Page 24 of Pucking Snowed In With My Ex

“At least I know where I stand.” Kneeling on the sled seat, I followed the other guys into the snow and patted the back for Skye. She wrapped her arms around me, and we were off. On a scale of one to ten, if ten were the best day I’d ever had, this was tied for the top. My world felt right again. It was like I’d been kicked off my axis and was finally back on course.

The trails were perfect after the heavy snowfall. The white powder kicked up by the sleds was the only thing to disturb the serene and otherwise quiet forest. I’d been out here so many times that I knew the area like the back of my hand. There was a perfect spot coming up to take a break and have a snack.

We raced around the final bend, and the clearing opened up before us like a movie. Tall pines stood in a circle, each decorated with snow glittering in the sun. A deer was at the far end, but as soon as it saw us roaring into the open, it turned and hopped off into the forest. I circled, and everyone followed in a line until all the sleds were visible. I held up my arm, warning everyone that I was stopping.

My ears rang with the sudden silence as the snowmobiles shut off. I undid Skye’s helmet and then tackled my own.

“Wow, man, it’s stunning out here. No wonder you’ve been bugging us to come hang out,” Nathan said.

I’d met Nathan and Aaron at Wayward and became fast friends. I didn’t want to know any fucking thing to do with their family or business, but other than that, they were fun to have around.

“Cal, watch out,” Skye shrieked just as a snowball hit me in the neck.

Ty was killing himself laughing as he unloaded his white weapons on everyone. “Oh, it’s on asshole.”

The once quiet clearing was filled with laughter and shouting as we all scooped handfuls of snow and made balls to throw. I tossed one at Skye, but it missed her as she ducked behind the sled. She jumped up, firing with both arms. I avoided one, but the other caught me in the chest.

She laughed and stuck out her tongue.

“I’m getting you for that.” I ran after her as she shrieked. We were far slower in the deep snow, but I caught her, and we tumbled to the ground.

Skye screamed, and I covered her head as we were pummeled with snowballs.

“I really want to snow you right now,” I said teasingly.

“Don’t you dare rub snow in my face, I will kick your butt.” She picked up handfuls of snow as her weapon of choice. I would never do it to her, but to see that fiery look in her eye, I would threaten it a thousand times. Dropping my lips to hers, I gave her a sweet, snowy kiss before rolling off and lying in the snow beside her to stare up at the sky.

“That one looks like a clown,” Skye said.

“You hate clowns.”

“I know, but it still looks like one.”

A shadow covered us, and I looked up at Ty, holding an armload of snow. “I swear I will kick your ass if you do it.” He smiled and dropped it. “Asshole.”

Jumping up, I smiled as Skye handed me a snowball. “I knew I loved you,” I said, then hauled off and threw it at the back of Tyler’s head. “Yes,” I cheered as the ball hit its mark. The craziness continued until no one could stand up, and we all sat on the sleds to catch our breath.

I pulled a couple of protein bars and a bottle of water out of my pack, then handed Skye one. She smirked. “You haven’t changed a bit,” she said, taking the package.

“Is that a good thing?”

“I think so.” She nudged my arm.

Alex laughed at something Conner said, and his voice made my fist tighten on my bar. Skye laid her hand over mine and leaned in, kissing me on the cheek.

“Please stop glaring at him. It’s only going to make things worse.” That right there was what threw me. Worse how?

“But…if, he….”

“Stop making me ask you to leave well enough alone,” Skye whispered, leaving me with my brooding thoughts as she went and sat with Ty.

Fuck, I wanted to force the answer out of her, but I took a deep breath and bit off a piece of my snack. At this point I was ready to kill him even if I didn’t get an answer. I was being inconsiderate, and I knew it, but knowing it and following through on being a better man were vastly different. When it came to Skye, I was insanely protective, always had been, and the fact that I could’ve failed her once had turned me inside out.

Alex laughed again and looked over. He held up his can of pop in a friendly greeting, and I followed suit, but there was nothing friendly in my mind.

* * *

SKYE