Page 26 of Chance Encounter

“I did. Up until I lost.” I look down and kick at the snow.

“Oh,” he pauses, and then I see his boots in front of mine. “Was I supposed to let you win?”

I grind my molars together. “No, but you have no idea what it feels like to always lose. It’s not a great feeling.”

“Hey,” he reaches forward, taking my gloved hand in his. “You won in the parent department.”

I look up into his blue eyes that hold the pain of losing his parents’ love. It’s then I realize he’s right. I am lucky. Who cares that I was second best in sports or our classes? I can’t imagine what I would have done if my parents rejected me.

“I did, and I’m sorry.” I pull him into a hug, and for a moment, he accepts it before he goes ramrod stiff and tries to pull away. “Don’t. No one cares. Look around.”

He lifts his head, and I don’t bother to look at those around us. I watch Maddox’s face as he takes in the few that are around us. His jaw relaxes, and he takes a step back.

“They…” Mad reaches down and takes my hand.

“They don’t care,” I finish for him. If I didn’t think he’d freak out, I’d kiss him because Maddox looks like the weight of the world has been lifted off of his shoulders.

Never in all the years of wanting to outdo Maddox and having him as my enemy did I ever think we’d be here. The fact that I seek him out to spend time with him now would have blown my mind before that fateful day with the bear.

I feel like I should thank her for bringing us together. If that’s what we even are. I’m not sure how Mad would categorize us.

Mad pulls on my hand. “Let’s see if you can beat me.”

“You’re on.” I snatch the sled from him and run to the empty lane. Maddox is laughing behind me, clomping through the snow with the inner tube I used clutched in his hands. “Do you really think you’re going to beat me on that sled?”

“I’m going to do my best.” I can’t help my competitive nature, especially with Mad, but after talking to him, I know I’ve already won.

His back leg stretches out into a lunge, and I know he’s serious. It’s impossible for us not to want to win against each other.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

We count down much the same way as last time, except this time, everyone around us joins in, and as we speed down the hill, I can hear them cheering us on. This time I win the race, but it’s Mad who really wins. He finally sees that he’s accepted for who he is.

“You won, so it must be the slide.”

“It must be.” I give him. It’s strange to win and not care.

“Thanks for this.” He turns to glance up the hill. “If you would have told me, I would have fought you, but I can see now that I don’t need to stay cooped up in my house having G, you, and my horses as my only interactions.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty sad. I mean, I’m awesome. We both know it, but it would probably be good for you to get out more.”

“Well, I don’t know how easily that will be for me, but I give you permission to force me out of the house.” He starts to move back to the top, ready to go again.

“Does that mean this is a date?” I ask once I fall into step beside him.

He halts for a moment before he continues moving. With each second, his brows fall until I’m afraid they’ll freeze that way. “Do you want to date me?”

I stare at him for a full minute before I can talk. “While the sex is amazing, I think we should step outside the bedroom, every once in a while.”

“Alright,” he lifts one shoulder. “We can call this a date.” He says it like it’s no big deal, so I try not to show a big reaction to him giving in.

For the next hour, we take turns sledding down the mountain. Not every time are we racing. It’s all fun.

“Let’s go grab some hot chocolate, and then we can head back to my place.”

“Oh,” his brows raise. “You’re letting me back in your house?”

“Yeah, I think it’s time. I haven’t seen Sally around, so I think you’re safe.”

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