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My heart warmed with the scene of Owen and his little family embracing and encouraging each other. Owen never had that as a child, and I couldn’t express how happy it made me feel knowing he had created such a healthy environment for his children to thrive.
When we returnedto the lodge, I wasn’t sure who was more wiped out, me or the kids. It had been a lot of fun spending the day with them, but it also made me realize that I definitely never wanted four kids of my own. At least not four that were all under the age of six.
Keeping an eye on all of them at once was nearly impossible, so I just felt thankful that no one got lost or hurt.
Owen helped me get the kids situated in a booth in the far corner of the lodge’s cafe, and then went with me to get hot chocolates for the five of them, as well as for ourselves. We approached the counter and placed our order, then found a spot at the bar to lean while we waited.
“You were amazing with them today,” Owen said.
“Whatever. I was just teaching them what I know.”
“Yeah, but you obviously know a lot. And you’re so patient.”
“They’re kids, and it was all of their first time on skis. What else was I going to do? Yell at them for falling down?”
“I told you about Fredrick, didn’t I?”
I laughed and leaned a bit closer. Something about him was like a magnet pulling me in, and I was completely unable to resist it.
“He sounds like a real piece of work.”
“I’m sure he’s a great instructor…but maybe not for young kids.”
“Well, I’m glad you guys found us when you did. Laila did such a good job, and she was so brave on that last run.”
“You helped her be brave. I’m telling you, Skye, she is not normally like that. Cora is the daredevil and the one who acts before thinking. Laila is much more thoughtful and careful. You helped her more than you realize today.”
I knew my cheeks were turning red, and not just from the cold. Flattery usually didn’t affect me so much, but I didn’t often get such thoughtful compliments. Owen started to move towards me, just slightly, and I glanced over at the kids to make sure none of them were watching, but they were all lost in their own little worlds.
“Thank you, Skye, I mean it.”
I only had a moment to smile before my lips met with his. I wasn’t sure if he had kissed me, or if I had kissed him, but it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was the heat between us at that very moment.
Owen’s lips moved slowly and gently across mine, and I felt his hand reach for my lower back. I let him pull me towards him, and our chests were pressed together in an instant. He pulled my lower lip into his mouth, and I fought the urge to slip my tongue into his.
“Owen,” the barista called from the counter.
He stopped moving for a moment, but didn’t pull away until the barista called his name again. Reluctantly, we separated from each other, each of us with a sheepish grin on our faces. We gathered the hot chocolates and walked them over to the booth in silence.
10
OWEN
As we made our way back to the chalets, the children ran ahead of me and Skye, but we didn’t say a word to one another until we were almost back. I could still taste her on my lips, and I desperately wanted more of her. I knew it would be impossible for anything more to happen while on this trip. Sharing cabins with kids and siblings was not going to make things easy.
“Skye, I can’t thank you enough for today. Laila is never going to stop talking about it.”
“I’m glad she had fun. It seems like you’ve got a natural born skier on your hands.”
“Now if only we could get Cora back into her boots,” I said with a laugh.
Despite our best efforts, Cora was completely unwilling to attempt even standing on her skis. I couldn’t blame her; I probably wouldn’t have wanted to, either, but I hoped that after seeing Laila’s success she would want to join in on the fun tomorrow.
“What the heck?” Skye shouted just as we got into sight of the cabins.
“What? What happened?” I asked, glancing around for any signs of trouble.
She turned to look at me, and the side of her face was covered in snow.
