Page 66 of Fall Apart

“What time is it?” Her voice is groggy as she yawns.

I kiss her forehead, running my thumb over her cheek. She grabs my wrist, bringing my hand to her lips and kisses my knuckles.

“It’s early. No one’s up yet. I’m going to go for my run. Go back to bed.”

She sticks out her lower lip, pouting. “Stay a bit longer?”

I hum and run my thumb over her bottom lip, pulling on it. “As much as I'd like that, I need to get out of here and make my bed before anyone else gets up.”

She huffs and bites softly on my thumb.

I laugh and lightly slap her ass. “Brat. Get your beauty sleep.”

I stand and tuck her back in. I walk around the bed, still wearing just my sweats, and I don’t miss the way her eyes follow me.

“You’re shameless,” I tease, puckering my lips blowing her a kiss. “Take a picture if you need it.”

She rolls her sleepy eyes and pulls one hand out from under the covers to flip me the bird.

I shake my head and laugh quietly. “See you later.”

I winddown my run along the Deschutes River trail, heading north back towards town and TJ’s house. I’ve been enjoying the just right spring air of the Eastern Cascade Mountains. It might be snowing up at Mount Bachelor where everyone is skiing today since it’s a few thousand feet higher in elevation, but here near town and along the river, it’s a comfortable spring day.

I think back to the last time I was in Bend, running this very trail. It was earlier in the same season that I first tore my ACL. I came here with Mom for one of my competitions. Mount Bachelor has always been known for some epic powder days and we caught one while we were here on our extra day in town. We skied lap after lap in deep powder on the backside of the mountain, loving every second of it.Thinking back on it, those laps with Mom might have been the last time I really, truly remember just skiing for the joy of skiing, not competing.

I run along the trail, thinking about that day as I see TJ’s house in the distance. I designed it after Tanner first saw my house in Utah. He introduced us on a video call and then I was hired. While I might have come up with the design, his builder did an amazing job of bringing it to life the way I hoped it would turn out.

When I get to the part of the trail that goes between his house and the river, I chuckle to myself when I see TJ already out in the water in waders, fly fishing. He might be a rockstar, but he’s got some pretty normal hobbies.

I take the side trail that heads back to his house, stopping when I see Grace in a robe walking towards me.

“Morning, big bro.” She stops and looks me up and down.

“What the hell are you doing out here in a robe at the crack of dawn?” My voice is gruff from running and still catching my breath, it probably sounds harsher than I meant it to.

She scoffs and waves me off. “Going for a cold plunge in the river.”

“You’re crazy. It might be warm out here, but that’s still fed with cold snow melt from the mountains. You know that right?”

She raises her eyebrows at me. “Duh. That’s kind of the point.Coldplunge.”

I roll my eyes at her. “Whatever. I’ll see you inside for breakfast. Don’t get pneumonia.” I start to walk past her, but she grabs my arm and stops me.

“Hey, I’m really glad you came.”

I nod. “Yeah, me too.”

She gives me a knowing grin. “She’s good for you. You look happy.”

I glare back at her and she snorts a laugh. “Don’t get mushy on me. Have fun with your cold plunge.”

I turn and head up the side trail to the house, trying not to obsess over what my sister just said. It’s the same thing that I’ve been thinking, that I might want this thing with Lizzy to be something bigger.

I slide open the doors from the back patio and walk towards the kitchen.

I turn the corner and pause for a second, startled to find V sitting alone at the kitchen island, with an iced coffee in a plastic to-go cup.

“Jesus, V. Wasn’t expecting anyone to be up yet.”

---