Chapter 18

A plastic container of chocolate chip cookie dough sat on the bed next to a half-full box of tissues and the stuffed Siberian husky Brynn had received from Coach. A text notification sounded followed by a second one. She checked her cell phone.

Not Ry. Her brothers in a group text.

Jax: I heard about your second-place finish. WTG!

Ace: Podium. You did it, B!

Jax: BTW, Mom told us everything. Sully is pissed, but what’s new? Haven’t talked to the others, but this changes nothing for Ace and me. You’re the best baby sis ever. Love ya!

Ace: Love you, B!

Brynn’s breath hitched. Tears welled. She hadn’t known how much she needed to hear from Jax and Ace. She typed on her phone.

Brynn: Thanks! Love you both. Will call tomorrow xoxox.

Another text notification beeped.

Jax: Call anytime. If you need us. Money. A place to stay. Whatever. We’re here for you.

Always.

Ace: J has more money than me, but I have room for you.

Jax: I have lots more money and a guest room in a much nicer place than that pit Ace calls home. We all know who your favorite bro is.

Ace: That would be me. I’m also the hottest.

Jax: In your dreams.

Ace: You’re just jealous because I have all my teeth.

Brynn laughed. That felt good after crying so much. The relief at knowing—and seeing via their texts—nothing had changed with Ace and Jax made her breathe easier. She set her phone on the nightstand.

Spoon in hand, Taylor leaned against the bed’s headboard. “Who are you texting?”

“Two of my brothers.” Leaning forward, Brynn stuck her spoon into the remaining dough. No one knew about Coach being her father or what that meant to her family. He and her mom could decide if they would tell others or not. She’d seen them talking earlier. Brynn was fine with whatever they decided. “If I want to leave room for dinner, I’d better stop eating this.”

“Everyone will understand if you want to bail tonight.”

“The team, yes, but not my mom.” Brynn inhaled slowly. Dinner would be the safest place to see her mother tonight. With others around, her mom wouldn’t question her about Ry not being there. Brynn hoped he didn’t even come up in conversation. “I can survive a meal without crying or falling apart.”

Taylor frowned. “You should be celebrating, not surviving.”

“I’ll get there.” Brynn eyed the cookie dough but didn’t touch the spoon sticking out of the container. “Thanks for hanging out with me. I didn’t want Lila to feel obligated to stay.”

“I’m happy to be with you. I just wish things had turned out differently with Ry. I thought…” Taylor sighed.

“It’s okay.”

Maybe not at this moment, but it would be.

Once her heart had time to heal. That might happen sooner rather than later given her life was about to drastically change with losing her spot on the team and her family situation. Figuring out what she should do next would keep her from focusing too much on Ryland Guyer.

Besides, maybe he was right. Spending a week with a guy hadn’t given her much time to get to know him. Her heartache and disappointment were genuine, as was her love for him, but everything else could have been wishful thinking on her part. She would never know now.

A knock sounded on Brynn’s door. “Lila must have forgotten her key.”

Not surprising, given her roommate had been so giddy since winning she’d misplaced her phone and her jacket. Twice. Brynn moved to the edge of the bed.

“Stay put.” Taylor stood. “You must be sore.”

Throbbing bruises were nothing compared to the way Brynn’s heart hurt. “Thanks.”

The door opened. “Hey, Chas. Ry…?”

Brynn’s muscles bunched. Ouch. Doing that made everything hurt more. She grabbed the stuffed dog as if an inanimate object full of fluff could protect her.

Taylor glanced back with a contrite expression. “I—”

“You’ll see Brynn at the team dinner.” Chas grabbed Taylor’s coat, held her hand, and pulled her toward him. “Time to go.”

Taylor made the call-me sign with her hand, and Brynn nodded. The couple left.

Ry stepped inside before closing the door behind him. He clutched his beanie in his hands. His sad expression, as if he’d lost a best friend, matched the way she felt. That was his fault, not hers.

Silence enveloped the room. He’d been the one to come to her, so Brynn would wait for him to talk. She clutched the husky tightly, holding it in front of her like a shield.

He took a step forward and then stopped. “You got your cookie dough.”

Brynn didn’t know what to say or do, so she grabbed a spoonful of cookie dough. She could have a salad for dinner if she had any appetite left by then. “Yes.”

He shifted his weight between his feet. “I don’t know how to begin, so I’ll just say it. You were right.”

“About?”

“Everything.” He brushed his hand through his hair. “I was lying to you. To myself. I did feel something. But that was so unexpected, I reverted into jerk mode. I’m sorry for hurting you. That was the last thing I wanted to do.”

At least Brynn hadn’t imagined their connection. She released the breath she’d been holding. “Thanks for telling me. Apology accepted. Have a safe trip home.”

Ry straightened. “I’m not leaving tonight.”

Hope sparked, but reality extinguished it. “You said…”

“I said a lot of things because I was confused. Being stupid. Scared. I was focused on the negative what-ifs instead of the positive ones.” He took another two steps toward her. “I see the truth now.”

“What truth?”

He rubbed his fingers over his hat. “I’ve fallen in love with you, Brynn. Head over heels, completely in love. That’s the only thing that could explain my lashing out the way I did.”

Air rushed from her lungs. Her pulse sped as if she’d just finished a race. Her stomach fluttered, not with butterflies but with hummingbirds. Hundreds of them. She forced herself to breathe.

Ry came closer. “You were brave enough to admit your feelings and say there’s something special between us. It took me longer to find the courage that comes so naturally to you.”

Brynn wanted to believe him, but she was afraid of being hurt again.

As he sat next to her on the bed, his thigh pressed against her right one. The touch jolted her like an electrical shock.

“I’ve screwed up twice with you now.” He tossed his hat on the nightstand. “You deserve a better guy than me, but the thought of you with another man is enough to kill me. Please forgive me. Again. I don’t want to lose you. If you can find it within your heart to give me another chance, I want to prove the adage the third time’s a charm is true.”

Her heart soared. Smiling, Brynn set the stuffed dog next to her. She didn’t need protection. She needed to trust—him and herself. “I want you to prove that, too.”

Ry was a caring, sweet man, who had freaked out today. Still, he’d brought out the best in her this week. Maybe she could bring out the best in him. She wanted the opportunity.

“You’re here. You didn’t leave. That tells me you want to make whatever this is between us work.” Brynn clasped her hand in his. “But I have to be honest—how you acted earlier, what you said after the race, hurt me.”

“I’ll do whatever I can to make that up to you.”

“I’ll be bringing a lot of baggage with me. My parents. Sully. Brothers. A horrible season. It might not be as easy as it’s been here.”

“I don’t care.” He leaned into her. “We can overcome everything together. Get you where you need to be and not just with skiing. Same with me.”

She squeezed his hand. “Together.”

He nodded.

“I love you, Ry.”

As his eyes widened, his lips parted. “You…”

“I love you,” she repeated.

He touched her face as an expression of awe came over his. “I love you, too. So much.”

The words wrapped around her like a hug, one she never wanted to end. Joy overflowed from her heart. “I could get used to you saying that.”

“Me, too.” Ry placed his hand on the back of her head and lowered his mouth to hers. His lips moved over hers with gentleness. A sweet kiss laced with longing. A loving kiss that hinted of a future together.

Eager for more, Brynn let go of his hand. She arched against him, deepening the kiss. This was how she’d wanted to thank him after the race—only this was oh-so-much better.

He pulled her closer, his touch light as if he remembered her injuries. Of course, he did, and she carefully scooted closer until she was half on his lap. One hand splayed his back while the other wound in his hair. She would never get enough of him or his kisses.

As Ry pulled away slightly, affection filled his eyes. “We have plenty of time for this later.”

Brynn swallowed a sigh. “My mom’s expecting us. Me.”

“Us sounds better.” He ran his finger along her jawline. “But I have a feeling Coach will kill me.”

She laughed. “Probably.”

“But what a way to go.”

“You’ll have to face Ace and Jax, too.”

“Just remind them I model.” He brushed his lips over her hair. “Please say you’ll come to Portland. Move into Henry’s guest house. I don’t want us to be apart.”

She wanted to scream “yes,” but something held her back. “As long as you don’t think I’ll be in the way of your goals.”

“You won’t be. And we need new goals for both of us.” He spoke fast. Not with nervousness but excitement. “You need to train, too. And I have another reason besides being together for wanting you with me.”

She drew back slightly. “What?”

“Once I’m on skis, I’ll need an awesome training partner to make me go faster. One who’ll console me when I can’t keep up. And one who’ll forgive me when I screw up. Again.” He brushed his lips across hers. “Know anyone who fits the bill?”

“I do, and she’ll love Portland, though not as much as she loves you.” Happiness filled her. “Are you willing to work hard to catch her?”

“I’ll do whatever it takes and then some because I’m never letting her go. You’re it for me.” As he hugged her, the beating of his heart was strong and rapid like hers. “I love you, Brynn. Nothing will ever change that.”

“I love you, too.” Peace settled over her. She’d never expected to find love on the slopes, but that was exactly what had happened. And she had no doubt this was one race they would win. Together.

♥ ♥ ♥

In May, Brynn’s name wasn’t on the list of alpine team nominations. The official team announcement would be made in November. She wasn’t surprised, but she was still disappointed. Thankfully, Ry kept her smiling and skiing. Today, they skied on Mount Hood’s Palmer Glacier. Nothing too intense since Ry was still getting used to being on skis, but the bluebird day was gorgeous. And, well, so was he. She couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend.

Ry kept telling her that his folks loved her. His parents treated her more like a daughter than their son’s girlfriend. His mom invited Brynn out for lunch and spa pedicures. His dad thought she’d fit right in at the company…if and when the time came. Whenever they did anything as a family, she was included. It hadn’t taken long for Brynn to feel more like a Guyer than a Windham.

Ry had also introduced her to his friends in Portland. Not only was Henry Davenport’s guest house nicer than the home she’d grown up in, but he treated her like a little sister. She had to keep telling him to stop buying her gifts, but she was coming to find that was just Henry and how he showed affection to those he cared about. Brett and Laurel Matthews had taken Brynn under their wing, giving her a part-time job for Laurel’s interior design firm and inviting her over for dinner.

With Ry’s recommendation and support, Brynn had been having weekly sessions with Doctor Dean and also seeing a local therapist to help with her family issues. She’d visited Jax and Ace before moving to Portland. As Sully had done, her three oldest brothers had cut off contact. Her mom had returned to Vermont. She’d been quiet about what she would do post-divorce, but she kept busy with her grandchildren, whom she was still allowed to see, and stayed in touch with Coach, as did Brynn. She couldn’t believe how much had changed since March.

Ry had stopped ahead of her and stepped out of his skis.

Worry flashed through her. She skied to him. “You okay?”

He raised his face to the sun. “Just enjoying this beautiful day with my gorgeous girl.”

“I thought something was wrong.” Relieved, she laughed. “What am I going to do with you?”

He dropped to his left knee—the uninjured one. “Marry me, Brynn. I know we haven’t been together long, but when it’s right, you know. Make me the happiest man alive by agreeing to be my wife.”

She blinked. Let what he’d said sink in. “You want to…”

Ry pulled out a ring box from his pocket. He opened it. A diamond solitaire gleamed against the black velvet. “I want to marry you.”

“Yes. Yes.” She forced air into her lungs. “I’ll marry you.”

Brynn tugged off her ski gloves and then held out her left hand.

Ry put the ring on her finger. A perfect fit. “We’re engaged.”

“We’re engaged.” The future she’d been dreaming about was going to come true. “I love you.”

“I love you.” He kissed her on the lips. “This is only the beginning.”

She held out her hand to see the ring better. “I can’t imagine it getting any better.”

A charming grin spread across his face. “Just wait.”