by Emma Miller
Gavin frowned. “I know, but I’m not sure what we can do about it until she sets the day for releasing the statement. And she’s waiting to hear something back from McHale.”
“She could be waiting a long, long time. Meanwhile, is there any way you can sneak her out for a movie?”
“It would be easier to take Sean out than Allison. He’s not as recognizable. Maybe we could take him up on the mountain for the day?”
“Good idea. You and Evie can take Sean up sledding before Allison goes fruity.”
Gavin smiled at the term. “I’ll call over there and ask if we can take him tomorrow morning.”
He disconnected and jogged back to the kids, thoughts on a beautiful young woman and the promise of a snow day up on the mountain.
* * *
“This is the first Saturday I’ve had off in years.” Gavin clapped his hands in readiness. “Sleeping in might have done me more good than ten pots of coffee. I’m ready to sled!”
Sean responded with a whoop and launched himself at his uncle. “Can we snowboard, too? I want to try everything!”
His mother folded her arms over her chest and looked nervously at the pile of gear. “This seems like a lot of stuff for sledding. Are you sure it’s safe?”
Evie slipped into the room and stood quietly near the couch. A pair of black leggings and a T-shirt and a pair of bright red woolen socks. It made no sense, but out of her everyday office clothes, she was stunning.
“Jack says helmets are required for kids his age on the larger hills, and the other gear is just in case he decides to try out the boards.” She pulled her dark hair swiftly into a ponytail.
“See what we got, buddy?” Gavin held up the Spider-Man ski mask and prayed that Sean would take to it. They would still go if he didn’t wear it. But it would be somewhere else, away from people. He had his ski cap and sunglasses in his car, so he’d be less recognizable, too.
The little boy gaped at the bright red-and-blue cotton mask. “Wow,” he breathed. “Can I wear it right now?”
“Um, I suppose you can.” Gavin grinned at Allison and was relieved to see a dawning sense of hopefulness in her eyes. She needed time by herself, and Sean needed time to be a little boy. Outside.
“Mommy, what do you think?” He jumped around the room, bouncing from spot to spot, arms in the air.
“Just like Spider-Man. Everyone’s going to want your autograph.” Allison bent down and gave him a quick hug. “Give me a kiss, superhero boy. And be careful.”
“I will, Mommy. Don’t be lonely.” He was already heading to the door, Spidey mask on just a bit crooked.
“Wait, Sean, I’m not quite ready.” Evie rushed back to the bedroom and Gavin could hear her rummaging in drawers. She emerged, a striped sweater and ski pants in one hand and a pair of boots in the other. “And just let me find my... There.” She pulled a weatherproof bag from the closet and stuffed in the pants. Slipping on the bright sweater, she quickly laced up her boots.
She jumped up. “Now I’m ready!” Her eyes were bright with excitement, and Gavin wondered who was going to be happier to be on the mountain: her or Sean. She had seemed so preoccupied the past week or so, but she’d said there were problems with the paper. It must be hard to watch something you love struggle.
“Have fun and don’t leave your phone sitting around.” He waved to his sister, who stuck her tongue out at him in a sisterly way. “We’ll call you as soon as we get up there.”
Evie opened the door and they headed for Gavin’s car, each of them carrying armloads of items. Sean bounced in front of them, hardly touching the ground. “I can’t wait! I can’t wait! I can’t wait!”
The sun was bright, and there wasn’t a bit of wind—perfect. Nothing like a cold wind to make you want to stay home. Sean needed an outing, and it was going to be better than anything he could imagine. Gavin pushed the thought of Allison’s dilemma far from his mind. There was just today. Winter sun, perfect blue sky, a beautiful girl, a crazy little kid and a whole lotta snow. He caught Evie’s bright gaze and grinned. It couldn’t go wrong.
* * *
Evie’s calf muscles were burning as she trudged up the long sledding hill. The ski lifts whirred in the distance, and the new dusting of snow sparkled on every surface.
“I think we’re going to need some serious food to make up for all these calories burned,” Gavin said from her other side, the sled rope in his hand. Sean had wanted to get a ride back up the hill, as well as a ride down, but his uncle nipped that idea in the bud.
“Spoken like a man. I don’t usually go looking to make them up.” This was their tenth time up the hill and her parka was beginning to feel a little warm. A whole ski suit would have been overkill. She’d avoided the Michelin Man look out of pride, not wanting to look puffy and awkward, but now she was glad she’d worn light ski pants.
“Are you sure you’re having fun?” he asked, shooting her a glance. He’d seemed careful, cautious around her. He was probably worried that she was getting tired of Allison and Sean at her apartment. Nothing could be further from the truth. If she was tired of anything, it was worrying about how he would react when she told him the truth about her past. It would be too awkward while Allison was living with her. She had to wait until after the press conference, which Allison said might be in the next week. Evie wanted it to be over, but at the same time, she wanted more days like these in the future. Days of coming home to laughing voices, trips to the mountain with Gavin and Sean and seeing this man almost every day. Her heart constricted just thinking of how fast it would all be over.
Sean piped up, cheery little boy voice echoing in the cold air, “Yes, Uncle Gavin!”
Evie smiled at him. “Me, too.”
“This will be good practice for when we have kids, anyway.” Gavin shot her a glance. “I mean, kids you have and kids I have. Separately.”
Evie stopped, one hand on her hip. “Separately? What exactly are you saying?”
His face was turning pink. “I mean, we could have them together, if you wanted.”
“If I wanted. That’s not a very romantic offer,” she said, her eyes narrowing.
“Come on, guys!” Sean was tugging her hand, and Evie couldn’t hold her face straight any longer. She burst out laughing as she trotted after Sean.
“I underestimated your inherent meanness.” Gavin was alongside them, easily keeping pace while dragging the large wooden sled.
“Sorry. It was too good to resist. First we were having kids and then we weren’t and then we were having some if I wanted.”
As she repeated the words back to him, his lips quirked up. “Sounds like I have a decision-making disorder, but my mind is amazingly clear.”
They were almost at the top. Evie was thinking she probably wasn’t going to be able to roll out of bed tomorrow morning. She was going to be crippled from all this exercise.
Most of the sledders were on their way back down; only Sean, Evie and Gavin remained at the very peak, like mountaineers attaining the summit. She paused, turning to him. His gaze was intense; it spoke volumes into the relative silence at the top of the hill.
Evie felt her breath catch in her throat. He was so near, she could feel the heat radiating off him. He reached out a hand and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, his fingers warm against her skin. She wanted to lean forward and inhale his familiar smell. His lips turned up at the corners as if he knew just what she was thinking. Evie felt her face go hot. She must be so obviously smitten, but part of her just didn’t care. She wanted him to know how much he meant to her, this fiercely protective man who wanted to save the world. And in the next moment, she remembered that she still had a very big conversation to have with this man. Her heart squeezed in her chest.
She quickly turned to Sean, holding out his mittens. “Hey, let’s get these
back on you before the next go-round.”
“Hey, Gavin!” The shout caught Evie’s attention. Jack was loping toward them up the slope, huge smile on his face.
“I was hoping to catch you guys up here today. I found someone to take my beginning snowboarder up the mountain so I could hang out.” Huge neon ski goggles were pushed up on Jack’s knit hat, and his green pants matched his jacket. The modern paint splatter pattern made him look like a giant ink blot.
“Great. We’re just thinking of trying out a snowboard on the bunny hill.” Gavin hoisted the sled over his shoulder and pointed to a small lump down near the lodge.
“Jack, I think we should take a bathroom break before we start with the snowboarding lessons.” Evie waggled her eyebrows at her brother, hoping he got her drift. Kids Sean’s age would get too excited to take time for the essentials. And that would sure put a damper on their outing.
“Evie’s right. Let’s sled down, hit the bathrooms, grab some hot chocolate and do the bunny hill next.” Gavin mouthed a “thank you” as he steered Sean toward the sled.
It only took seconds for Sean to reach the bottom of the hill. “Oh, Uncle Gavin, why? We were just having so much fun and now we have to stop.” Sean’s shoulders slumped as he trudged after his uncle.
“A quick break, kiddo, then we’re back on the slopes.”
“But I don’t want hot chocolate. I want to snowboard.” Even behind the Spider-Man mask and under the helmet, Evie could tell Sean was disappointed.
“No hot chocolate? I thought you lived on it.” She tried to jostle him out of his mood, but his blue eyes just blinked at her. “My hands are freezing and my toes are numb. Don’t you want to warm up a bit?”
“I feel fine. I’m not cold at all.” He stomped up the flagstone steps to the lodge deck. Evie sure hoped he was telling the truth. She didn’t want to bring him back to Allison with frostbite. The bathroom trip was non-negotiable, though.
Gavin reached for the giant lodge doors, swinging one side open and standing aside to let them through.
She glanced up at Gavin as he held the door and smiled. She didn’t care where she was, in the bright sunlight on a gorgeous mountaintop or on a frozen park bench, she just loved being with him. Being near him was becoming something essential, like sunlight or food. A thrill went through her that was chased by a healthy dose of fear. Being near Gavin might not always be a possibility.
After she convinced Sean to head into the bathroom, he refused to sit down at the table Gavin had chosen in the corner, away from the crowds. “Jack said he’d take me outside. Please, Uncle Gavin?”
“You guys can sit in here and warm up. You’ll be able to see us.” Jack pointed toward the bright, glittery slope in front of the lodge. Small, helmeted children were being coaxed up and down the gentle swells by cautious adults.
“We’ll be right here if you need us.” Gavin looked hesitant but didn’t seem to find a reason to object.
“Don’t forget your mittens!” Evie jumped up to put on the little pair of gloves and made sure Sean’s coat was zipped to the top. His hood was up, the Spider-Man ski mask hiding everything but his blue eyes and his mouth, which was split in a huge grin.
She watched Jack and Sean head back out the door, snowboards in hand. He was so good with kids, a natural father. Who knew where he got it from. Their own father had never spent much time with them.
“So, you’re not going to get tired of us, are you? We’re over at your place all the time. I’m expecting Grandma Lili to bring her bridge group on Tuesdays if you don’t lay down the law.”
She felt laughter rise in her throat. “I’d love Grandma Lili to move in. She cooks like a dream.”
“And the rest of us? I’m sorry if I’ve been invading your space. Up here at Echo Mountain today and then brunch tomorrow and Christmas right after that. You’re probably ready to apply for the witness protection program.”
“I think it would take more than a few home-cooked dinners and a great ski day to make me avoid you.” Evie felt her cheeks warm again. She couldn’t resist flirting with him, even if their time together was running out.
He leaned back in his chair and tapped a finger on his chin. “You could always add Sunday church and see if that makes me even more tired of you. Just for kicks.”
She grinned. “Oh, but you go to the early service with all the old ladies. Jack would never forgive me if I left him alone at the ten o’clock on a permanent basis.”
“So, what will we do? Are we cursed to attend different services for the rest of our lives?”
The rest of our lives. Her heart thudded in her chest, but she pretended to consider the problem. “You’ll never be able to convince Lili to come later?”
“Not a chance. Only for special occasions. Christmas. Easter. Weddings.” He said this last word with a wink and chuckled as her face flamed.
“Well, then we’re doomed. Might as well face it.”
“I never figured you for a pessimist.”
She watched Gavin surreptitiously from under her lashes. He was completely at ease, coat tossed across the bench, gray sweater showing off all the time he spent in the gym, blond hair mussed from his hat. She loved the way his heavy brows made him look a bit serious all the time, even when he was happy. He turned to the window, keeping an eye on Sean. One corner of his mouth tugged up as Sean flailed into the snow and Jack leaped to pull him upright.
He glanced up and caught her watching him. She dropped her eyes to her mug, stirring the dregs with a spoon.
“What were you thinking just now?”
Evie tossed back her hair and tried to look as if she weren’t inwardly writhing in embarrassment. What could she say? I was remarking over your every feature, noting each bit of perfection. She searched around for something, anything.
He reached for her hand and rubbed his thumb along her knuckles. His hand was so large compared to her own. His fingers were warm, sheltering. She never wanted to let him go.
“I never know what you’re thinking,” he said.
“You’re not so easy to read yourself.” She wanted to reach out and run her fingers along his jaw, his cheek, across his lips. The corner was dark, and the fire crackled merrily a few feet away. Every detail, from the wisp of smoke from the logs to the exposed timbers in the lodge, Evie wanted to catalogue for later. Soon, she would have to admit her part in Allison’s downfall, and she was sure there wasn’t going to be another day like this for them. Not together, holding hands near the fireplace on a perfect, snowy day. She sighed and looked out the window—and gasped.
Jack was holding Sean’s ski mask in one hand and pumping a fist into the air with the other. Sean was zooming down the bunny hill, small feet planted perfectly on the snowboard. He was heading directly for the wedge-shaped jump, and his miniature figure was gaining speed with every second. Evie stood up, arms raised, as if she could warn them through the glass.
The next moment, Sean hit the jump and launched into the air. He floated gracefully for several seconds. Then he crashed to earth with a sound that wasn’t audible to them but was to other people on the slope, who came running to his aid.
Chapter Sixteen
Gavin reached the door before he’d even begun to process what he’d seen. The icy blast of air seemed to knock the breath from his lungs as he sprinted toward Sean. By the time Gavin slid to a kneeling position near his nephew’s small body, Jack was already wiping the snow from his face, gently unbuckling the helmet straps.
“I think he just had the wind knocked out of him.” Jack’s voice was shaking, higher than normal.
“You think?” Gavin growled the sarcastic comment. He was trying to keep his temper in check, but he was torn between wanting to scoop up Sean and strangle Jack. “What were you thinking? He’s five!”
“He hit it just
right, it was perfect. He just forgot to...land.”
“Oh, he landed.” Gavin leaned over Sean’s face and tried to sound calmer than he felt. “Can you hear me?”
In response Sean screwed up his face and started to cry.
“Does it hurt? Can you tell me where it hurts?” He had never felt so helpless, watching his nephew lying on the hard-packed snow, curious onlookers gathering around.
“My rear end hurts.” Sean finally managed to squeak out a few words. Tears leaked out of his eyes and he struggled to sit up.
“Here, sweetie.” Evie was there, kneeling next to them, wiping Sean’s tears with a soft tissue. “Come on up and let’s go sit inside for a second.”
He sniffed loudly and stood up. “Why are all these people here?”
Gavin gazed around at the small crowd and felt his stomach knot with alarm. “Where’s your ski mask, buddy?”
“It was hot so we took it off....” Jack’s voice trailed away as he looked at the mask in his hand.
Evie threw him a look that said he’d get a lecture later and snatched the mask from his hand. “Better let me have it for now.”
“I think I want to try it again.” Sean sniffed a few times and then grabbed his snowboard, trying to stand in the brackets. Gavin couldn’t help but be impressed with the kid’s toughness.
“Are you sure? We can take a break.”
“I’m sure. Jack, can we go back up?”
He looked at Evie, who seemed to be having a silent conversation with her brother. “Okay, but you better put this back on or you’ll get more snow in your face if you biff it.”
Sean stepped over to let Evie put on the mask, then the helmet.
“Hi, guys.” Gavin turned to see a young woman with brown hair and blue eyes, smiling hugely at them, large camera around her neck. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as she stared openly at Sean’s retreating figure.
“Amy, hi. Aren’t you visiting that goat farm today?” Evie had crossed her arms over her chest.