing about the bitter cold mountains or the angry ice flakes that were to come. The only thing he knew at that moment was that he trusted me during what, I was sure, was an uncomfortable time for him. And, instead of fear, he was showing need. A need to be with me more than anything else. A need that made me feel responsible that nothing bad happened.

A gentle smile flowed across my face. Even though it was a tall order, it was one that I wanted to fulfill. I kissed his forehead as he had kissed mine so many times, a kiss that spoke the silent words, “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

“I love you, Sophie.” His arm wrapped around me and he buried his face in my chest.

I realized then, that not only was he mine to love forever, he was mine to care for forever. He needed me as much, if not more, than I needed him, and lying there together made me see that.

As perfect and indestructible as he was physically, he was vulnerable emotionally. And this was what I was there for. This is what he’d been missing for decades, someone to love him and care for him in a way that made him willing to give up everything for that person. In the way that I did.

Somehow, the fire was still racing through my veins, even though we had stopped kissing minutes ago. The burning was
still
there, the passion, the desire, the spark. It was lingering within me, and I felt so alive, so needed, and so wanted.

“I love you too,” I whispered.

“Say it again.”

“I love you too.” I watched as the last wave curled away from my finger, and I leaned down and kissed his cheek tenderly.

“Again,” he whispered, his eyes closed.

I kissed him again. “I could say it a thousand times, and it still wouldn’t tell you how much.”

“Me too,” he said.

M
orning is not my favorite part of the day. I much preferred my sleep; however, with the wall of glass letting the morning light blaze in, I had no choice but to wake up. By myself. I felt all around and there was no one there. Still in the act of prying my eyes open, I sat up, piecing together my whereabouts. The loft was a bright white reflection of the falling snowflakes outside.

The chalet, Virginia, the snow.

“Holy crap!” I said in a raspy morning voice.

It was a beautiful sight, but I had no time to appreciate it. I threw back my covers and hurried to the bathroom to brush my teeth. A quick run-through of the hairbrush and I was done. I skipped down the steps in my flannel pajamas. Jackson and Rich were playing the board game again, and Dawn was lounging on the sofa.

I followed the sweet scent of cinnamon and bacon into the kitchen where Kerry and Wes were moving among the appliances in a professional manner. He still wore the gray sweatpants and black thermal henley that he had gone to bed in, and she was wearing Sponge Bob flannels. Both of them looked totally at ease, and once I was secure in knowing that Wes wasn’t holed up in a corner, freezing, I cleared my throat. They both turned and smiled.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Kerry said. “You didn’t tell me hottie here could cook.”

“You better watch it,” I warned. “Rich may not like you hitting on my guy.”

She puffed air through her lips. “Oh, Rich doesn’t care. I call him much more than that.” Her smile was so devious, I didn’t even want to know.

Next, my gaze settled on Wes, saying something along the lines of, “How could you let me sleep and just get up without waking me?”

And his spoke back to me, saying, “I’m a big boy, and you need your rest.”

We smiled a mutual truce, and Kerry looked at us like she wanted to back away from the silent conversation.

“Um,” she said, “I better get the eggs started.”

I moved toward Wes, still a little perturbed that I was the only one left sleeping. He pulled my shirt until I was close enough for him to put his arms around me and give me a squeeze. I gave him a hug in return and allowed my senses to take over.

“What’s that delicious smell?”

Speaking from the stove, Kerry answered, “Cinnabons. From the airport. We put them in the oven.”

Yum,
was all I thought.

“Did you see outside?” Kerry asked.

“How could I not? It’s everywhere.”

“Yeah, but it’s still not sticking.”

I hadn’t noticed before coming downstairs. Looking out our windows, all you could see was millions of large white flakes falling to the ground.

“Really?” That meant that it wasn’t cold enough for ice, though certainly still way too cold for Wes to function normally, but not cold enough to snow us in. Hopefully, we could still freely make it up and down the mountain.

Kerry interrupted my thoughts. “Yeah. And Dawn’s bummed. But we can still probably get some good slope time in today.”

“I don’t know,” I said, spinning myself away from Wes’ arms. His maneuver was swifter than mine, as he allowed me to spin out, only to hug me from behind, his arm around my waist in a secure hold. He kissed my ear.

“Yeah, Kerry. I think we’ll try it,” he said. I turned around. “For a little while,” he amended.

He was insane, completely, and I was sure he was going to make my job of playing the protector difficult.

“Whatcha doing?” Dawn said, hopping into the kitchen.

“We’re talking about hitting the slopes today,” Kerry answered.

“Awesome!” Her enthusiasm was a bit of a reminder of how fun it really could be if I could only let go of my terrible apprehension.

“Yeah, awesome,” Wes added.

I wanted to elbow him in the stomach. “Would you stop messing with me?” I asked.

“What? I’m serious. I’m stoked.”