Chapter 15

Something had changed overnight. If I thought this was a one-night stand, a chance to see if we still had the same chemistry we did when we were younger, I was wrong. The energy coming off Aiden was that of a man who was in deep.

If he liked me, if he always had, why had he turned down my proposal? Why had he walked away from me, knowing I might never give him a second chance? I still wasn't sure I wanted to. I was scared of what happened last time. But not fearful enough to go back to my room.

I wanted to spend the day with him.

When we finished eating, we drank our coffee slowly, watching the snow fall. Then we got up to clean the plates, placing them in the dishwasher.

"What do you want to do first? We can go for a hike, build a snowman, or I can take you for a ride on the snowmobile. Although I might want to do that when it's dark. There's something I want to show you."

"What's that?"

"Talon built lights under the water of the pond on the Monroes' farm. We could take a ride over there."

"I'd love to see it. Are you sure they won't mind?"

"I'll give Heath a heads-up. Did you bring your snow gear?"

"I did only because I was hoping to go skiing one weekend. But I figured I'd need to travel farther north for good snow."

"You're in luck then. Want to get dressed, then meet in the lobby?"

I sensed a hesitation in him, as if he wasn't ready to let me go or he thought I might change my mind. I stepped close, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Sounds like a plan." Then I kissed him before grabbing my clothes from the night before.

When I walked by Aiden, he smacked my ass. I gave him a disgruntled look, and he winked.

"You're impossible."

He opened his mouth, then closed it.

I wondered if he was going to say, That's why I love you, and then thought better of it. We might have loved each other at one time, but that's not what this was. There was too much hurt, too much pain to get back to that innocent place we were in when we were teens.

"I'll see you in the lobby," I said as I crossed the apartment and opened the door. He must have followed me because when I turned to close the door behind me, he was there. He cupped my cheek and kissed me. It wasn't slow and sweet. It was passionate, his tongue slipping into my mouth and against mine. By the time he pulled back, I was breathless. "See you in a few."

It took me a few seconds, but I finally moved on shaky legs into the hallway. I heard the door close softly behind me. I touched my lips which were still tingling from his.

I couldn't forget the feel of him, the way he seemed to keep me close this morning. This thing with him wasn't a fling. It felt so much bigger than that. But I couldn't let him in, not all the way. Not until I knew what he wanted out of this. I wouldn't survive another broken heart. I wasn't sure my heart had ever truly mended from last time.

Maybe we could find healing together. As soon as the idea popped into my head, I dismissed it. You couldn't heal with the person who hurt you. That was crazy. My heart was trying to take control of this relationship, and I wouldn't let it. I needed to let logic rule the day.

I might have been the dumbest woman in history, but I took a quick shower, dried my hair, then threw on my warmest winter gear. Then I grabbed my boots just as I heard a knock on the door.

I opened it to find Aiden leaning against the frame with his arms crossed over his chest. "You were taking a long time."

I ran a hand through my hair. "Sorry, I thought I had time to take a quick shower, but it takes forever to dry my hair. I should have texted to let you know."

Aiden hooked a hand behind my neck and pulled me close for a kiss. "Are you ready to go now?"

I lifted my boots in the air. "I thought I'd put these on downstairs."

I closed and locked the door even though no one else was staying here at the moment. He took my hand, and we walked down the stairs and into the lobby. I sat in one of the cushioned chairs by the front door to pull on my boots.

"I'm just going to grab the keys for the snowmobile in case you change your mind." He disappeared behind the counter and reappeared a few seconds later. He shoved a knit hat onto his head and grabbed a jacket he'd left on the counter.

"These boots look new," Aiden said.

"I need you to help me dirty them up," I teased as I went on tiptoe to kiss him.

"Challenge accepted," he said, a wicked grin on his face.

We went outside where there were a couple of shovels resting against the porch railing.

"We should shovel the walk first."

"Should we do that first, or should we make a snowman?" I asked him, knowing what I wanted to do.

"Work first. Then we can play the rest of the day."

I groaned but took the shovel he handed me.

The snow was still coming down, and there was a good eight inches on the ground.

"It's thick and fluffy," I said as I threw the shovelful where I thought the grass was.

"The perfect kind for packing."

We worked in silence for a few minutes.

"Don't you need to plow the lane too?" I asked, remembering what he'd told Heath last night.

"I'll do it after we play for a bit."

"You mentioned a fancy dinner, then a snowmobile ride," I said even as I questioned what I was doing.

"We might need to do the ride first, then go home and get ready for dinner."

"That works for me," I said, shoveling the last bit of snow on the walk.

"Are you ready for some fun?" Aiden asked as he leaned on the handle of his shovel.

I grinned. "I'm more than ready."

Aiden snagged my shovel from my hands and put his and mine on the porch. The lights on the tree and the wreaths were lit since gray clouds covered the sky.

Aiden rolled a big ball that we packed tight. We placed it on the bottom.

"When we're done, we can take a picture for the website," I suggested.

"That would look nice," Aiden said as we got to work on a second ball and then a third for the head. When all three balls of snow were smoothed over and packed tightly, we stacked them on top of each other.

"Now we just need—"

Aiden pulled a carrot and a hat out of his pocket. "I came prepared."

"Once a Boy Scout, always one," I mumbled.

"I wasn't a Boy Scout."

I knew that his upbringing was a source of shame for him. But I said, "You were in the military. I'm sure that taught you to be prepared."

"The military taught me about a lot of good things in life, but not everything."

"Oh, what's that?" I asked. He handed me the carrot, and I placed it in the middle of the snowman's face.

"My commanding officers and fellow soldiers taught me about discipline, loyalty, and hard work. But they didn't teach me about love."

My breath caught in my throat. "Where did you learn about it then?"

He moved in front of me, touching my face with his gloved hand. "From my sister, my grandmother, and you."

He kissed me, his lips cool from the air, the snow coming down stinging my face. When he pulled back, he nodded toward the snowman. "He needs a hat."

He fit the knit hat on top, and we searched on the ground, digging through the snow for smaller rocks for his eyes, mouth, and shirt buttons. When we were done, we stood back and snapped a few pictures for the website.

"Don't you think the owner should be in the pictures?" I asked him.

"I'm just a co-owner."

"Same thing. Get in front."

He moved reluctantly next to the snowman. "Don't you think the picture would look better if you were in it? You're helping me renovate."

"You're right. We can use this picture in our marketing. Rehabbers take a snow break." I moved next to him, and his arm came around me. He took my phone and held it up so that he could snap a picture of us with the inn in the background.

The building itself looked regal in the snow with the columns wrapped in garland and lights, each window sporting a wreath. "This place is beautiful. Your grandmother would be so proud of you."

"I'd like to think so," Aiden said as he pulled off his glove so he could thumb through the pictures. When he got to the last one, he forwarded it to his phone."

"Are you sending it to Marley?"

"I wanted one for myself."

The entire day, I felt like we were a couple.

"Let's go sledding," Aiden said, sounding light and carefree as we searched the garage for sleds. We finally found one and took it to the nearest hill.

He got on first, then gestured for me to sit between his legs. I climbed on without any hesitation. I was committed to enjoying this day to its fullest. For one day, I didn't have to worry about the real world because everything was shut down.

We didn't have anywhere to be or anything to do. We probably should have been working on the basement, but neither of us was in a hurry for that.

We slid down the hill until lunch time. The last time, Aiden turned us so we flipped into the snow, and he landed on top of me. His legs came to rest on either side of my hips, and his gloved hands cupped my face. He lowered his lips to mine, and we kissed until our lips were swollen and our cheeks chapped from the wind and cold.

Then he stood with a grin, holding his hand out to me. I put my hand in his, and he lifted me to my feet. He dragged the sled behind him as we made our way back up the hill. It was the most perfect day.

Inside we took off our gear and let it drape across any available surface to dry. Then Aiden made subs filled with meat, veggies, and cheese. He poured lemonade from the pitcher.

"We should have made hot chocolate."

"I'll do that tonight."

Aiden was committed to making this day nice for both of us, and I was having too good of a time to let any anxieties creep to the surface.

After lunch, he went outside to plow the road, and I went to my room for a nap. A few hours later, my bed dipped. "You always leave your room unlocked?"

I stretched as I considered him. His cheeks were red from the cold, his hands icicles through the thin material of my leggings. "Only when we're snowed in and no one else is at the inn."

He kissed me again softly. Every time he did, it felt good. It was like he knew our time was limited and he wanted to touch and kiss me as much as possible.

When he pulled back, he said, "Are you ready for that snowmobile ride?"

"Absolutely."

We got into our now-dry gear and went outside. Aiden had brought the snowmobile around the house from the garage and parked it in front of the porch. He handed me a helmet and made sure it was buckled correctly before donning his.

Aiden got on, and I slid on behind him. He revved the engine, and then we glided over the snow, through a space in the trees, and into the woods that separated the Matthews' property from the Monroes'.

We didn't travel far before he pulled up to a pond. It was partially frozen, but I could see the lights twinkling underneath.

Aiden turned off the engine, and I got off.

"This is beautiful." I'd never seen anything like it.

We rested our helmets on the seat of the snowmobile and moved closer to the edge of the water. Aiden pulled me back so that I was resting against his chest. There were several layers of clothes between us, but I enjoyed the feel of his arms tightening around me and his chin resting on my shoulder.

Aiden pointed out the ornament shapes underneath the water. "Talon studied how the engineers did this at a garden estate in Pennsylvania. Then his brothers helped make it a reality."

"It's amazing. Do they allow people to come and see it?"

"It's a bit separated from the other light display, so they haven't yet. Or at least I don't think so. Talon keeps this one a bit of a secret."

"I think it's amazing." And it should be shared, but I knew the Monroes didn't enjoy being open to the public. They enjoyed the off-season and their privacy, and they'd only grudgingly accepted Marley's new marketing plan that offered year-round events to increase revenue. Maybe this was something Talon had made just for his family to experience.

We stood there for a few minutes and then walked around the permitter of the pond. It felt good to be outside in the cool air with nothing but the occasional snap of a twig or the clump of snow falling from a high branch. We didn't have anything to do or anywhere to be. And I was fairly positive the Monroes wouldn't be bothering us today.

So when snow flew into my shoulder, I was shocked. "Are you throwing snowballs?" I asked him, just as he flashed me a grin and ducked behind a tree.

I shrieked as I ran for cover and quickly began building an arsenal. Occasionally, a snowball flew by, but I didn't engage until I had a stack. Then I let them fly. He occasionally returned fire but nothing like I was. I pelted snowball after snowball toward his tree.

Feeling bold, I stood to deliver the last few balls. I was momentarily stunned when Aiden came out from behind the tree and barreled in my direction. I ran but it was too late, and Aiden landed on top of me. He quickly rolled me so that I was underneath him and he was straddling my hips.

This was nothing like before when we were sledding. Aiden's eyes danced with mischief, and my body hummed with adrenaline.

He grabbed my wrists and held them above my head in the snow. "You're a force."

I laughed. "You couldn't handle my return fire?"

"I can handle you all right." He lowered his head and kissed me until I forgot we were at war.

Instead of planning my escape, I was distracted by the warmth of my body despite the snow underneath me and the cool air.

Finally, he pulled back, "Let's go home. I have plans for you."

He helped me to stand to brush off the snow. We climbed onto the snowmobile and headed home. The light was beginning to wane, the flurries coming down lighter now.

When we got off, he said, "The worst of the snow is done. We should be able to clear everything out tomorrow."

The thought of going back to reality, to guests checking in and us resuming work on the basement, was disappointing. But I knew this was a brief respite.

"I'll get this in the garage, then start dinner. Why don't you take a bath in my room and get ready there?"

I smiled. "I can do that."

He kissed me, then smacked my butt when I turned away from him. I gave him a look over my shoulder, but he just chuckled. I loved that Aiden was more easy-going with me. I'd noticed that he was more serious since he got out of the military, but it was nice that I brought out the younger version of him.

Inside, I grabbed the dress and shoes I wanted to wear and my toiletries, then headed upstairs to his apartment. He'd left his room unlocked, so I stepped inside and made my way to the large bathroom.

It was gorgeous with a large soaking tub and walk-in shower with several shower heads. The bathtub had a large window that overlooked the back of the property. There were no houses in view, so I turned on the water in the tub and stripped down. Then I pushed play on a holiday song and stepped into the tub.

I sank into the warm water, content to close my eyes. It was relaxing, especially since my muscles were sore from walking in the snow and sledding. I wondered what it would be like to date Aiden. Would we move into his apartment? Would I work with him?

What would I do after the renovation was done? Would I find similar work with nearby hotels and bed-and-breakfasts? Could I make a go of my own business? I wasn't sure there were hotels that would be willing to work with a consultant. The large chains already had in-house people who did that work for them.

Marley made business ownership look easy, but I'd heard the opposite was true. That it took three to five years for most businesses to turn a profit. I didn't have that kind of time. I had some money in savings but not enough to start a new business.

I got out of the tub, disgusted that I was even considering a life with Aiden. He could break things off at any time. Or maybe this was just a fun few days for him. He'd be able to walk away like last time, and I'd be left with a broken heart.

I dried off, taking the time to lotion my body and dress with care. I dried my hair, applied minimal makeup, then headed downstairs where the dining room table was set and candles lit in the center.

"This looks beautiful."

Aiden came into the room in black slacks and a crisp white button-down, holding a platter of food. His eyes widened when he saw me. He set the platter in the middle of the table, then approached me. "You look gorgeous."

He touched my shoulder, pulling me close.

I looked up at him. "You look handsome yourself. When did you have time to get dressed?"

"I snuck into my apartment while you were in the tub."

"You didn't want to join me?" I asked.

"I didn't want the food to burn, and I knew if I went into that room, dinner would be a bust.

I chuckled. "That's probably true."

A smile spread over his face. "You're too sexy to resist. I liked having you in my room, enjoying my tub."

"I liked it too," I said softly, my throat tightening with emotion. I liked it too much.

"I have a few more things to get ready." Aiden's hand drifted down my arm, and he entwined his fingers with mine. "Would you pick the wine? I think white would work best."

In the kitchen, he'd set several bottles of wine on the counter. I chose a white that looked to be from a local winery and then helped him carry the side dishes and wine glasses into the dining room.

Dinner was chicken parmesan with warm rolls and salad.

Aiden sat at the head of the table, and I took the seat to his right. "I can't believe you went to all this trouble."

"I never got a chance to cook for you, pick you up for a date, or even take you to prom. I wanted to do something special."

"You were there."

Regret filled his expression. "Not in the ways I wanted to be."

"I didn't realize that was important to you."

Aiden nodded. "I wanted to be the kind of guy you'd be proud of showing up on your doorstep. I wanted to meet your parents and know they trusted me with their daughter."

"You know that's not why I kept us a secret. I was never embarrassed by you."

"It's hard not to feel that when you grew up the way I did. My parents never failed to mention what a screw-up I was and how I'd never amount to anything. No one in our family went to college. Not until Marley. My parents told me I couldn't hope for more. But I wanted to be better, to be the man you deserved."

"That's why you enlisted." I'd figured that out a long time ago. I just couldn't figure out why he didn't want me with him.

"I screwed up."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I turned down your proposal because I didn't want you to give up on your dreams. I knew your dad wanted you to stay at school, to get your degree. He didn't want your mother's death or a guy messing with your plans. I didn't want to be that guy."