Corina’s buried her face in my chest as she cried. I honestly couldn’t imagine living away from my family. My parents were my rock—the solid foundation that kept everything together.
“She’s going to be all alone.”
I lifted Corina’s chin so she met my gaze. “What do you mean?”
“Rick took a job in New York City. They’re moving when they come back from the honeymoon.”
My heart dropped. “Oh. That really sucks.”
“I wish she would come to Texas and visit Oak Springs. I think she’d love it there. She told me this was her home, and she couldn’t leave it. Mitchell, I hate the idea of her being so alone with her kids so far away.”
The pounding of my heart nearly rattled my brain. “What are you saying?”
Corina’s eyes widened. “No! I’m not saying I want to stay here, gosh, no. I want to be with you, in Texas.”
I let out a huge breath and closed my eyes.
Thank God.
When I opened my eyes, I watched a tear roll down her beautiful face. I brushed my thumb across her cheek and wiped it away.
“Don’t cry, baby. I can’t stand it when you cry.”
“Maybe we can come back for Christmas? We could have a white Christmas.”
Smiling, I started hatching a plan in my head. “That sounds like a great idea. Let’s do it.”
Her face lit up and a breathtaking smile covered her face.
“I love you, Mitch. I love you so much.”
With my hands on her face, I leaned down and kissed her softly. “We should probably get the luggage in the car and head to the airport.”
With a slow nod, she chewed on her lip. “Yeah, we should.”
After I loaded up the car with our suitcases, I turned to see Corina and her mother hugging.
Stepping back, Corina took her mother’s hands. “I’m so sorry I’m leaving you.”
Lori wore a brave grin. “Corina, I’m not crying tears of sadness. These are happy tears. I’m so happy that both of my kids found love and happiness. That is all I ever wanted. Stop worrying about me, sweetheart. I’ll be fine. Now I want you to stop feeling sad.”
When she glanced at me, Lori’s grin grew even bigger. “You take care of my little girl.”
I nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I will.”
Turning her attention back to Corina, Lori kissed her on the cheek. “I love you, my sweet girl. Now go on before you miss your plane.”
Corina hugged her mother again. “I love you too. I’ll call you when we land.”
Lori walked over to me and opened her arms for a hug. “It was so nice to meet you, Mitchell.”
“The pleasure was all mine, Lori.” As we hugged, I whispered in her ear, “Thank you for your blessing.”
She squeezed me harder and whispered back, “You make her happy.”
We stepped apart and looked at each other. I wanted to tell her I would do everything in my power to make sure her daughter was always happy. Instead, I nodded and smiled.
I opened the door for Corina and held her hand while she got into the car. My heart raced along with my mind.
This was it.
In the next few days I would be asking Corina to marry me.
Holy shit.
Panic started to take root in my gut—not because I was afraid of asking her to marry me. Far from that. It was because I so desperately wanted to make it special for Corina. A memory that would last us a lifetime.
As we drove down the streets of Chicago, I took in all the trees that were beginning to change colors. Glancing to my right, I noticed Corina doing the same.
“You okay?” I asked, taking her hand in mine.
She nodded. “I will be once we get back home and settled. Work will take my mind off things.
Little did she know we were not heading back to Texas. We were going to Banff.
Gripping the steering wheel, I took in a deep breath.
This was it.
Time to fill Corina in on the change of plans.
“Canada? We’re going to Canada?”
I stood there staring at Mitchell. I felt sure I had a dumbfounded look on my face.
He was holding out my passport as we stood in line to check in.
“We’re staying outside of Banff at a place called The Post Hotel. Hopefully the weather stays nice and no crazy storms roll in.”
My mouth opened slightly as I tried to form the words.
Canada. Banff. The one place I’ve always dreamed of going and Mitchell is making that dream come true.
“How? What about my work?”
He reached for my hand. “I already worked it out with Paxton for you to take more time off. I was pretty sure she was going to ruin the surprise. I’m glad she didn’t.”
I shook my head. “She didn’t utter a word! Banff? Oh, my gosh! Are you serious?” Excitement bubbled inside of me, and I nearly screamed. People were starting to stare, but I didn’t care. I’d never been so excited.
“I’ve never been more serious.”
I jumped into his arms while I cried out, “Oh Mitchell!”
He laughed as he picked me up off the ground and kissed me. When he set me back down, I wasn’t only dizzy from the idea of going to Banff, but from Mitchell’s kiss as well.
“You little sneak. How in the world did you manage to find somewhere to stay? I figured a room would need to be booked way in advance.”
A crooked smile appeared on his face, and my knees grew weak.
“When I was in college a group of friends and I went on a ski trip near Banff. Actually, we went every year. The place we stayed was amazing. One of the guy’s parents knew the owners of the hotel. They met through business or something. Each time we stayed they upgraded us. Anyway, I gave him a call to see if he might be able to hook us up. He contacted the owners’ daughter and she got us a cabin.”
“A cabin! Oh, my gosh! Are you serious?”
Mitchell nodded. “Lenny said there was a catch, not sure what it is just yet. He told me I’d find out when we got there.”
“Who cares what the catch is! We’re staying in a cabin in Banff!”
“Well, it’s about forty minutes or so from the town.”
I did a weird little jig in line and let out a squeal. “This is going to be so amazing! I hope it snows just a little!”
“Do you know hard it was to pack your winter jacket in my suitcase? I was scared to death you would see it.”
I playfully hit him on the shoulder. “You sneaky man.” The corners of his mouth curved into a sexy-as-sin smile, causing my lower stomach to pull. “I’ve never been so happy in my entire life, Mitchell.”
He leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. “Good. That was the plan.”
Magical. That was the only way I knew how to describe our location. The Post Hotel was beautiful. No, it was stunning. A dusting of snow covered the ground, but higher in the mountains everything looked as white as I’d imagined it would be.
I gasped as Mitchell opened the door of the rental car. Well, Jeep. Mitchell didn’t want to chance being caught in a storm without four-wheel drive.
“The pictures don’t do it justice, do they?” Mitchell asked.
“No! Where did y’all go skiing?”
Mitchell pulled me into his arms. “Did you just say y’all?”
My cheeks heated. “I guess I did.”
“I like it. Now I just need to get you saying fixin’. Like ‘I’m fixin’ to ride you all night long, Mitchell’ or ‘I’m fixin’ to do a strip tease for you, Mitchell.’”
I glanced around to see if anyone had heard him. “Stop that!” I whispered.
He shrugged. “So what? We’ll never see these people again.”
We walked to the back of the Jeep, and a bellhop came out with a cart, waiting to take our luggage.
“What if we come back with our kids?” I asked.
It was out of my mouth before I could stop it.
Mitchell didn’t fre
eze, or freak out, or even stumble on his words.
“People will be so enchanted by our beautiful children they won’t even notice we were the young couple talking dirty to each other so many years ago.”
This time someone definitely heard him. The bellhop. He cleared his throat and asked, “Can I get a last name, sir?”
“Parker.”
Mitchell had said that sentence before the bellhop cut in like he couldn’t have cared less. Meanwhile, my heart raced like a hummingbird’s wings as I thought about his words.
Our beautiful children.
I couldn’t help but wonder if Mitchell had thought about the future. Things were serious between us, and they had moved at lightning speed. One day I was angry with him, the next I thought I was pregnant with his child.
My hand went to my stomach. Carrying Mitchell’s baby suddenly seemed like something I wanted to do sooner rather than later.
“Ready?” Mitchell asked, taking my hand in his.
I smiled. “Yes! I can’t wait to see the cabin.”
He dropped my hand, slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. “I can’t wait to make love to you in the cabin.”
Mmm… Delicious heat pooled between my legs. It didn’t matter if he was being romantic or talking dirty, Mitchell made my body ache for him in ways I had never dreamed possible.
As we walked toward the lobby, I took in the exterior of the hotel. Large river rocks were mixed with wood, giving it that rustic lodge look. The inside of the hotel was just as amazing—beautiful wood everywhere. Next to a large wall of windows that offered a view of the beautiful scenery sat large, chunky pieces of furniture.
“Wow. This place is stunning.”
“It is nice, isn’t it? We loved coming here in college.”
I did a quick glance around. A woman about our age sat at one of the large, oversized chairs. Her face lit up when her eyes landed on Mitchell. One of these days I would get used to women ogling him.
Focusing straight head, we approached the front desk. “Good evening. Welcome to The Post Hotel. Your name, please.”
“Mitchell Parker.”
The young girl behind the desk tried really hard not to gawk at Mitchell. His arm was still wrapped around my waist, pulling me against him. Almost like he was claiming me. And I liked it. No, I loved it.
“You’ll be with us five nights?”
I sucked in a breath. “Five nights?”
Turning, Mitchell shot me the smile that made me weak in the knees. When he wiggled his brows, I couldn’t help but giggle like a schoolgirl.
Oh, the fun we are going to have.
“One key or two?”
Mitchell held up two fingers. “Better give us two, just in case.”
The girl chuckled like he had told a joke. I wanted to roll my eyes, but I knew how the poor thing felt. That had been me a year ago when I first laid eyes on Mitchell Parker.
“Mitchell Parker? Is that you I see standing in my daddy’s hotel lobby?”
I turned to face the woman I’d noticed earlier. Her light brown hair was pulled up into a tight bun that sat neatly on top of her head. She was dressed in business attire, but her breasts were practically spilling out of her shirt. My eyes drifted down her perfectly-shaped body to her Jimmy Choo shoes.
She looked like she belonged in New York City, not a small town in Canada.
Mitchell laughed. “It’s been a long time, Kristi. Thank you for getting us booked.”
Her eyes seemed to light up when she looked at Mitchell. For a moment I thought she was going to walk right through me to get to him.
“Of course! When Lenny called and said you needed a favor, I was more than happy to accommodate. Especially with our…” She looked right at me as she said, “past friendship.”
“Yeah, I really appreciate it,” Mitchell said. “I forgot how beautiful it was here.”
Her gaze went back to Mitchell. Talk about staring a hole right into him. “Yes…very beautiful.”
My brows pulled in tight. Okay, this girl is openly flirting with him.
“Here are your keys, Mr. Parker,” said the girl at the desk.
Mitchell dropped his arm from around me and reached for the keys.
When he faced Kristi, he laced his hand in mine. “Kristi, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Corina.”
Her eyes widened in shock as she looked between the two of us, and I got a smell of her over-the-top perfume. My goodness, did she bathe in it this morning?
“Girlfriend? Mitchell Parker has a girlfriend?”
With an uncomfortable chuckle, Mitch ran his hand through his hair. “Sure do.”
Kristi tilted her head and made a tsking sound with her tongue. “Well, it’s going to be awkward since you promised to have dinner with me while you’re here.”
Mitchell stiffened next to me. “What?”
“Lanny told me you promised to have dinner with me if I worked some magic to get you into a room. I got you into more than a room. Although, I hadn’t realized you were bringing a…friend…along.”
My mouth dropped open. She did not just go there.
“Well, um, I’m sure we can arrange to have dinner with you one night.”
The air was beginning to drip with not only tension, but the lust-filled waves Kristi was shooting Mitchell’s way.
“The deal was dinner with you. I’m sure your girlfriend really doesn’t want to be bothered hearing us talk about the days you and your college buddies came here to ski…among other things.”
My heart dropped. Oh, no. Please don’t tell me Mitchell and this woman slept together.
“Listen, Kristi, I never made that deal. Lenny said there was a catch. I didn’t know what it was and if you want to have dinner together this evening we can, all three of us.”
Anger washed over Kristi’s face. “Jessica, did we accidentally double-book the Pipestone Cabin?”
Oh, for the love of all that’s good. This girl is playing games!
“Mitchell, I don't mind if you have dinner with Kristi tonight,” I said. “I’m exhausted and was going to suggest room service.”
Mitchell’s head snapped over to me, making me think he did not want to have dinner with Kristi tonight, or any night.
“No,” he said, anger clearly in his voice. Turning, he set both keys on the counter, took me by the arm and spoke to Kristi.
“I don’t play games, and I sure as fuck am not about to go to dinner with you and leave my girlfriend alone in our room. We’ll find somewhere else to stay.”
We started walking away, and Mitchell motioned for the bellhop to take our things back outside.
“Mitchell Parker, stop being so dramatic. I’m kidding! I’d love for Lorina to join us.”
We stopped walking, and Mitchell looked back at her. “It’s Corina, with a C.”
Kristi tapped her finger against her lips. Her nails were perfectly manicured. “Right. Corina with a C. How about you both meet me in the dining room at eight sharp.”
Her eyes lingered on Mitchell before she turned to me. “It’s casually elegant. More on the elegant side.”
I forced a smile. “Sounds wonderful. Right, Mitchell?”
Knowing Mitchell really didn’t want to go to another hotel, I tried to make nice between the two of them. Lucky for me I’d gone shopping with my mother and bought a dress for a special night out with Mitchell. Looks like tonight was the night I was pulling out the little black dress.
Mitchell was silent as we made our way to the cabin in the Jeep. I didn’t want to push, but there was no way I was having dinner with that woman until I got some information.
“Did you sleep with her?” I asked as he pulled into the cabin’s parking spot.
With a deep sigh, he dropped his head back against the seat. “Yes.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “More than once?”
When his hand raked aggressively through his hair, I had my answer. I felt sick to my stomach.
“We came up here all four years of college.”
I stared out the window at the flowing river. I was already regretting that I had agreed to dinner tonight. I was going to have to sit at a table with a woman who had slept with my boyfriend on more than one occasion. Lord knows how many times.
My morbid curiosity got the better of me.
“Are you saying you slept with her four times or multiple times on each trip.”
“Does it really matter, Corina?”
I let out a gruff laugh. “Well, considering I now have to sit with this woman at dinner, I’d kind of like to know if she was a causal fuck or someone you liked to fuck often on your trips up here.”
He winced at my use of the word fuck, and I didn’t care. I was suddenly pissed off. I had expected this to happen at some point in Oak Springs, but in Canada? No.
“It was more than four times.”
Just like that, the air left my lungs, and I was regretting asking him. Pushing the door to the Jeep open, I jumped out and headed toward the cabin.
“Corina, wait.”
“Not right now, Mitch. I need a few minutes to process this. I could have dealt better with something like this in Oak Springs, but not in another country.”
When he walked up behind me, I felt the warmth of his body, and I wanted nothing more than for him to wrap me in his arms and tell me how much he loved me—that no other woman before me meant anything. I knew they didn’t, but I needed to hear it. This woman had invaded a space in my life, and I hadn’t been prepared for it. Back in Oak Springs, yes. If I woman walked up and did this I wouldn’t have been so caught off guard. I knew Mitchell wasn’t a saint. I knew he had been with other women. Lots of other women.
Mitchell unlocked the door, and we walked into a completely enclosed sunroom. Nothing but floor-to-ceiling windows. It was stunning. Turning to my left, I stepped into the living room. A large, stone fireplace was in the middle of the outside wall. A sofa and two chairs sat in front of it. I could practically feel the heat as I daydreamed about Mitchell making love to me here.
Did he make love to her in front of a fireplace like this?
Ugh. I needed to get these thoughts from my head.