by Taylor Hart
“Thanks for all your help today. You were pretty amazing. My mom was singing your praises.”
He grinned back at her. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, she pretty much told me she was surprised when she met you because she didn’t expect you to be so handsome and tough.”
“Really?”
Lacey let out a sigh. “She said you reminded her of my father.”
Dom took this as an extreme compliment, because her mother had married the guy, right? So she must like him. He had seen the evidence of their loving relationship toward each other and admired it. It was almost too much for him, this whole thing with Lacey, how he’d been feeling about her. He could barely sleep last night, thinking of the feel of her against him. Of her softness, and the way her lips had met his. The way she loved her family and how she’d helped her mother organize everything today with so much excitement and joy.
Lacey was … he’d never met a girl like her. So passionate, driven in some ways, but so family-oriented too.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds. Eventually, Lacey shifted. “You know what I realized when I was talking to my mom?”
“What?” he asked, unsure if he wanted to know more about this girl, if he could handle getting in deeper than he was.
“She told me she always imagined I’d live in Snow Valley.”
He suppressed a grumble. “Right, married and having kids with Oliver.”
“I thought that’s what she meant, but no.” Lacey didn’t speak right away, and his gaze settled on her face. Her hair was long and free, her nose was a bit pink, and her cheeks were rosy. She stared into his eyes. “She said she didn’t mean Oliver all these years. She just meant eventually. After I’d lived my dream. When I decided to come home.” With a gentle smile, she said, “My mother told me she wants me to dance with a company. She wants me to follow my dream.”
Feeling lighter, he said, “I’m glad, Lacey.”
“Yeah. I’m going for it.” She looked wistful, but let out a soft laugh. “I don’t know why that relieves me. I needed my mom to tell me that.”
Dom smiled at her. The center of his chest felt tight.
They both stared at the sunset. After a while, she rested her head on his shoulder and said, “I know your dad is with you.”
Warmth rushed through him. He looked down at her and saw tears in her eyes.
“When you felt him touch your shoulder, it was real. I know it was. I can feel that.” She exhaled. “Things don’t happen by coincidence.”
“No.” He grinned at her. “They don’t.”
She looked away and coughed. “I think you should date when you get back to Florida.”
“Really?” he asked quickly, letting out a laugh and studying her. She seemed very uncomfortable. “Why is that?”
She shrugged. “Because you have so much to offer someone.”
He hesitated. “I’m kinda working on another gig at the moment, but it’s kinda dicey.”
Together, they walked slowly back to the snowmobile. “Really?” she asked.
“Yeah, the girl’s had a hard time making up her mind.” His eyes bore into hers. “But I’m hopeful.”
Firing up the snowmobile, he started back to the house, wanting to explain that maybe the girl had already made up her mind.
When they got back, he parked the snowmobile and turned it off. “Doesn’t look like anybody’s home yet.”
Lacey trudged for the house. “They probably went out to eat.” A grin lit up her face. “Want to hit the hot springs before they get back?”
“I’ll meet you back here in five minutes.”
When he got back, wearing his suit and boots and coat, she was already waiting. The sun had gone down, so she handed him a flashlight.
Trudging through the snow to the hot springs, Dom thought about how it felt like he’d known this girl longer than two days. He could almost imagine having known her his whole life.
Going back to the spot they’d been at the other night, they quickly shed their coats and boots and Lacey set the flashlight on its end, facing up, to give them light. “Want to jump in?” she asked, her tone teasing and her eyes mischievous.
She wore a one-piece pink halter-top swimsuit tonight, and her hair was up in a loose bun. She looked like the sleek dancer she was, and so beautiful. How come every time he saw her he was more and more attracted to her? He couldn’t get that kiss out of his mind either. His heart squeezed in his chest. “You bet.”
“Okay.” She put her hand out to him.
He stared down at it, surprised. “Hold on a sec.” He went back to his jacket and pulled out the envelope, then returned to her and held it out.
She frowned. “What’s this?” she asked, tentatively taking it.
“I don’t want to be your paid boyfriend anymore, not because you said you wanted to fire me … but because I want to resign the position, possibly for a new one.”
Slowly, she shook her head and pushed the envelope back to him. “But I dragged you all the way here, and you’ve been so wonderful.”
In a move far braver than he would’ve imagined, he delicately traced her arm from elbow to hand. “I can’t do this if it’s fake. I’m already in way too deep.”
Her cheeks reddened. “Okay.”
“Let me put it back with your things.” Dom dashed back to the clothes and slipped the envelope in her coat, then resumed his spot next to her, finally taking her hand.
“I like the feel of my non-fake boyfriend’s hand in mine.”
His heart thudded inside his chest, and he squeezed her hand. “Let’s jump in.”
“Okay.” Lacey pointed with her other hand to a part of the hot springs over to the side. “Stay that way, on three.”
“One. Two. Three!”
They both jumped, whooping in excitement. Dom met her eyes in the split second before falling into the hot water. Their hands broke contact, and he surfaced quickly, looking to make sure Lacey was all right. She floated just inches away, gazing at him.
The water rippled around them, and he took her hand again. “Hey.”
A slow smile tugged at her lips. “What’s happening, Dom?”
Her touch melted him. He wanted to pull her in and kiss her, but didn’t know if it was the smart thing to do.
“I have to ask you something, Dom,” Lacey said, pulling her hand back.
“Okay.”
“I know I’ve been a totally type-A weirdo, but somewhere in this whole thing, it felt …” She broke off, searching his face.
“Real?”
“Yeah.”
He reached up and gently touched her face. “It felt real to me, too. You have so much heart. You … You are going to have a great future.” Pulling back his hand, he gave her a little splash. “And I’ll expect to make a trip to New York in a couple of months to catch one of your shows.”
“Well, that wasn’t what I was hoping for.” She cocked an eyebrow and splashed him back.
No longer confused, but not wanting to complicate her life, he grinned. “What did you expect? I’d kiss you, and we’d live happily ever after?”
Sheer disbelief washed over her face. “You say it like it is, don’t you?”
Now that he’d gotten her all riled up, he grabbed her waist beneath the water, pulling her close to him. Her eyes turned serious, and both of them were breathing hard. “What do you want, Scarlett? To chase that silly boy Ashley? Or are you finally ready for a real man?”
Humor filled her eyes, but she moved closer to him. “I think I’ll learn from Scarlett’s mistakes and take Rhett, if he’s still willing to give me a shot?”
Unable to not kiss her any longer, he leaned in, their lips brushing together. It was soft, pure, and innocent. He pulled back and searched her eyes again. “I don’t know if this is the smartest thing for a career woman like yourself.”
She put her arms around his neck. “Well, I’m a sucker for punishment, because I know I’ll worry about you every seco
nd.”
“How about we start slow? I kinda have some connections in the airline industry and can get free or cheap flights.”
“Long-distance.” She tsked her tongue. “Someone else I know said it never works.”
“True.” He kissed her again, this time deepening it. He liked this woman more than he’d liked anyone in a long time. “Lacey, I want to give this all a chance between us, but I have one non-negotiable condition.”
Lacey froze like a deer in the headlights, waiting to hear his demand.
“I’m not going to do it without your family knowing the truth about me.”
Chapter 19
The next afternoon, Lacey was nervous, but determined to come clean with her family. While her dad and mother were getting ready to take her and Dom to the airport, they all gathered in the kitchen, finishing sandwiches.
Mike punched Dom in the shoulder. “You weren’t as bad as I thought.” He winked at him. “Come back anytime.”
Dom winked at him. “Sure.”
Mike did a bunch of fake jabs. “Bring it.”
Dom laughed.
Lacey cleared her throat, thinking this was as good a time as any to tell the truth and already hating herself. “Uh, I have to tell you guys something.” Her voice trembled a bit.
Mike still pretended to punch Dom, but her mom and dad turned to her with interested eyes. Her mother finished a bite and wiped her lips. “Lacey, are you okay?”
Dom’s hand cradled hers. “Actually, it’s something we both need to tell you. I wasn’t honest with Lacey about my career—”
“No!” Lacey could see the look in Dom’s eye. She knew he was willing to take the brunt of it, but she wouldn’t let him. “No, it’s me.” She held Dom’s eyes.
Her father put his glass down on the table and looked at his phone. “Well, whatever is going on, let’s get on with it. We have to go in about ten minutes.”
“I hired Dom to be my fake Christmas boyfriend.”
Mike choked on his sandwich, and it turned into a harsh cough. He stood up.
“Mike, take a drink!” her mother called out.
Mike pointed at Dom. “You’re fake?” His eyes bulged as he pounded his chest.
Lacey rushed on. “In March, when Oliver broke up with me, I was devastated, but I just threw myself into school and dance. I just had to prove to myself, that I was good enough, ya know?”
No one else spoke.
“When you guys kept worrying about me, I told you about Rhett,” she said, feeling foolish. “Ellie’s cat, actually. His name is Rhett, but that’s not important. Anyway, I did it because I was tired of you asking if I was dating and if I was lonely. I just couldn’t take it anymore.”
Her father, mother, and Mike looked dumbfounded.
Dom kept his hand on hers.
Eventually, her mother cleared her throat. “So you hired Dom so you wouldn’t look foolish in front of your old boyfriend.”
Lacey squirmed. “I actually wanted to win Oliver back.”
Her father’s blank face colored with disbelief. “What?”
“And she did,” Dom said quietly.
Mike was on his feet, bouncing back and forth. “This is awesome,” he cackled.
“He’s not good enough for you. I told you that,” her mother told her matter-of-factly.
“Not good enough,” Mike agreed.
“Janet?” Her father turned to her mother. “The point is the girl lied to us. To all of us.” His eyes connected with Dom’s. “Then who the heck are you?”
Chapter 20
Dom’s heart thudded inside of his chest, maybe even harder than when he’d been shot down.
Okay, of course, it wasn’t that bad. But facing her father was no easy feat. He was a larger-than-life kind of man, and this was his daughter. Dom saw the menacing look in his eye.
Maybe it was stupid, but he felt her father deserved his full respect. Dom shot to his feet. “First Lieutenant Dominick Carter. United States Air Force.” He saluted her father. “Sir, I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry for deceiving your family. I take full responsibility for my actions, sir. I understand if you want to boot me out of your house right now, and I can find my own way home while you sort this all out.”
His words dangled in the air. Then her father let out a big sigh. “Lacey.”
Dom put down his salute but still stood.
“Sit down,” her father ordered him.
He complied without saying anything in his defense.
Lacey dutifully retraced the reasons Dom had agreed to become her paid date, citing that Ellie and Justin were engaged and his parents had been killed in a drunk driving accident two years ago on Christmas. Her mother looked like she would cry and put her hand on his shoulder when Lacey spoke of them—which made Dom feel even worse.
He shook his head, hating to admit this, but her family deserved the truth. “I’m sorry.” He looked evenly at all of them. “Although it is humiliating to admit, I didn’t want my cousin to feel like he had to stay for me, and this seemed like a simple way out of being a pity case. Obviously, I now recognize how my actions have affected you all. How my dishonesty has hurt you. I can only say, again, that I’m sorry.”
Mike snapped his fingers. “I knew you had to have some kind of special ops training to beat me.”
Lacey smacked his arm. “That’s all you care about, you oaf?”
Everyone burst out laughing. Her father. Her mother. Mike. Lacey. Even Dom, although he couldn’t believe it.
Lacey was borderline crying as she hit Mike in the shoulder. “The only thing you care about is that he can beat you in a fight.”
“No one beats me!” Mike roared.
Amid the laughter, Janet put out her arms to Lacey. “Come here, my girl.”
Dom didn’t understand this, but Lacey fell into her mother’s arms.
Her father held Dom’s gaze, shaking his head. “Bet you never imagined you’d get mixed up with so much crazy when you took on the ‘Snow Valley Assignment.’” A smile played at his lips.
“I’m sorry, sir, truly.”
Her father nodded. “Oh, I’m sure in the future I’ll make you pay.” He winked at him, then stood, putting out his hand. “Well, nice to meet you, First Lieutenant Dominick Carter.”
Dom moved around the hugging women and shook her father’s hand, hoping he really could repair the trust he’d broken.
“I knew you weren’t a stupid MBA,” Mike said, play-punching him in the arm again.
Dom made a face. The punch was a bit harder than his previous play punches.
Mike pointed at him. “Hey, you deserve it, Air Force man.” He let out a laugh and snapped his fingers. “Grandpa said you looked like a military man. I didn’t pay attention to him yesterday when he said it, but he was right.”
Her father snorted. “The old man’s always right.”
Janet pulled him in for a hug. “Come here, young man.”
Dom hesitated, unsure if he deserved this instant love and acceptance. His eyes caught Lacey’s, and somehow, as she beamed at him, he knew with crystal clarity that he didn’t want to lose the town, the family, and especially the girl.
Epilogue
Two years later—New York
Lacey finished the final performance of the night and stood on the stage, sweat running down her back and a happy, fatigued smile on her face. She waved to the crowd.
Last year, she had joined the Pillow Dance Company. There had been several lead roles, and she’d had a chance to choreograph and live her dream. It felt good, standing in front of the lights with applause surrounding her. The only sad part was she didn’t know anyone in the audience. Lately, she’d been feeling a bit lonely.
But now, happiness surged through her. Tonight was different. Dom was coming into town. She would be leaving immediately after the performance to rush to the airport to be there when he landed. He had a month leave, and they were going to spend it together.
And she had
a question for him. Why shouldn’t she ask it, right?
For the past year and a half, they had done what they’d talked about. Taken it slow. Done the long-distance thing. It still amazed her that after they’d admitted everything to her family, they hadn’t held a grudge.
Dom had even come to her spring performance at CSU before he’d gone back to Florida. And he’d come to Fort Collins anytime he could steal away for a day or two.
The best thing about her relationship with Dom was that because of the distance, they had really gotten to know each other. They spent many nights chatting over Skype and eating dinner together. With Rhett, of course.
When Ellie and Justin had gotten married that next summer, they’d been the best man and the maid of honor. It had felt surreal, watching them get married and feeling something so new and deep and amazing between her and Dom develop.
She distinctly remembered looking out over Estes Park with his hand in hers, watching their best friends get married and knowing someday it would be them. Though they never spoke of it. Both of them had just been living their dreams.
Rushing off stage, she hugged her fellow dancers and felt the elation they all shared after a successful performance. She needed to make it hasty; she wanted to get to the airport.
Not paying close attention, she charged toward her dressing room. With a double take, she skidded to a halt upon seeing him standing in front of her door.
“Dom?” She let out a laugh and rushed to him.
It was so different from that first time when she’d seen him at the airport and he looked like a Land’s End magazine model. Back then, she’d been attracted to him but unable to tell him. Tonight, she jumped into his arms without hesitation.
With a hardy laugh, he held her tightly. She sighed and relaxed in his strong arms.
Their eyes connected, and their lips found each other’s, and she smelled the CK and got lost in space and time the way she was always did with Dom. It was that feeling of floating, flying in the sky.
Last summer, he’d gotten permission to take her up in the air when she’d been visiting him for a week in Florida. They went at dusk, and she’d told him he was right—everything was better in the sky. To her, it had been like dancing, floating across the stage. Leaping.