“Sounds about right,” Jacob murmured.
Ryker chuckled. “It snowed during the night after we’d gotten to the hotel. First snow of the season. After I looked out the window, I knew I had to get Jacob up.”
“Dad was so mad,” Jacob chuckled and out of the corner of his eye he noticed Hallie startle at the sound.
“He was. But that’s because we left the hotel room wide open. It was six in the morning and still snowing. We were still in our pajamas and I convinced you to go outside to make a snow angel.”
Hallie gasped. “In his pajamas?”
Jacob turned to her fully, though it was awkward with the neck brace. “Yep. I caught a chill and couldn’t compete. We had to pay to use the dryer on site.” He was smiling even as he helped Ryker tell the story. “It’s one of my earliest memories.”
Ryker was smiling, too. “I got grounded and dad wouldn’t let me compete.”
“He said that if I couldn’t, then neither could you.”
“Worth it,” he chuckled.
“Yeah,” Jacob whispered, “worth it.”
Ryker turned to Hallie. “What about you? Got any crazy siblings who put you in the snow when you were a kid?”
She shook her head. “No, but I have a lot of cousins. I’m actually adopted because my parents couldn’t conceive, but they never made me feel like I wasn’t always meant to be part of the family I have. It’s big and crazy.” Her smile broadened as her eyes darted from Ryker to Jacob. “They’d do anything for me, and I would do the same. I’ve never felt like I was missing anything.”
“Sounds amazing.” Ryker glanced at Jacob. “We don’t have any cousins. It’s just us now.”
“Well, you have your wife and kids, so that’s not exactly true anymore.” There was less bitterness in Jacob’s voice than he’d expected. While it was a sore spot, Jacob couldn’t deny he was glad Ryker had found happiness. He deserved to have someone in his life.
Jacob could see it in Ryker’s eyes the second they’d made contact. Ryker might have been angry with Jacob. He might have been exhausted that they were still at odds with each other. But underneath it all, he was truly happy. He could still head home to people who loved him unconditionally.
That was more than Jacob had.
And that was the reason Ryker had told him he was sabotaging his own happiness.
Slowly, Jacob slid his eyes to Hallie and watched as she remained invested in Ryker’s stories. They were getting along so well, but then that wasn’t a surprise. Ryker could be friends with anyone without even trying.
Hours slipped away from them. Food grew cold. Night fell. Ryker got to his feet and patted his pockets with his hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stay this long. I promise I only came to check on you?—”
“You’re not driving tonight,” Hallie insisted. She shot Jacob a pleading look as if he was the only one keeping his brother from staying. If she knew Ryker at all, she’d know he didn’t do anything he didn’t want to. And while Ryker had come by to talk to him, he didn’t like confrontation.
Ryker offered a small smile to Hallie. “It’s fine. I can get a hotel for the night.”
“You’re not getting a hotel.” No one was more surprised than Jacob that the words came out of his ow mouth.
Though Ryker was a close second. It was in the barely discernable lift of his brows and the slight quirk of his mouth. Yes, he’d won this round. He’d managed to weasel himself back into Jacob’s life even though Jacob had wanted none of it.
But that was who Ryker was.
With a sigh, Jacob shifted in his seat. “My bed is big enough for both of us. It’s not like we didn’t share the occasional bed when we were competing. Stay the night. Leave refreshed.” When he allowed himself a peek at Hallie, he found her smiling at him andthe sight of it nearly knocked him off his feet. Heat sparked in his chest at her approval. There was something about making that woman happy that did something to him.
It wasn’t healthy.
He didn’t care what other people thought of him.
But apparently, he cared a great deal about whatHalliethought.
Perhaps it was because she’d been helping him without expecting anything in return. Or how tirelessly she tried to improve his mood. The way shecared. Not just for him, but her family. Hallie had a big heart and the man she would inevitably end up with would be very lucky.
She dipped her chin as if to say thanks. “Well, I’m going to head off to bed. It was nice to meet you, Ryker.” She hurried away before either of them could say anything else.
