A Winter's Date

by Sasha Brümmer

  “Well, I can’t really help it, Danielle,” he calls back over his shoulder. “How am I supposed to keep this damned donkey from shitting in your path?”

  The whole group can’t help but lose themselves to laughter, and I almost pee myself because of it.

  With Dani’s camera still in hand, I snap a few shots of the group. As we come to a rest area for the horses to take a break and drink, I take a wonderful picture of Lana and Coen smiling at each other and holding hands while sitting on their horses. “Awww,” I sigh out loud at the two of them. I look over and find Dill on her phone . . . again. I smile and take a picture, reminding myself to caption this one as Talking to Joel—again.

  “Heather!” Dani calls out to me. I turn my head to look at her, and she’s making the signature ‘duck face’ you see most girls making in photos. I laugh at my sister and quickly take the photo.

  “Perfect, Dani, just perfect.”

  She points over at Brannon. “Quick, take his picture.” I look over and see him shouting at his stubborn horse while it decides to bend down and take a dip in the freezing cold water.

  “Motherfucker!” he shouts and tries to pull on the reins. We all laugh, including our guide.

  “Awww, poor Brannon. He’s having such a hard time.” I laugh and take a few more pictures as the guide gets off his horse and manually leads Brannon’s palomino out of the water and onto dry land.

  We all decide to get off our horses and stretch our legs as this is a two-hour ride through the beautiful scenery.

  “Ahhh shit, my balls,” Coen groans and walks bow-legged over to sit in the grass.

  Moments go by while I admire our family. The only people who are missing are Joel, Henry, and, of course, Ellery. I’m sure she would want to sit side-saddle, though.

  I wouldn’t have any of this if I hadn’t met Noah, or if he chose not to follow me—twice. I can’t believe how much he loves me. It takes me by surprise time and time again, when he truly shows it without holding back.

  I look over and watch him from afar while he sits with Coen in the grass. They’re both laughing, giving each other hell, and it makes me smile. It makes me happy to see him finally have a full family—we both do. There’s no doubt in my mind that Coen will be his best man at our wedding. He’s been there for Noah through thick and thin. I snap a quick picture of the two of them and look around.

  Dani jumps on my back and squeals excitedly, “I’m so happy for you, Heather. You’ve found your prince charming . . . I mean Greek god . . . in a golden-sash toga.”

  I pull back and smile sweetly at her. “He’s everything I need. Thank you for giving him your blessing. I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to me that you did. Dani, I know I’m not getting married for a while, but would you like to be my maid of honor?”

  She stills and her eyes glass over. “Heather, of course I will. Oh sister, I love you.”

  “I love you too.” I sniffle and hug her again. I lower my voice, so only she will hear me. “Do you think Brannon would like to be involved too?”

  “I think he would love to be. He’s like your older brother, Heather. I think it’d be great if you let him walk you down the aisle. He’s always been so protective over you, for years now. That’s just my suggestion; you don’t have to do it unless you love the idea.”

  I nod and squeeze her to me as she does the same. “Thank you. I love it.”

  The guide gets back up onto his horse. “Saddle up, gang, let’s get going.”

  The remainder of the tour is scenic and beautiful. I’m in love with this place. I know the resort that my parents honeymooned at once a year isn’t too far from here, and I’m suddenly overwhelmed with love and the knowledge that they died together. They died in the one place that they could never get enough of, and I know that they would have loved Noah. They would appreciate how much he holds me up, how much respect and loyalty he has for me. He’s offered me the world again when I thought it was gone, and it’s only now that I realize that that baby of ours must be safe in my mother’s arms. She’ll take care of it until I’m able to finally meet it. A tear slides down my cheek as we come to the end of the trail, the trees opening up onto a wide-open area where the stables are nestled.

  Noah is at my side helping me down from my horse moments after we stop, ensuring that I’m still in one piece. I try to hide my clouded eyes, but he notices. He wipes his finger across my cheek before kissing where my tears ran. “I’m here, baby,” he says to me softly, and it’s about all I need for the tears to well up again.

  I feel a hand on my back and look over my shoulder to find everyone standing behind us. Dani frowns at me when I turn around and lean against Noah. “Heather? What’s wrong?”

  “It’s just . . . I think Mom and Dad would have loved Noah, and I know that they are showering that unborn baby of ours with unconditional love up in Heaven.”

  All of them go soft at once. Lana moves closer to Coen as he wraps his arms around her, pulling her into his side. I’ve never seen him so happy and content before. Dani reaches for my hand while Brannon steps closer behind her, and Dillen starts to sob on her own.

  “I love you all. Thank you for being here and making this trip unforgettable.”

  I feel Noah kiss the back of my head and snake his arm around the front of my waist. “Don’t cry, sweetheart.”

  I smile and half laugh at myself. “I’m sorry.” I quickly dash my tears away. “Should we head back and have drinks in front of the fireplace?”

  “Yeah, and ice my nuts,” Coen pipes up.

  The girls giggle while Noah and Brannon agree with him.

  Dani grabs the camera and hands it to Noah. “Noah? Take a picture of all us girls?”

  “Sure, no problem.” He holds the camera up as we pose in front of him while Coen whistles. “Fuck, we’re some lucky bastards.”

  “Damn right we are,” I hear Noah say behind the camera. “Okay, now just the sisters,” he says, and we stand there giggling and hugging each other for the camera.

  “I want these photographs, Dani,” Noah says proudly as he takes the picture. “So much so that I’m going to hold onto this damn thing because the last time I asked for pictures of Heather, well, I’m still waiting on them.”

  I laugh, and she huffs. “Oh, give me a break, Noah. I’ve been busy!”

  Brannon laughs and chimes in, “Busy riding my dick.”

  “Oh shit, I think that fucking alcohol is needed,” Coen pipes in as Lana giggles.

  “Heather, I need a Bellini, or something stronger, if this is where the conversation is headed,” Lana says shyly.

  We all laugh and everyone is starting to walk to the cars. “Wait!” I shout and rush over to our guide. I ask if he’d take a picture of the whole group and the guys start groaning. “This is the last one, Heather. You’re getting camera-happy,” Brannon replies as we all crowd together.

  The guide graciously takes our picture a few times before Noah thanks him, tips him, and takes the camera back. “Let’s get going. How would you ladies like to drive back?”

  “Duh, Noah, girls in one car, hot guys in the other,” Dani says, patting his chest as she walks over to give Brannon a kiss.

  “All right. Separate me from my fiancée all you want, trouble. She’s always going to be mine,” he jokes with my sister, and I love the relationship that is forming between the two of them.

  “Fat chance, bud,” she replies back, and I give my Greek god a kiss.

  “See you in a little bit, baby. I love you.”

  “I love you too.” He smacks my rear as he opens the back door for me to get in and closes it behind me.

  I roll down the window and yell at my sister, “Dani, quit making out with him already. I’m starving.”

  She flips me off as she walks away from Brannon backwards, telling him that she loves him.

  I blow Noah a kiss and turn to Dillen and Lana as Dani gets in. “Crap, you guys, my legs are actually sore. You’d think I’d be u
sed to riding by now.”

  Dani starts driving and the guys follow us out onto the two-lane highway. “Heather, you little whore,” Dillen says excitedly, “you ride that man too much.”

  “Shut up, I do not. I’m a virgin, remember?” I grin, and Lana laughs her head off.

  “Uh-huh . . . then what happened to your dress at the club that one night? It just fell to pieces because of poor workmanship?”

  “Possibly?”

  “Excuse me? What happened to your dress?” Dani asks curiously as she eyes me from the rearview mirror.

  I can’t hide the blush that creeps up my cheeks. “Uhhh, well, see what happened was, there was an earthquake, and my clothes just kind of fell apart.”

  Lana cackles, and Dill turns around in her seat to face me. “There was an earthquake that night?” she asks with sincere curiosity, and Dani’s mouth drops open.

  “Holy shit, Dillen, you really are an idiot.”

  “Danielle Torin Lane, you watch your mouth, young lady. And you know I was too busy with Joel’s mouth to notice a damn thing, little shit.”

  I laugh hysterically at the two of them. “Was that it or the massive amount of alcohol you consumed that night?”

  “There’s a slight possibility that it was both. Now shut your mouth, little shit. Don’t make me come back there.”

  Lana yelps as a sudden downpour opens up over us. She pushes the button for the window to close repeatedly, but it refuses to close the entire way. “You have got to be kidding me,” she squeals and tries to close it again, but it doesn’t work.

  I pull my flannel shirt off and move across the backseat to tie it up. We eventually get the open part of the window covered and I sit back. “Whew.”

  “Thank you, Heather,” she says sweetly. “I’m wet, and Coen isn’t even in the same car, dammit.”

  I freeze and look up front to gauge Dillen’s reaction to Lana’s comment. She seems to pause for a moment but then smiles, suddenly shouting, “Holy shit, Lana, we’re Eskimo sisters.”

  Whew, I was not expecting that reaction.

  Dani makes a face when the rain gets harder on the windshield. “I must say, Coen is gorgeous, but is he any good in bed?”

  “Yes!” they both say in unison, and Dani and I laugh.

  Dani and I both look at each other in the rearview mirror. Our eyes meet knowingly before we smile brightly at each other.

  NOAH

  The rain is coming down hard and I’m glad I’m the one driving. Giving up control in a situation like this makes me tense. Coen is groaning in the backseat, holding his nuts. “Fuck, dude, are you hitting every pothole on purpose?” he complains and I laugh.

  “I’m sure you’ve had your nuts ridden harder than today. Chill the fuck out; we’re fifteen minutes away.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  I turn the wipers on as fast as they can go to try and see better when we reach the two-lane bridge. The girls turn onto it first, and I follow behind. Shit, it’s really coming down.

  I sit straighter and try to squint, seeing only their taillights in front of me. “Damn, I wish I had my glasses,” I comment to nobody in particular.

  Coen laughs from the backseat. “You still wear those fucking things?”

  “Damn right I do. They seem to get me ass every time I wear them too, so you can go fuck yourself, dipshit.”

  “Shit, Lana just needs to see me, and she fucking strips.”

  “Dude, I’ve heard you fucking before. I don’t need any further details.”

  There have been a few cars passing by as we head back to the lodge, but the roads are mostly empty. I can see a large white SUV coming down the other side of the bridge. I look back at Coen in the rearview and chuckle when he gives me the finger.

  I look back at the road and am instantly confused. I hear a distant pop and then someone’s horn up ahead. I slam on my brakes when I see the girls’ grey SUV swerve to the right. Their brake lights light up bright red. In that instant my heart stops. The white SUV that is headed their way almost collides with their SUV, and I hear two horns honk before both vehicles swerve in opposite directions. The rain is coming down too hard to see anything, but suddenly the white SUV stops, and I watch in horror as everything happens in slow motion.

  “Oh fuck!” is all I hear from Coen before my ears start ringing. My heart slams against my rib cage and my adrenaline skyrockets. It all happens so fast, yet insanely slow as I watch it happen, frame by frame. The SUV that Dani is driving suddenly collides with the guardrail and the rail shatters like it’s made of matchsticks. My heart drops to my stomach, and I can’t make a sound as I watch their car plummet off the bridge and out of my sight into the water below.

  I slam on the brakes and put the Range Rover into park. I can’t feel my body moving as I get the seatbelt off, and I swing the door wide open. I sprint ahead to where a few feet of the railing is missing from the side of the bridge. I don’t hesitate for a second as I see that corner of the bumper sink into the dark water. I dive into the water, journeying into the dark nothingness. The water gives way to my body as I swim down in search of the grey SUV. The water does not resist my movements as I finally see the car in a foggy haze. I have to go back up for air before I can swim any further, before I can get to my girl. I propel myself up with as much energy and force as I possibly can until I feel the harsh and heavy raindrops hit my face.

  Brannon and Coen are standing at the edge of the bridge when I surface to draw in a lungful of air. Coen dives in, and I go back down to where I last saw the SUV before I know if Brannon jumped in or not. The frigid water is not solid but it feels like stone against my body. I finally reach the vehicle as Lana is pulling her body out through the window. I grab her and make sure she’s conscious, and able to make it up to the top on her own. She’s panicked, though: she looks petrified. I push her up toward the water’s surface and follow her through the bubbles to the surface to get another breath, as well as to make sure Brannon can get her to the banks of the river. When we emerge from the depths, she starts to panic as I hand her off to Brannon who starts swimming her to the water’s edge.

  I take a long, deep breath and dive back into the dark waters. When I eventually make it down to the car, Coen is pulling Dillen out through the window and swims her up. She seems to be conscious, but I don’t let it distract me to get Heather and Dani out. That’s when I see her: the only thing holding Heather down is her seatbelt. I maneuver my body through the almost too-tight gap of the open window to Heather’s side. Her lips are sealed shut, and I want to give her my breath. I want to watch her inhale fresh oxygen that will stop her from suffocating in this heavy liquid stone. I press my lips to hers and push the breath of air I’m holding into her mouth. When she doesn’t respond I start working on her seatbelt, trying to get it unclipped, but it won’t fucking budge. She’s unconscious, and I’m fucking glad I can’t see her thrashing and gasping for air.

  I look toward the front for Dani just as Brannon manages to get in through the window of the SUV and thank fuck because there’s no way in hell I could choose. Brannon gets into the front and gets Dani’s seatbelt off with ease, before getting her out of the window while I struggle to free Heather. It feels like hours go by when I finally get it open. I move the belt from around her limp body as Brannon pulls Dani out of the vehicle. I make sure that Heather’s not caught on anything before I attempt to move her. Once Brannon has Dani through the window I move backwards and get out of the window before I pull her out with me. The car creaks and protests as the weight of the water pushes it farther into the depth of the river. I push myself off of the roof of the car while holding onto Heather as I struggle to get to the surface, and bubbles escape from her nose.

  As soon as I breach the surface, I inhale a burning breath. My chest feels like it’s on fire, and I cough as I swim to shallow water with Heather in my arms.

  “Fucking call someone!” I cry out as loud as I can to the bystanders on the bank. There seems to be mor
e people than just us, and they’re standing around one body with Brannon leaning over it. I can’t worry about that: the girl in my arms is unconscious.

  “Help! Somebody fucking help,” I scream over the rain as I lay Heather’s cold, lifeless body onto the muddy, slanted riverbank. I start breathing against her lips—her blue-rimmed lips.

  I can hear girls crying . . . Dillen and Lana?

  I start performing CPR on Heather, trying to remove the water from her lungs. As much as mine burn right now, I know hers are ablaze.

  “Come on, baby. Breathe. Breathe!”

  My arms burn as I put all my weight against her chest. I can feel her sternum crack under the pressure and I hear it break. I’m yelling for help as Coen joins me. He’s breathing life into her as I continue building pressure in her chest. My life is flashing before my eyes. My girl is dying right before me and all I can feel is numbness.

  All I hear are screams.

  Mine.

  The girls’.

  Coen’s.

  Brannon’s.

  The paramedics’.

  It may have been minutes but it felt like hours. But they finally arrive and push me away.

  I fall backwards onto my ass as I now struggle to breathe. They block my view of her. I’ve already lived through this before. This cannot be real. Coen pulls me to my feet, and I look back over to Brannon on his hands and knees while they work on Dani. Dillen and Lana have been pulled aside to be examined, but all I can think of is Heather. The lump in my throat is about to suffocate me. Coen steps over to Brannon to help him up and, fuck, the look of agony in his eyes must be the same as what he sees in mine. I turn my attention back to Heather and wait for a reaction out of her.

  My vision blurs, and my body finally starts to shake. I think I’m going to lose my shit. I can’t believe what I’m seeing, what we’re going through. This isn’t happening to us. The wailing I hear from Dillen is unbearable, and I cover my ears in protest. I turn my back on the whole scene. I can’t watch them cover her. I can’t. I just fucking can’t. I can’t have that vision stuck in my head for the rest of my life. It can’t be the last thing I see of her. I feel my knees buckle, and a painful cry fills my ears as I clutch my chest.