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“It’s good for her, though,” Aspen chimed in, laughing. “Eve, I mean. All the shitfuckery with her parents aside, she’s so much happier now than when I first met her.”

Lydia smiled at Aspen. “That’s because of you.” When Aspen ducked her head shyly, she said, “She’d been dreading that gala more than usual, which is saying something, really.”

“That fucking gala,” Aspen muttered. “I was so happy they moved it back to D.C. last year so Eve didn’t have to pretend to not care that they were in town and totally ignoring her.”

“I was glad because it made it easier to dip in and then get the fuck out,” Kit said. “The only bright side was that the douche wasn’t strutting around.”

“Yeah, that’d be a definite improvement,” Lydia mused.

“The douche?” Zann whispered.

Lydia shook her head as she explained, “Eve’s ex.”

“Oh.”

“It was a whole thing,” Lydia said.

“Yeah, it was,” Aspen groaned.

Lydia nodded at her sympathetically. “Not gonna lie, I was a little worried when Eve walked onto the Sno-Cat with you, instead of Michael, who I was expecting and knew could handle the circus we were heading into; but you were such a perfect, protective knight in shining armor that I knew you’d handle it just fine. And I could tell just from those few moments we had together on the ride up to the restaurant that you guys were totally smitten with each other.”

“We were. Or, I was, at least.” Aspen shook her head. “It was honestly scary how quickly I started to fall for her.”

“I know what you mean,” Lydia said. Her stomach fluttered when she looked over at Zann and found her watching her with a smile that said she was thinking the same thing. She held her breath as she resisted the urge to lean in and kiss her, and let it go slowly as she squeezed Zann’s hand and looked back at Aspen. “Do you have your vows memorized?”

Aspen nodded. “I do.”

“Those are the most important words, my guy,” Kit teased, slapping her on the back. “Good job.”

“Oh, fuck off, Hawthorne,” Aspen muttered, swatting at her.

Lydia leaned into Zann’s side and hiked her chin at Kit as she told Aspen, “I think you need to run that one a little more.”

Aspen nodded. “I think you’re right.”

“Thinking? You? Don’t hurt yourself,” Kit sassed, and then yelped and hopped away when Aspen aimed a kick at her ass. “Are you for real? That’s the thanks I get for agreeing to run with you?”

Aspen blew her a kiss. “You love it.”

“Yeah, well…” Kit shoved Aspen’s shoulder before scampering back out of range. “Let’s see how much you love trying to keep up. Let’s go, Asp!” she yelled over her shoulder as she took off toward the resort. “I want pancakes!”

Aspen inclined her head as she began walking backward after Kit. “You guys want to join us?”

“Nah.” Lydia waved for her to go on. “I only run if I’m being chased. And, besides, I’m not wearing a bra.”

She pursed her lips against a smile when Zann groaned as if pained by the reminder, even though she’d watched her get dressed earlier and knew damn well she wasn’t wearing anything under her well-worn, faded navy blue Yale hoodie.

“So mean,” Zann muttered, though there was a hint of a smile in her voice.

She tipped her head to rest against Zann’s as strong arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her closer. Her nipples tightened as long, deft fingers dipped beneath her hoodie to caress her stomach as Zann slid behind her, pulling her close, and the little voice in her head had to agree that Zann had a point.

Reminding them both that she was bare beneath her hoodie was incredibly mean.

“Yo! Aspen!” Kit taunted. “Get your Butchy McFabulous ass moving!”

Aspen flipped Kit off over her shoulder as she said, smirking, “Remember, girls, just because this is a private beach doesn’t mean it’s private.” She winked at them and tapped two fingers to her forehead in a lame little salute before, with a grin, she spun on her heel and took off after Kit at a dead sprint.

“You better fucking run, Kit!” Lydia yelled as she watched Aspen close the distance between her and Kit like it was nothing. Kit’s earlier joking aside, she knew that Kit was, in fact, an avid distance runner, logging probably close to eighty miles a week, and had the lithe, lean build to support such training, but Aspen was pure power—and, right now, that power was winning.