by A. K. Evans
Because at least now we were being civil with one another. We weren’t giving each other the silent treatment. There were no nasty looks or cold shoulders.
And while I knew there was a long way to go before we could ever get back to being anywhere close to where we were all those years ago, this felt better than I could have ever imagined.
I finished making dinner, carried it over toward the couch, and placed everything on the coffee table there.
Not knowing when I’d get the opportunity again, I took a moment to look at Marley sleeping peacefully. I felt a tightness in my chest as longing moved through me.
It wasn’t until that very moment that I realized how much I’d missed her.
Bending forward, I placed a hand on her shoulder and nudged her. “Marley,” I called quietly.
Her eyes fluttered opened, and her body tensed.
“Dinner is ready,” I said.
She immediately sat up. “I’m so sorry,” she apologized. “I fell asleep.”
I smiled at her, hoping she saw that I wasn’t the least bit upset, and insisted, “It’s okay. You should eat something, though.”
I reached out for the plate, picked it up from the table, and handed it to her.
“Thank you, Mack,” she said, taking the plate from my hands.
“You’re welcome, Marley,” I returned. “But don’t get your hopes up. The sauce is from a jar.”
Her lips twitched. “I’m sure it’s fine, but I wasn’t referring to the food.”
As I sat down on the opposite end of the couch and picked up my plate, I shot her a curious look.
She must have realized I was confused because she revealed, “I just meant for all of this. For being worried about me, despite how I treated you yesterday, and for making this easy right now. Thank you.”
You were my best friend, I thought.
I wanted to say it to her, but I didn’t want to do something that might cause her to cry again. “I’m sure you’d do the same for me,” I replied instead.
We held each other’s gazes for several long moments before either of us started eating. And though we managed to talk throughout dinner—mostly about the storm, what happened with our friends, and the bad weather that was coming—when we finally finished our food, Marley and I fell into a comfortable silence.
And it wasn’t long before the exhaustion pulled her under again.
Seven
Marley
There was something to be said about a near-death experience and its ability to put things into perspective.
I hadn’t even opened my eyes yet, but I knew that when I did, I’d find myself in bed. I had no recollection of how I’d gotten there.
If I had to guess, it was Mack.
The thought made me smile.
Never in a million years did I think I’d be smiling about something sweet that Mack had done for me. That was probably because I never thought there’d ever be an opportunity for Mack to do anything sweet for me.
Then again, I probably never thought that what happened to me out on the mountain yesterday would have ever happened either.
I opened my eyes and confirmed my suspicions.
Yes. I was in bed. Only, Mack hadn’t taken me to bunk I’d slept in the night before. Evidently, he’d carried me to the bigger bedroom with the single king-size bed.
The last thing I could recall was finishing a wonderful dinner—yes, even with the jarred pasta sauce, it was wonderful—that Mack had made before I stared across the couch at him with a whole new perspective.
From the moment I’d gotten on the lift until I walked through the front door last night, I told myself that me getting stuck like that was a sign. I had to make things right with Mack.
And yes, I knew that he had a lot of explaining to do. There were so many questions that I needed answers to, but for now, I just needed some peace. We both did.
Staring at him last night, I felt so much gratitude. It would have been the perfect opportunity for Mack to throw my bad attitude from the day before in my face. He could have sat there and laughed at me for what had happened to me.
But he didn’t.
He ignored how I’d treated him and comforted me instead. He took care of me the way I imagined he would have done all those years ago, before things fell apart between us.
Now, I was left wondering if I was going to be able to make it up to him and show him how much I appreciated what he did.
This was the perfect opportunity, too. Because it was just as Dakota had said to me earlier in the day yesterday. Mack and I were here alone now. We could take advantage of the situation and fix this.
I had been considering it earlier in the day, and by the time things went south yesterday afternoon, I no longer had any doubt about what I needed to do. I simply needed to figure out the best way to turn it around.
I could have been stuck outside in the freezing weather all night. I could have died. If that wasn’t enough to make me wake up and realize that holding on to something from so long ago wasn’t okay, I was convinced that nothing would.
On that thought, I decided it was time to get up and start mending the fence. I wasn’t going to dive into all the details of everything that had happened between us just yet. I merely wanted to have some ease between us. I wanted the tension gone. Maybe then we could face what pulled us apart.
After tying my hair up into a messy bun, I took a quick shower. I had to admit it felt nice to have the warm water running over my sore muscles. I hadn’t realized until I got out of bed how sore my body was.
As soon as I finished in the shower and got myself dressed, I went upstairs. I hadn’t heard any noise this morning, so I wondered if Mack was even awake.
When I made it to the top of the stairs, I got my answer.
Mack was sitting in a chair in the far corner of the room while he looked out the windows. He must have heard me come up because he turned around, smiled, and said, “Good morning, Marley.”
I wanted to collapse into a puddle on the floor there.
Until he said it to me for the first time yesterday, I hadn’t realized how much I missed hearing him say it.
Instead of melting, though, I started walking toward the kitchen to turn on the teakettle, returned the smile, and replied, “Good morning, Mack.”
While I waited for the water to heat up in the kettle, I went over and sat down in the chair beside him.
“How are you feeling this morning?” he asked.
“Sore,” I answered. “I don’t think my muscles have ever felt this bad.”
He chuckled softly. “You probably used a lot of muscles you don’t normally use,” Mack noted.
“Of course,” I returned, nodding my head. “But you’re sore, too, aren’t you?”
He shook his head.
My eyes widened in surprise. “How is that possible? Didn’t you ride all day yesterday?” I questioned him.
“I did. And I rode hard, too. But I work out every day, and I don’t take it easy on myself, so doing what I did yesterday wasn’t exactly taxing on my body,” he explained.
I cocked an eyebrow. “So what you’re saying is that I’m really out of shape?” I countered.
Mack’s lips twitched. “No.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I don’t feel like this is a question that could be answered any other way,” he remarked. “That said, I think you look great, Marley. But when it comes to physical strength and stamina, we can all put in more effort to improve.”
I rolled my eyes and fought against breaking out into a full-blown grin. “Let’s not forget that I prefer to spend my time cooking, baking, and eating,” I reminded him. “It’s literally the opposite of what you do for a living.”
Something strange washed over Mack’s face, and I was too curious not to ask what it meant.
“What’s that look for?” I wondered.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I just wasn’t expecting you to know what I do
for a living.”
I bit my lip and looked away, focusing my attention on the scenery outside.
Well, there it was.
I’d put myself out there and indicated that while we might not have spoken for years, it didn’t mean that I had forgotten Mack existed. I had to wonder if that was all one-sided.
“Marley?” he called.
I tore my gaze from the snow-covered mountains and looked at him. “Yeah?”
His eyes searched my face. “I’m glad that you know what I do.” A small smile formed on my face, and Mack added, “For what it’s worth, I’ve tried a couple of recipes from your blog.”
I immediately felt my eyes get wet. It shouldn’t have meant anything to me, not after all that had happened, but it did. It meant everything to me that he’d tried my recipes.
Not wanting to start the morning crying and being hysterical, I asked, “How did they turn out?”
“Probably not as good as they would have been if you had made them, but everything was edible and some had turned out really well,” he answered.
“I’m glad, Mack.”
The silence settled between us for a few moments, both of us tearing our gazes from each other and staring back out the windows. The teakettle started whistling, so I moved to it and got myself some after asking Mack if he wanted any.
Then I returned to the seat with my mug and sipped on the tea while I sat beside a man who had once been the center of my world.
After a while, I said, “It’s amazing.”
“What is?”
“This place,” I clarified. “How have I lived in Utah all my life and not realized just how incredible this place is? The views are gorgeous.”
“Yeah. They are,” he agreed.
Looking back at him, I asked, “Have you been here before, or is this your first time?”
He nodded. “I was the one who suggested we all come here for this trip.”
“I didn’t know that,” I admitted.
“Would you still have come if you knew?” he asked.
There wasn’t any anger or animosity in his tone, and I knew he was genuinely curious.
“Truthfully, I would have probably tried to come up with a million excuses, but I know everyone, especially the girls, would have talked me into it,” I confessed, as I set my mug down on the table.
Mack didn’t respond one way or the other to my admission. He simply nodded his understanding. I had a feeling it probably hurt him to know I wouldn’t have wanted to come to a place he suggested, but I also didn’t want to lie to him about it, either. I figured it was best to be honest.
Not wanting things to get awkward, I asked, “Have you had anything to eat this morning?”
“No,” he answered with a slight shake of his head.
I tipped my head to the side and pressed, “Would you mind if I made us both breakfast?”
Mack’s face lit up. “I’d love nothing more than to have a breakfast that you’ve made,” he declared.
That felt good to see and hear.
“Any special requests?” I wondered.
He shook his head. “Not one.”
“Okay. I’ll see what I can come up with,” I told him. “By the way, how cool is it that they fully stock this place and tell you to help yourself?”
Confusion washed over him as his brows pulled together. “What are you talking about?”
I pointed toward the counter and said, “When I first got here, there was a basket on the counter with a bunch of welcoming items plus notes about the wi-fi and stuff like that. There was a note about us making ourselves at home and being able to help ourselves to anything that was in the kitchen.”
“Yeah, they were referring to the condiments and staples like spices,” he noted.
“That’s not what the note said,” I argued. “Why would they have all this fresh food here otherwise?”
“Because they didn’t supply it,” Mack informed me.
“What?”
“Before I came up the mountain, I made a stop down at the store in town,” he explained. “I bought all the food that’s here.”
I gasped as my hand flew up to cover my mouth. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry,” I lamented.
“For what?”
“I… I assumed it was already here,” I started. “I didn’t know you purchased it. I cooked myself breakfast yesterday morning.”
He nodded his head rapidly with a smile on his face. “I know.”
“Why… why didn’t you say something?”
He shot me a dubious look. “And what would I have said?” he wondered.
“That it was your food.”
“Marley, do you honestly think I would be able to eat all of that food myself?” he asked. “I bought it for everyone.”
“Yeah… but—”
“But what?” he cut me off.
“It was me,” I murmured.
Another strange expression washed over him. I couldn’t quite make out what it was, but I believed I saw some disappointment lingering there.
Eventually, he sighed and said, “I know there’s a lot for us to talk about. I don’t want to do it right now, but I need you to understand something.”
I braced myself for whatever he was going to say. No matter how much I prepared myself, I never would have been ready for what he said.
“No matter what happened between us, Mar, I don’t hate you,” he began gently. “I never did. And I owe you an apology for what you heard me say yesterday to Ryder. I’m sorry for saying that I was done wasting my time on you. I was pissed and in the moment. It doesn’t excuse what I said, but I want you to know that it’s not how I feel. And despite how bad it was or how bad it could have been between us all these years, I’d never forbid you from eating the food in this house. I’d never do that to you. Do you honestly think I’d sit and watch you starve in the middle of storm, when you can’t get out to get food?”
I dropped my gaze to my lap and fidgeted with my hands. None of this made any sense. I mean, deep down, I guess it would have been unfair to label Mack as being that bad of a guy. But his words certainly left me feeling confused. Because they indicated that he’d never do anything to see me harmed when his actions years ago told me differently.
When I took too long to respond to him, Mack spoke again. “Marley, look at me,” he urged. When my eyes locked on his, he said, “I didn’t say that to upset you. I just wanted you to know where I stand. We’ll talk about everything later. It’s not like we don’t have the time. For now, let’s just have a nice breakfast before we go out riding together.”
We didn’t have to talk now.
I could do that.
But there was one thing I wasn’t sure I could do. “I don’t know about that,” I replied.
“What?” he asked.
“I’m not sure I’ll last another full day on the mountain,” I warned him. “Plus, I’ll probably just slow you down.”
“And I rode hard yesterday,” he reminded me. “I’m happy to slow things down again today. I don’t want you to not go back out again because of what happened yesterday. I promise I’ll be with you the whole time.”
I wouldn’t necessarily have said that I was scared or worried about going out to ride again. I had simply come to the conclusion that I was going to stick to the trails. I might have wanted to believe that I could handle the deeper powder, but I couldn’t.
And that was okay.
I was more than happy to stay safe where I wouldn’t get stuck.
“If you really want to do that…” I trailed off.
“I really want to do that,” he assured me.
“Okay.”
He grinned. “Good. Now, what are the chances I can convince you to make whatever it was that you made for breakfast yesterday?”
“Breakfast hash?” I asked.
“I don’t know what it was called, Marley, but it smelled incredible,” he replied. “I swear I can still smell it.”
It was my turn to gri
n. “It was breakfast hash. It’s just eggs, shredded potatoes, onion, cheddar cheese, spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Though, if there’s something you don’t want in it, I can omit it.”
“I want all of it,” he insisted.
“Do you want to watch and learn, or are you going to sit here and wait to be served like I did on the couch last night?” I teased as I stood up from the chair.
Mack stood up, wrapped an arm around me, and gave me a gentle squeeze. “I’m watching,” he answered.
At that, Mack and I walked into the kitchen, where he sat at one of the stools and watched as I made us breakfast hash.
As we ate together once I had it all ready, I had to admit that I started to experience that normally unfamiliar feeling of surprise.
Mack and I were sitting down together for a second meal, and I didn’t feel any sort of disdain for him.
I had to wonder if it was all because of what happened to me yesterday, if it was because I was letting go of what happened all those years ago, or if it was simply because it was just us. This was who we were, who we had always been.
Had I stopped us from having this for no reason at all?
Sure, I thought I had a good one, but with the way we’d been with each other for not even twenty-four hours now, all the good between us was overshadowing what pulled us apart.
I just hoped I wasn’t making a mistake for the second time.
Eight
Marley
“Well, that certainly went much better than yesterday.”
At my declaration, Mack wrapped one arm behind my back until his gloved hand landed on my opposite shoulder. He squeezed me there and replied, “I’m glad we could turn this all around for you.”
I was, too.
Mack and I were on our way back to the house after a fun day out riding on the mountain.
After breakfast this morning, which Mack thoroughly enjoyed and made no apologies for it either, we put together lunches for ourselves, so we wouldn’t need to come back to the house. Then we both got ourselves ready to spend a few hours and the better part of the day out exploring more of the mountain.