Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 73963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
“It’s a great house on the lake, and it’s a good investment, but my dream home is the one you and I build together.”
She swallows hard. “Would you mind if we lived in the farmhouse until the new one is finished? That way, Alex’s world won’t be kicked off its axis all at once.”
“Of course, I don’t mind.” I kiss her forehead. “Are you sure you’re okay with moving out of that house?”
“Yeah. That was a dream with another man. I stayed because it was convenient, and I liked it a lot, but it’s time to chase a new dream. Besides, Alex will enjoy planning his own room.”
“Own room?” I laugh and kiss her cheek. “Christ, he can have his own wing.”
“How big of a house are we talking?”
“Well, this house is about ten thousand square feet, so probably about that, or a little bigger.”
“That’s right, I’m marrying Mr. Moneybags.”
“I love you, Wills.”
“I love you, too.”
***
“The flowers will be delivered here and at the ceremony site tomorrow morning,” Brooke Henderson, the owner of Brooke’s Blooms, says Friday morning. She came to my house to meet with me about wedding plans for Jenna and has taken over as a last-minute planner for the whole affair. My sister may not want a showboat of a wedding, but it’s going to be a nice one just the same.
“That’s great,” I reply.
“I’ve also talked to the restaurant, and they’ll be here early in the afternoon to set up for a sit-down dinner for twelve.”
“Perfect. What about the cake?”
“Maisey is making it and will deliver it tomorrow, as well. I was thinking we could set it up over here.” She leads me over to the window that looks out to the lake. We spend the next twenty minutes going over plans, and when she leaves, I turn to Christian, who’s been silent the whole time.
“Are you okay with all of that?”
“It sounds amazing,” he replies. “Jenna will be thrilled, and that’s all that matters.”
“Listen.” I tuck my hands into my pockets. “I know that I was pretty hard on you in the beginning. But I want you to know that I like you. I respect you. And if you hurt my sister, my brother is the chief of police, I have more money than God himself, and I can make your death look like an accident.”
“Awesome.” He smiles and doesn’t back down a bit.
Fuck, I like him.
“Now that that’s settled,” I say and reach for my coat. “Let’s go ski a couple of runs before the sun goes down.”
“That’s the best offer I’ve had all day.”
Christian drives us up the mountain, and I call Brad, Jacob, and Noah, telling them to meet us up there.
Jacob and Noah are already there, of course.
“We have to take advantage of the snow before the runs close down on Monday,” I say to Jacob as he and Noah, along with Jacob’s friend, Sebastian, approach. “Brad’s on his way up. He’ll catch us on the second run.”
“You read my mind,” Jacob says. “You remember Sebastian?”
“You bet. Why do I get the feeling I know you?”
Christian snickers beside me. “Because he was in the same People magazine issue you were.”
I frown, then it hits me. “Shit, you’re Prince Sebastian.”
“We can just keep it at Sebastian for now,” he replies with a smile. “It’s been nice to have some anonymity.”
“I bet,” I reply. “It’s one of the things I like about Cunningham Falls. There are celebrities roaming about, but the locals don’t care.”
“How long are you in town for?” Christian asks him as we retrieve our skis from the back of his SUV, then walk to the chairlift.
“I haven’t decided,” Sebastian replies. “I just got into town about a week ago, and so far, I don’t want to leave.”
“You’ll fall in love with it,” Noah warns him, clapping him on the shoulder. “Okay, boys, which run should we take first?”
“Let’s do chair five first, then meet with Brad and take it from there,” I suggest.
The snow is perfect, light powder. It’s cold, but there’s no wind, so the skiing conditions are ideal.
Once Brad joins us, we spend the next three hours on the slopes, laughing and enjoying each other. Because it’s so late in the season, most of the tourists have gone home, giving us plenty of room to play.
I know that Willa doesn’t love skiing, but it’s so freeing. It’s like flying, and it’s always been something I crave. No matter how long I was away from home, I always longed to be back here, flying down the mountain.
“This mountain is bloody brilliant,” Sebastian says, breathing hard as he pulls his goggles off. “I’ve skied in the Alps, all over the world, really, and I’d say this ranks at the top.”
“It’s a hidden gem,” Jacob says. “Not as hidden as it used to be.”