We spent the afternoon on the slopes, and after about an hour, we ran into Grant and Sydney. I wasn’t sure what Grant had told her about us, but she had this humorous glint in her eye every time she looked at me. She and Cheyenne hit it off right away, which was just fine with me. They seemed like kindred spirits.

Sydney disappeared halfway through the day. When I asked Grant where she had run off to, he just laughed and told me not to worry about it. I shrugged and followed him to a Black Diamond trail while Cheyenne, Shelby, and Gabi met up with Kristin and her friends.

I didn’t mind being alone with Grant in the quiet, looking over the precipice to the world below. Actually, being up here at the top of a mountain felt about the same as it had the night when we sat on the shore, watching the sunrise.

“You ready for this, Princess?” he asked, leaning precariously over the edge.

“I’ve been skiing since I was four. Are you ready?”

He leaned over and kissed my frozen red nose. “Race you to the bottom.”

I laughed when he jumped down the slope without warning, taking a head start. He would need it. About halfway down the trail, I glided across a particularly icy patch on the ground to take the lead. I heard Grant hit the snow behind me. I came to an abrupt halt and turned to see him sprawled out with one ski sliding down the slope toward me and the other sticking straight up out of the snow in the woods about ten feet away from him. I couldn’t help myself. I just started laughing hysterically.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” I asked through my laughter.

“Bitch, are you laughing at me?” His head popped up to glare at me.

“You look ridiculous.” I grabbed his spare ski when it reached me and stuck it in the ground.

“Well, are you going to just stand there? Or are you going to help me?” he asked, dropping his head back into the snow.

“You keep calling me a bitch, and I’ll just leave you there.”

“Babe…”

I kicked off my skis and made sure they were secure. I jogged awkwardly in my snow boots back up the mountain while carrying his ski with me. I dropped it down next to him and then went in search of the other. Once I had it in my hand, I placed it next to its mate.

Grant was still lying, unmoving, on the slope.

“Are you going to be okay?” I asked him.

He slowly eased up into a sitting position and rested his snow-covered arms on his knees. “I’m going to be fine,” he said. Then, he reached forward, grabbed me by the backs of my legs, and pulled me down on top of him.

I shrieked and my knees landing hard in the snow. He just laughed, rolled me over, and covered my body with his. His mouth was on mine in a second, and any thoughts about the snow vanished. I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer.

We stayed like that, lost in each other’s touch, until a group came by to make sure we were okay. Grant seemed completely unperturbed by them watching us, but I laughed nervously and told them we were fine. After dusting the snow off our bodies and snapping on our skis, we made our way down the mountain.

After a much-needed shower, I changed into a pair of skinny jeans, a tight black undershirt, and my baby-blue cardigan. I draped Grant’s dog tags over my head. It didn’t really go with my outfit, but I never went anywhere without them anymore. I grabbed a peach scarf and my peacoat, and then I headed down to the lodge with Cheyenne, Shelby, and Gabi in tow.

The opening bands were playing tonight to kick off the music festival. There would be shows the rest of the weekend, culminating in a giant final performance with The Drift. Their song “Tell It Like It Is” was playing nonstop on the radio.

The lodge was a massive open room that had been completely renovated for the music festival. The main area was a built-in stage that was used year-round for local events, and rooms branched off of it with stages for smaller bands. A second main stage along with two other slightly smaller ones were set up outside in tents with heaters for day performances.

At the door, we slipped on highlighter-green wristbands that gave us an all-access pass to the concerts all weekend. I stepped into the room, and I admired the mass of people gearing up for the opening act of the evening. The room setup was like a log cabin with high ceilings, exposed beams, and giant fireplaces that blazed brightly. I spotted the band near one of the fireplaces, and for once, I took the lead and walked my girls over to them.

“I’m so going to hook up with Vin this weekend,” Cheyenne whispered into my ear as we walked over.

I just laughed, feeling happy and carefree. It was a nice change of pace for me. “Have fun with that, Cheyenne.”

Two girls I didn’t recognize were talking animatedly to Grant when I approached him. He hadn’t seen me yet.

One leaned up to whisper something in his ear and then her friend slipped something into his hand before they walked away.

I arched an eyebrow as I approached. “What was that about?”

Grant shrugged. “Just groupies.”

“What did they give you?” I asked curiously.

He unfolded the note and passed it to me. I glanced down and saw that a room number was scrawled on it. Lovely.

“Is it always like this?”

“Nah, Princess. Normally, I take them home,” he said, pulling me close to him. “But the only person I’m taking home with me tonight is you.”

I hadn’t doubted that for a second—okay, maybe a second—but hearing that helped.

“Oh f**k!” Grant groaned.

“What?”

I glanced over in the direction where he was looking, and I saw exactly what he’d meant.

Sydney had just shown up in the most outrageous outfit for a ski lodge. She was in a teeny-tiny skirt that showed off a large rose tattoo on the outside of her right thigh. She was shrugging out of a parka, and underneath was an insanely low black tank top, displaying her half sleeve. She was wearing some god-awful cowboy boots that made it look a bit like she was trying to be Daisy Duke. Eyes followed her as she approached us. She was all smiles while her boobs bounced with her wavy brown hair trailing behind her. If this was her normal clothing choice, I suddenly understood where she had disappeared to this afternoon.

“Hey, cuz,” she said in greeting.

“Didn’t I tell you to behave?”

“Didn’t I say I’d try?” She gestured down. “I tried…but failed. Now, where is Vin?”