by Lexi Ostrow
“And what has the talented Anna DeMarco given up? Not your ice skating career, of course.”
Shaking her head, she smiled at him. It was one of the most perfect moments he’d had with her. She looked so at ease, closing her eyes as amusement spread across her face. Her hair fell just her shoulders, and the crimson curls shook as she laughed.
“You know, sooner or later, you’re going to have to find something a lot more current to tease me about.”
“Dually noted. Now, what has your job caused you to sacrifice?” He pushed a low, snow-covered tree branch out of their way. He hadn’t meant to walk them off the path, but it was a lot quicker. “Me, I gave up the traditional lifestyle. I live pretty alone when the tourists aren’t flocking here. The town is great, but it really takes a trip down to get most supplies beyond groceries. It’s not easy having a lot of nights out when most people you know head down after the season and resume a different job.”
“Would you change it? If you had another opportunity, I mean,” Anna asked in one of the meekest tones he’d ever heard.
“No,” he said the word firmly, and he meant it. “I had a chance, well I had the lifestyle once. I loved being a coach, but it wasn’t the same way I love being up here. Sure, I have my moments where I’m contemplating shoving a snooty housewife or over-privileged kid down the slopes, but overall, I’m happy with the life I’ve built.”
She nodded slowly, staring straight ahead and not looking at him.
You moron. What if she was asking if you would ever consider leaving the mountain for her? He responded to his hopeful fantasy with a douse of water. She wasn’t, so don’t open your mouth and act like a fool.
“I’m really happy to hear that, Marshall.” She rubbed just under her eye and he couldn’t help wondering if she really had been hurt by what he said. “I gave up a normal twenty’s. I never got to have fun with my friends from college. Sure, we would have a drink after killing an exam, but overall I wasn’t out. I didn’t go to parties. I didn’t have racy one-night stands. Sure it was because I was being groomed to take over one of the biggest locations in my family’s company. I didn’t have the time to be a reckless twenty-something playing in London.”
“Would you change that?”
For the first time, she looked over at him, her eyes covered in a thin layer of tears that he knew she would never acknowledge.
“Absolutely.” She let out a deep breath and her shoulders sagged as if it were the first time she’d confessed that to anyone. “I love my family. I love the company and the work we do. I especially love that I didn’t have to panic like most graduates in our generation. But, yes, I would’ve liked to enjoy those years. I know I’m not thirty yet, but the responsibilities grow each day, not shrink.” Sadness weighed heavy in her statement.
Marshall wanted to pull her against him and tell her that she’d done amazing things most people their age could only dream of achieving. He didn’t. Just like every other urge, except for the one to continue to try for a life with her, he resisted.
The lodge came into view. He hadn’t realized how long they had been walking. Spending time with Anna was always like that—never long enough.
“Well, I know it’s not raging parties or promiscuous nights, but how about we go have some wild and fun with a pair of a sleds?” He cocked his head sideways and gave her a grin.
Anna quickly swiped at her eyes and gave him a small smile. “I think that sounds like a fantastic Christmas activity.” She slipped her hand into his as she spoke.
Marshall stopped breathing for a moment. If she’d meant the gesture to mean anything to her, he couldn’t tell. To him though, it was an amazing hint that she was still interested in him somewhere deep down, even if she hadn’t realized she’d taken hold of his hand.
“Well then, Miss DeMarco—” he made a sweeping gesture toward the lodge “—your chariot awaits!”
She wasn’t certain what she was getting herself into. However, she was very certain that the simple act of holding Marshall’s hand as they walked sent her pulse racing. Every feeling that had lain slightly dormant for the past ten years flared to life when their hands clasped together.
The kiss two days before had awakened lust, but the mere feel of his hand in hers set everything they’d had rushing back to her. Trying to run away from Marshall, to ignore everything for the past years had been the stupidest thing she’d ever tried.
And had you not been so determined to end it to try things with Adam, who knows how long it would have continued. You’re where you belong. Tell him.
“Marshall.” She cleared her throat as he held open the lodge door for her.
Her expression must have been terrible because the smile plummeted off Marshall’s face as he turned to look at her. “Whatever you’re going to say, Anna, just leave it for today. It’s not the time for difficult conversations or life changing moments. I just want us to have fun today.” His voice had the smallest hint of a tremble as he spoke.
Pressing her lips together, she felt the tension snake up to her head. She wasn’t certain if she should abide by what he wanted or tell him what she feeling, especially since she was fairly certain they would have a much better time if he did know.
“Please, Anna,” he repeated, pleading this time.
Blowing out a breath, she nodded slowly. It felt wrong not to tell him what she’d decided. He probably just thought anything good she told him was simply because she was wrapped up in the Christmas season and it would vanish with the holidays.
“Okay. So, where do we get those sleds?”
A small, forced smile, returned to his face. “I’ll grab them. You stay here.”
With that, he left her in a fairly empty lodge, only to say a few Merry Christmases as people passed her to grab a mug of something warm.
Reaching for her phone, she held it, staring at the black face and wondering if she shouldn’t try calling Adam again. Pulling up his number, she put the phone to her ear as she watched Marshall duck inside a door behind the front desk.
Come on, Adam. I can’t believe I’m trying to break up with someone on Christmas. I’m going to hell for this, I just know it. Her foot was lightly tapping on the plush carpet as the phone rang and rang.
“Hello, you’ve reached Adam Sensard. I’m unavailable—”
Jerking the phone from her ear, she jabbed her finger over the end call icon and dropped it into the pocket of the ridiculously large snowsuit. She resisted the urge to growl in frustration. Nothing was going as it should, and this had to be the universe punishing her for coming up the mountain with one intention but having an entirely different one once she’d arrived.
Don’t focus on it. You can still talk to Marshall and let him know where you stand with him and then take care of everything with Adam when you get home. Nothing has to be messy, and nothing has to be stressful, Anna. Just enjoy the rest of the holiday vacation.
“Everything all right?” Marshall’s voice broke through her thoughts.
He had a sled under each arm and a charming smile on his face. He looked exactly as he had ten years ago. There were signs of weathering around the corners of his mouth and eyes, but aside from that, he didn’t look any different than when she’d seen him last year. His eyes still seemed to shine when he looked her, his smile still made her stomach do little somersaults.
And spending the day with him seems just as wonderful as it did all those years ago.
“Earth to Anna. Come in Anna.”
Shaking her head, she couldn’t help laughing. One thing that absolutely set Marshall apart from the other men in her life was he had a completely different way of having a good time. As far as she knew, it didn’t take booze and loud music to make him enjoy his time out. His sense of humor was nowhere near as dry as many of the men she’d attempted to date either, and she found it endearing. She remembered laughing for hours with him when they were younger, and suddenly, she seemed to recall how important laughter was. It had been far too long since sh
e’d laughed with anyone besides Kayla back home.
Grabbing the sled out from under his right arm, she titled her head and smiled. “I just remembered something important, that’s all.”
Marshall quirked up a dark, bushy brow. “And what might that be, Miss DeMarco?”
“That the last one to the top of the hill is a rotten egg!” Her voice echoed off the walls of the semi empty lobby but she didn’t care.
Turning rapidly on her heels, she spun and began to race for the door. It only took seconds for Marshall to pass her, bumping her slightly as he grabbed the iron handle of the lodge door. She used him beating her to the door to her advantage. Slipping past, she squeezed through the small door opening, her body jerking backward as Marshall grabbed the sled. Laughing, she gave a tug, and it pulled from his light hold, launching her backward onto her ass.
“Cheaters never prosper!” He grinned down at her as he tried to race past.
Reaching out, she grabbed his ankle and dropped him into the pile of snow. She heard him land with a similar sound that her fall made and did her best to push up off the cold ground and run past him. Standing, she stuck her tongue out at him and began to run up the small slope to get behind the lodge.
“I think you need to avoid clichés!” She shouted back.
Just as she was about to pronounce herself the winner, she felt fingers wrap around the snowsuit near her calf and tug her down. Snow flew as she crashed into the not walked on powdery snow. Twisting, she found herself face to face with Marshall. Her breath puffed out in front of her, and she could feel her heartbeat speed up as his eyes stared into hers. Their laughter dissolved as the attraction snaked a path through her and likely him as well.
His tongue wet his lips as he pulled himself up her body. A shiver tore through her that had nothing to do with the cold snow beneath her or the cold Christmas afternoon. He pushed a strand of her hair away from her face and sucked a deep breath in as lust rocked through her. His lips brushed against her as feather soft as lightly falling snow, and she shuddered before putting her hand on his chest.
“Marshall.”
“Right. You’re with someone.” His tone held no malice, but he did push himself off her.
Everything felt so much colder without him covering her, and she rushed to sit up. “It’s not that. It’s just that...” She wrapped her arms around herself and let out a deep breath. “I came here with the expectation of saying goodbye to you.”
“I got that.”
She narrowed her eyes, glowering at him. “If you could be polite and not interrupt me for just a few minutes, that would be great.”
“London has made you cheeky,” Marshall said as he stood and brushed snow off himself.
“London has done nothing of the sort.” She stood up and put her hand on his shoulder, turning him as he tried to look away. “Marshall stop being a giant baby. I came up here to say goodbye, and what I’ve learned is that I can’t. I don’t know how on Earth to make us work, but I know there is no one else for me.”
Marshall stared at her, flabbergasted, if the way his mouth dropped open was any indication. “Can you say that again? I’m just a little worried I’m hallucinating from the cold or something.” He flashed a grin at her as he wound his arm around her waist, tugging her against him.
“I want what you want, Marshall. I want to see where we will go, to give us the shot we didn’t have ten years ago because we were both too stubborn to chase after the other one.” She placed her hand on his cheek, “We’ve spent years avoiding one another, and when you kissed me the other day, I realized I couldn’t do that any longer.”
“Then why did you stop me?”
“I haven’t spoken to Adam. I know that it might seem silly to you, but I haven’t broken it off with him, and I wouldn’t feel right.”
“Your heart isn’t interested in him any longer if you can’t break if off because of the holidays. I don’t think it matters what we do or don’t do if your heart has already let go.”
“I understand that too, but this is what I want, Marshall. So, for me, please just wait until I can speak to Adam.”
She watched as he sucked air in through his nose, his eyes closing as he did so. “I’ve waited nearly ten years to have you back in my life where you belong. If you need me to wait until you can break it off with someone else I can. I’m getting the better deal after all.”
Despite having just told him not too, she was silently willing him to kiss her. She ached to feel their lips touching once again. However, she was grateful he didn’t. Marshall might have a quick temper, but he had always been respectful, and she was glad to see it hadn’t changed over the years. Placing a quick kiss on his cheek, she gently removed his hand from around her and stepped back.
“Now, I know this is likely the most awkward thing either of us has ever been through, but I really would like to be respectful to Adam. So . . .” She let her gaze linger on the sleds just behind them.
Marshall let out a bellow of laughter that seemed to shake the trees. “Anna DeMarco, I am seriously a fool for you. But it’s all right. If you want to sled rather than spend time just sitting together, reminding each other of every single reason we’re meant to be, I suppose I’ll humor you.”
Grabbing her sled, she grinned at him and winked. “You’ve always been reliable, Marshall. And I promise, as soon as things are settled with Adam, we will begin being an us. Leena swears Christmas makes everything better, so how about we put everything aside and just enjoy the holiday?”
“Well then, in that case...” He grabbed his sled and dropped himself down onto it. “In your words, last one down is a rotten egg!” Pulling his feet up onto the sled, he pushed off and began to slide down the long, but not terribly steep, mountainside.
“You cheated!” She was already climbing onto her sled and pushing off as she shouted after him.
With a whoosh, she was off, the air whipping her loose hair across her face and numbing her with the intensity of the cold. Hollering with glee, she lifted her hands off the safety bar and held them above her head as her sled raced down.
Finally, the sled began to slow as the slope leveled out. She could see Marshall, standing and grinning up the mountain side at her like an excited ten-year-old. Dropping her feet off the side, she dug them into the snow to help stop herself sooner.
“I win,” Marshall said far to gleefully as he offered her a hand to stand.
“Yes, well, you cheated.”
“My mom says never cheat!” piped the little toe-headed boy with a smirk.
Marshall chuckled. “Anna, meet Parker. We had a snowboarding lesson that pretty much sucked without the snow.”
Parker enthusiastically stuck out his hand to shake hers. “Mom and Dad are busy with work,” he groaned. “Do you think you could show me how to snowboard some more?”
Marshall looked at Anna, and she smiled.
“Go on. I think there’s a snowman just waiting for me to build him.” Turning, she grabbed Marshall’s sled. “I’ll go return these. Why don’t you get started, and when I get back, we can all make a snowman before it’s time for Marshall and I to leave for Christmas dinner.”
“Ya!” Parker said gleefully before tugging on Marshall’s hand. “My board is right over there, I accidentally crashed when I tried to snowboard by myself.” He sounded sheepish as he pointed.
Happy, Anna began to walk back up to the lodge. She’d already gotten the best Christmas gift she hadn’t known she’d been waiting for until she’d finally opened herself up—Marshall.
He watched as she walked away, taking note of the way his body heated up at the site of her. It wasn’t that it hadn’t any time he’d looked at her. However, watching her with the knowledge that he’d had his greatest wish answered made it that much stronger. He wasn’t going to pretend like he understood why she wanted to wait to discuss or do anything until she dumped the guy back home, but he wasn’t going to do anything to mess them up. Not a second time.
Christmas magic could only go so far. So, he’d resisted every urge to sweep her off her feet and take her back to his house. It wasn’t just about sex, but he’d be lying through his teeth if he didn’t admit that he was ready to take her back to bed almost as much as he was ready to tell her he still loved her.
“Are you certain your friend won’t be upset?” Parker asked, tugging on Marshall’s green sleeve.
He smiled at the kid. He didn’t know what it was like to have parents that put work first, but he imagined it was rough. “Absolutely not. Remember, she’d rather build a snowman anyway.”
He grinned at Parker. Anna was a horrible snowboarder, but she could whoop his ass with a pair of skis. So it was better if someone that looked up to him—that paid him—didn’t experience that.
“Awesome!” Parker raced off and grabbed his board.
Marshall couldn’t help looking back up toward the lodge, toward Anna. Do what she wants. You can’t pretend to understand women, and the last thing you need is to upset her. Shaking his head, he chortled at Parker. “Come on then, show me what you’ve got!”
“Don’t we need to go up on the lift?” Parker asked, confusion wrinkling his brow.
“Nope. Not just yet. I want to make sure you remember how to strap in and do a few drills before we do anything as serious as tackling your first run.”
The kid groaned but dropped into the snow and began to buckle his feet onto the board. “So, who is the pretty girl? You were with her the other day after my lesson too.”
Marshall winced at how perceptive Parker was. “She’s a good friend. Someone from when I was barely older than you.”
“Well, she’s real pretty. Too pretty for you.”
Marshall choked on his saliva and burst out laughing. “I’ve been told that many times, but I think I caught up to her as an adult.” He winked. “Okay, stand up, it has to be on your own. Someone won’t always be on your tail to pick you up Sometimes you’ll have to do it yourself.”
Parker nodded before awkwardly placing his hands on either side of him and pushing off the ground until he was standing and looking at Marshall with a proud smile, complete with a missing front tooth.