Page 31 of Power Move
“I know we talked about it early on, but my lake house. It’s about three hours north of here. I have forty acres. It’s very private. Peaceful and quiet.” He brushes snow from my hat, then bends and presses his cold lips to mine. The tease of his tongue leaves me chasing his mouth for more. “I really want to take you there this summer.”
Making plans for the future, I want that with him. “I’d be willing to try tent camping while we’re there.”
He traces his finger over my cheek. “There’s a lot I want to try with you.”
“Guys,” Phil calls. “We should head back. The sun’s setting, and we don’t want to be traipsing around in the dark.”
“Coming.” I hop off the boulder and wait for Rhys to jump. “You spend most of the off-season there?”
“I do. Outside of seeing my family for a few days or any trips the guys want to take.”
“I’ll talk to Phil and Gio, see what renovations they want to tackle. But I definitely want to come.”
“The guys are welcome to come too.” He angles his head at my friends. “There’s plenty of room. Jonas always stays for a while. Maxim and Quinn visit.”
He’s caring and protective, generous with his time and with his things, and he holds his friends as close as I hold mine.
As we walk over fallen branches, rocks, dry leaves, and snow, I think about what an impact Rhys has made on me in these last few months.
He’s made me believe in myself a little bit more, and he likes the parts of me that I thought were unlikeable, and definitely unlovable. I care more for him than I have for anyone in a long time. I want more with him, more of creating playlists and watching movies, dissecting hockey plays and discussing life, exploring road trip cities and having sex in the hotel room, high-fiving each other after goals and holding each other as we sleep.
Just more. Just with Rhys.
I’m falling in love with him.
I cling to his hand a little tighter. It’s too soon, isn't it? We’ve only known each other for two months. But I can’t help how I feel.
By the time we return to the cabin, the sky is almost dark. Remy, Phil, and Gio make dinner and we eat spread out around the living room and kitchen.
Quinn gets a fire going in the fire pit and Remy takes over setting up everyone’s roasting sticks for s’mores. The ten of usgather around the fire, wrapped in coats and blankets, drinking beers and eating the gooey treats. I can picture us doing this again at Rhys’s lake house.
We stay up late, talking around the fire, and I fall asleep leaning against Rhys, warmed by the flames. Though I wake up enough to stumble along with him to bed, my plan to take advantage of scoring one of the private bedrooms fails as soon as I hit the pillow. I surrender to sleep, secure in his arms.
The late morning sun is bright over fresh snow. About three inches fell overnight, adding to what was already here. Cold wind sweeps across the clearing in front of the house, stealing my breath for a moment.
“Are you sure this is okay?” I hold the door open for Soren, making sure he can maneuver without issue behind me. Quinn cleared the steps and walkway earlier.
“The doctor said I could ditch the crutches when I wanted. I’m going slow and you’ll be my guide dog. I just want to be out here with everyone and breathing in the scent of snow and pine.”
With a bark, I hold out my arm and he links us together. The plan is to do a lap around the house’s perimeter and maybe venture a bit into the woods behind the house.
Rhys and I woke early and watched the sunrise together, then hiked for a few hours. We returned to a breakfast made by Quinn and Morgan, and then everyone disbursed for hiking, napping, relaxing inside, and exploring the woods. Checkout’s not until three this afternoon, so we have plenty of time.
We walk a few feet away from the house. Soren’s smile is wide. “This is nice.”
Something smacks into my back. I turn my head and see the small pile of snow atop an undisturbed layer beside the walkway.
Several feet away, Jonas is grinning while his hands crunch together, creating another snowball to wreak havoc.
“Hey,” I yell. “That could’ve hit Soren.”
Laughing, he lightly tosses and catches the newly crafted snowball. “If I wanted it to, it would have. I have great aim.”
“His shooting accuracy is very good.” Soren pats my hand. “Almost as good as my reflexes. If I saw it coming, I could’ve caught it.”
“You can’t see what’s coming from behind you.” We take another few steps.
Across the yard, emerging from the trees, Maxim yells, “Damn it, Jonas.”
