by A. K. Evans
But that shouldn’t have surprised me.
That’s who Mack was—my guy who was always looking out for me.
While he did his thing with the guys for a bit, I was doing it here in the house with the girls. And even though I tried to distract them with food, something I knew they’d never turn down, I also wasn’t surprised that the guys had just barely gotten out the front door when Beth launched in with the question of the hour.
She didn’t even need to clarify. I knew she was asking about the start of things between Mack and me.
I figured it was best to start at the beginning and give them all the full story.
“The day after we arrived here, I almost died,” I declared.
Beth and Faye gasped, and it was Dakota who spoke. “You’re not serious. What are you talking about?”
Shocked and concerned. That was about what I expected they’d be after I shared that bit of information. I had to clarify.
“Okay, so that might have been a slight exaggeration,” I started, immediately noticing them relax. “I wasn’t exactly on my death bed or anything like that, but I was genuinely terrified about what could have happened that evening if I had just been a few minutes late arriving to the lift.”
“You are serious,” Dakota announced. “What happened?”
For the next little while, I shared all the details of what happened that day. In fact, I shared everything that led up to that point—the night before and the way I treated him, seeing him that morning when I was making breakfast, and somehow managing to walk out of the lodge at the very moment he got off the lift. I explained how I had been desperate to get away from him, so I decided to go off the trail to ride the fresh powder. Finally, I told them about how I had gotten myself stuck, how difficult it had been to get myself back to the trail, and all the thoughts that ran through my head as I struggled to get myself free.
“Oh my God, Marley,” Faye marveled when I finished. “Why didn’t you tell us what happened?”
I shrugged. “I knew you couldn’t physically get here, and I didn’t want any of you worrying about me any more than I knew you already were about Mack and me being alone in this house together.”
“Speaking of which, how did all that happened to you out on the mountain result in the two of you ending back up on speaking terms?” Beth pressed for more information.
“I got back here late, mostly because I was so physically exhausted from everything that had happened,” I began. “When I walked through the door, I sat down on the bench right there, and it all hit me. I didn’t realize Mack was sitting over on the couch, and when he saw me lose it, he just came over and wrapped his arms around me.”
“I’m so glad he was here for you,” Faye murmured.
“Yeah, me too,” I returned. “Anyway, I thought things were going to be super awkward, but they weren’t. Initially, we both avoided discussing what happened back in high school. The next thing I knew, we were just sort of thrown together. It made it impossible for us to ignore what we both still meant to one another, and we both fell back into being friends very easily.”
It was crazy to me. As I told my friends about what happened between Mack and me, all I could think was that it felt like it had happened ages ago instead of it only having been a matter of days. I almost couldn’t remember what it was like over the last fifteen years that I’d avoided speaking to him. So much had changed for us in such a short period of time.
“I don’t understand,” Beth declared. “If it was so easy to fall back into being friends without even discussing why you stopped talking in the first place, what even happened between the two of you to begin with? What happened that made you both stop talking to one another for so long?”
“It was all my fault,” I rasped, feeling myself get emotional.
“What did you do?” Dakota asked.
I took in a deep breath, blew it out, and gave them an explanation. I confessed to my entire role in the whole situation and shared how I had overheard Mack talking with Kelsey, but that I didn’t hear everything.
“So, while he was actually trying to make life better for me and stop the rumors people were spreading, I was busy assuming he was the one behind them from the start,” I ended. “To make matters worse, I appointed myself judge and jury, found him guilty, and never gave him the opportunity to defend himself.”
“Oh, Marley,” Faye sighed. “I’m so sorry.”
I nodded slowly, with a look of disappointment on my face. “Yeah. I can’t believe I cost us so much time.”
The silence stretched between the four of us, and I had a feeling it was starting to sink in with the girls just how much time Mack and I had lost over a foolish assumption.
“But it doesn’t seem like the time has affected your ability to come together in the very best way possible,” Dakota noted, finally breaking the silence.
“Yes!” Beth bubbled. “I’m still in shock at walking into this house and seeing you and him on the deck making out like that. Even if you lost time, it’s clear you’re doing a great making up for it.”
I let out a laugh, loving that my friends knew just what to say to turn things around for me.
“He’s incredible,” I announced. “Throughout all of this, he’s just been absolutely amazing. He doesn’t hold a grudge against me and is completely content to just move forward together.”
“So do it,” Faye urged.
“I know. I am. It’s just hard sometimes when I think about where we could be by now if I hadn’t made such a horrible assumption,” I explained.
“Marley, if Mack isn’t upset, don’t waste time worrying about what you can’t change right now,” Dakota advised me. “Guys seem to have this way of being able to let things go easily, especially for a woman they love and care about.”
Beth chimed in and added, “And there’s no denying that Mack loves you. Or, at the very least, he really, really likes you.”
I grinned. “He loves me. And I love him. I love having him back in my life.”
“Enjoy that, then,” Faye encouraged me. “You both deserve to be happy.”
“I’m trying,” I assured her.
A comfortable silence fell over the room again. This was it. This was what I had needed all along. A trip with my friends to reconnect as we had all been busy with our lives. Maybe they missed out on the first few days, but it gave me the opportunity I needed to fix a horrible situation in my life. Now that the rest of my friends were here and there was no longer an elephant in the room, I had a feeling we were in for a heck of a trip.
On that thought, I declared, “The guys should be back soon. Who wants to start appetizers without them?”
The girls didn’t hesitate to dive in.
I couldn’t stop smiling.
Mack
“As crazy as it all is, I’m really happy for you, Mack.”
That came from Easton.
I’d just brought him, Ryder, and Ben up to speed on what had happened between Marley and me when we were kids and over the last few days.
Of course, I didn’t give them every last detail, and I was certain that the story they got from me had a slightly different tone than the story Beth, Faye, and Dakota got from Marley. There was no doubt in my mind that Marley had put such a spin on it that would make it seem like she was the one solely responsible for us missing out on fifteen years of friendship with one another.
I didn’t see it that way, and I refused to indicate it was truth to the guys. Obviously, I shared how it all went down, how Marley had only heard part of my conversation with Kelsey, and unsurprisingly, the guys all felt horrible for her. They were just as much her friend as they were mine, so it wasn’t easy for them to think that she’d been hurting this whole time over something that they could have possibly done something about.
But once they learned how great things had been for us since not long after we arrived here, they didn’t feel so bad.
And now that they’d gotten most of it, it wa
s clear they were pleased for the both of us.
“Thanks, Easton. As Marley and I have said ever since we started talking again, we hated that you guys all got stuck in Lily Canyon for a few extra days while we were here, but if that hadn’t happened, we know that we wouldn’t be in this position now.”
“To think that all you two needed was some time alone to sort it out,” Ryder declared.
I nodded my head as Ben asked, “Do you regret it?”
“Regret what?” I countered.
“Not doing something about it sooner,” he clarified. “I mean, based on what you told us, it only took a matter of a few hours of the two of you being alone for you to wind up realizing that your friendship was more important than any grudge each of you had. I just can’t imagine how difficult it’s been for you all these years. I don’t know if I could have survived all that time without Dakota.”
Time for some honesty. “I try not to think too much about it because I know I’ll drive myself crazy. And Marley already does enough of that for the both of us.”
The guys seemed surprised by my response, and Ryder asked, “Really? I don’t think I’ve ever seen Marley so relaxed in all my life.”
I had to stop myself from laughing. There was no doubt that Marley had always been on edge and tense whenever I was around prior to this trip. Hell, she’d been that way at the beginning of this trip. For that reason, I guess I could understand the confusion on my friends’ faces.
“Yes. Don’t get me wrong,” I began. “Marley is very happy now, and she’s definitely let go of the uneasiness that used to be there. But while she might be comfortable around me now, she still feels quite a bit of guilt. I can’t focus on the regret I feel because we won’t end up any place good if we’re both stuck in the past.”
“That’s a good idea. I’m sure you’ll end up where you want to be as long as you continue to remind her that you both made mistakes and all you can do is move forward,” Easton noted.
“Well, we are moving forward. That’s for sure,” I declared.
Ben chuckled and replied, “Yeah, we kind of noticed when we saw the two of you out on the deck unable to keep your hands off one another.”
I smiled just thinking about it. Not, of course, the fact that we’d been interrupted. But I liked that this trip had resulted in Marley and I going from being unable to even look at or speak to one another to being unable to keep our hands off each other.
And though I loved the sentiment, Ben had gotten it wrong.
“That’s not what I meant,” I returned.
Confusion washed over my friends’ faces as Easton asked, “What are you talking about?”
My smile turned into a full-fledged grin. “When we get back to Lily Canyon, Marley and I have decided to move in with each other.”
Ryder’s brows shot up, Easton’s jaw dropped open, and Ben’s eyes nearly fell out of his head.
“Are you serious?” Ben asked.
I nodded. “We’ve spent enough time apart, and we like being together. Why continue to separate ourselves?”
“You don’t think it’s fast?” Ryder questioned me.
Shaking my head, I reminded him, “We grew up across the street from one another. I’ve known her my whole life. It feels like it’s been an eternity.”
There was a long stretch of silence. Evidently, I’d completely stunned them. Despite their shock, I didn’t feel any concern about what I’d decided to do. Marley was it for me. I’d loved her for a lifetime. Nothing about our decision to make that commitment to one another was a bad thing.
Eventually, Ben broke the silence. “I’m happy for you, Mack,” he said. “You deserve this, and Marley does, too.”
“Thanks,” I replied.
“Yeah, man, good for you,” Easton said.
“When’s the wedding?” Ryder asked.
The wedding.
At Ryder’s question, I recalled the conversation I’d had with Marley. She’d been beating herself up about all the time we’d lost and specifically mentioned how we could have been married or engaged by now.
There was no doubt in my mind that she was one hundred percent correct about it. Beyond that, I remembered what it felt like to hear her say those words. As much as she wanted it, I wanted it even more.
“It’s completely crazy that it’s only been a matter of days that we’ve officially been together, but I’d marry her tonight if I could,” I told them.
“Wow,” Ryder marveled. “You’re in deep.”
Nodding my agreement, I confirmed, “Yeah.”
For the next few seconds, we all sat there and watched what was happening around us. Given that we were sitting in the main lodge, there was no shortage of things to see and people to watch.
I didn’t know what was going through my friends’ minds, but I knew what I was thinking. Ryder’s words rang true in my head. I was in deep with Marley. The thought brought a smile to my face.
“You guys ready to head back?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m thinking we gave them enough time to catch up,” Ben answered.
With that, the guys and I got up and made our way out of the lodge and back to the house. And just as we entered the house, Beth announced, “We started on appetizers without you guys.”
“As long as you saved some,” Ryder returned.
The conversation continued all around me, but I ignored most of it. My eyes went right to Marley, who was standing in the kitchen staring right back at me. She looked beautiful. And happy. So deliriously happy.
I walked over to her, wrapped my arms around her, and gave her a kiss. “Hey,” I said softly.
“Hey,” she whispered with her lips against mine.
“Everything good here?” I asked.
She nodded and answered, “Yeah. The girls are really happy for us.”
“Same with the guys,” I told her.
Marley smiled at me and leaned her weight into my body. “I am, too,” she shared.
“What?”
“Happy,” she clarified. “I’m really happy for us.”
It was the smallest thing, but it held so much meaning for me. Marley was happy. It was just like Ryder had said. He didn’t think he’d seen Marley so relaxed in all his life. I never would have imagined that someone else’s happiness could make me feel so good, but that was precisely the case here.
Experiencing Marley’s upbeat attitude, listening to her laughter, seeing her smile, and holding her in my arms had made my whole year. And I had every intention of continuing to do my part to make sure she never stopped doing any of that.
A moment later, my thoughts were interrupted by Faye. The quietest of the bunch, she suggested, “Hey, they’ve got games here. We should play a game of Twister after we have dinner.”
As she made her announcement, I noticed she had her eyes pinned on Easton. He didn’t hesitate to respond, “I’m totally down for that.”
While the rest of our friends chimed in and indicated they were more than willing to play a game, I tightened my arms around Marley, leaned down, and whispered in her ear, “I get the feeling that game is going to be responsible for the start of another love affair.”
Marley must have seen what I just saw because she returned, “I had no idea she was attracted to him.”
“Hey, lovebirds,” Beth called out.
Marley and I looked in her direction. “Yeah?” I answered.
“Are you guys willing to play later?” she asked.
I grinned. “Oh, we’re playing,” I promised. “We love Twister.”
Marley playfully smacked my arm at not only the words I’d just said, but at the devious tone in my voice. A horrified look washed over Beth’s face as I was certain it became clear to her that Marley and I had played the game already, and it clearly hadn’t been innocent.
“This is going to take me a minute to get used to,” Beth declared as she turned, walked away, and shook her head.
Marley and I burst into a fit of laughter.
And for the rest of the night, nothing could wipe the smile off my face or the happiness from my heart. I was here with her, the girl who was always meant to be mine. Maybe it would have been wise to break the ice sooner than I did, but we were here now. And I had a feeling it was only going to get better from here.
Twenty
Marley
Two weeks later
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
At that question, I looked up into the eyes of the man I loved and smiled.
We were finally doing it.
Mack and I were back in Lily Canyon. We’d returned after spending a fun-filled second week at Hidden Lake Ski Resort with our friends.
And now that we’d spent the last week getting back into our routines, we were taking the weekend to officially move Mack into my place. We’d decided that my place was the better option for the time being, since my kitchen was vital to my business. Mack had a home gym at his place, but for now, he would just go back there to get his work done. And since we both tried to get all our work done in the mornings, it wasn’t like we were on opposite schedules.
We’d tested it out for the last week—even without him officially moved in, we didn’t want to be separated at night—and Mack getting up in the morning and driving back to his place to use his equipment to do his work was no different than if he’d gotten up to go to the gym.
It worked for us. We both enjoyed being around one another, but we were also able to continue to do the things that made us happy.
Now, we were here, and we were getting ready to dive in for what I believed would be a full weekend of moving Mack’s things and unpacking them. I didn’t think I’d said anything that would give him any indication that I wasn’t on board with what we were doing, so his question struck me as odd.
“Of course, I am,” I assured him. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
He shrugged. “No real reason. I just want to know that you’re sure about it because once we do this, there’s no turning back.”
