She laughed, and the sound of it caused my heart to beat fast. I couldn't even contemplate her leaving in a few weeks. It was too much to consider.

"I owe the apology." I started to cut her off, but she lifted her hand. "No, let me finish. Please."

"Okay." I sat back and let my free hand drop into my lap, willing to give her center stage.

"Coming here was something I did begrudgingly, because I had to." She shrugged and glanced down at her mug. "I'm glad I did, but I think I wanted to just treat it like a quick stop off in life and move on. I just wrapped up my degree and my dreams have always been to be on the west coast."

"Which is beautiful." I nodded, hoping to encourage her to forgo thinking about my feelings and just open up to me.

"Yeah, but meeting you and things spiking so fast between us has me wondering if maybe I was just trying to stay in California because this place has too many memories. I mean... I do seriously hate the cold, but this place really is fun." She tugged her cap off and worked to smooth her long, blond hair. "I'd be near my family if I stayed, which would be great. Parker mentioned wanting me to this morning."

I leaned in and slid my open hand across the table, wanting her to take it.

She did, and I closed my fingers around hers.

"Listen, you have to do what you think is best, and remember that any decision you make can be undone. You move here and don't like it? Go back to California. You stay there and it sucks? Come back to us." I smiled, but my words only seemed to hurt her rather than help.

"My apology is for the way I treated you when I first got here. You didn't deserve it. I pre-judged you. Forgive me."

"My actions and the way I lived my life had everyone judging me the same, and you were all right." I pursed my lips. "Your apology is accepted, but it wasn't needed. You were the wake-up call that I needed so desperately."

"Why are you so damn nice?" She tugged her hand from me.

"Because I care about you, Chloe. I want your happiness. Wherever that is...go there. Be free to live your life." I forced a smile and picked up my hot chocolate. "You and I will be friends no matter where you are."

"What if I want more than a friendship?" She sucked her lip into her mouth as her eyebrows pulled together.

"Then we work on that while you're here, and when it's time to go, nothing changes. If we decided to be together like that, then location shouldn't change that. It would be hard, but worth it, right?"

"Yeah. I'm over-thinking this. I just can't help myself."

"Let's finish up here, and get on with the rest of the afternoon. We don't need to sit here and figure out the future. I'm sorry for being an ass, and you're sorry for being so fucking hot, and it's all good." I lifted my hands and shrugged.

She laughed, and leaned back in her chair as the worry on her pretty face melted. "Did you find out anything about our Dads? Why they can't stand each other?"

"Nope. I mentioned it to my Dad, but he closed up tighter than a clam." I stood and offered her my hand. "That's their problem, not ours. When it becomes ours, I'll deal with it for us."

She took my hand and lifted her mug. "Let's get these to go. I don't know what I figured we could work through up here, but I'm over it."

"Good, besides, I'd rather snuggle up by the fireplace and work through our shit if anything comes up as it comes up." I pulled her to me and kissed the top of her head. "But... I'm a simple man. I don't need complexity and I take things as they come."

"I like that. A lot." She moved up and kissed me once before taking my drink to have them put into to-go containers. "So, if I didn't want the peppermint hot chocolate, were you going to drink it?"

"Sure was." I slipped my hands in my pockets and tilted my head as I studied her. Butterflies ripped through the center of me as she narrowed her eyes a little.

"Even though you don't like it?"

"If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." I chuckled, knowing what was coming next, and said it in tandem with her.

"Ain't isn't a word." She smiled and walked back to the counter, leaving me with my insides on fire and the future opened for anything to happen. It was terrifying, but would be worth every minute that I got to enjoy.

* * * *

"How do you want your steak cooked, baby?" I glanced over my shoulder at her. We were on the small porch I'd built at the back of my cabin. Her long legs were stretched out as she lounged in a chair beside me, the top half of her wrapped in three blankets. All I could see was her little red nose and piercing green eyes.

"Medium." She lifted her mouth out of the covers before slipping it back under quickly.

I turned the steaks, and moved to sit beside her on the lounge chair. "Did you have that meeting with your Dad over the jackets?"

She nodded as the top of her cheeks lifted above the covers.

"And?" I reached out and tugged the blanket down. "Tell me what happened."

"It went really well. He's going to let me take one of the designs to market under his line. I guess he wants me to understand the full cycle from idea to an actual product on the shelves."

"And you're excited?" I pulled the blanket back up.

She nodded, and I stood, checking the meat one more time before pulling it off the grill.

"Let's get inside, Miss, I hate the cold." I grabbed my beer and put my shoulder against the door as she moved in quickly behind me, grumbling about the freezing cold weather.

After setting the steaks down in the kitchen and checking on the potatoes and green beans on the stove, I walked over to the fireplace, and wrapped her in a hug from behind. She was thick due to the blankets, but I still managed to get my arms around her. I snuggled my face into the side of her neck as she swatted at me.

"Your nose is cold! Damn."

"Hush, woman. Part of being my girl means you have to warm me up when I'm cold. It's in the contract." I smiled and moved back as she turned to face me.

"All of you?" Her lips turned up into a naughty smile and my chest tightened.

"Yeah. Every last inch." I pulled her in tightly and kissed her with the intent of exploring her warm mouth. The sensation of her cold lips and nose combined with the warm wetness of her mouth caused a growl to slip from my lips. "I want you, Chloe. Say your stay the night with me."

She nodded, and pulled her thick bottom lip into her mouth as she watched me. It was enough of an agreement for me. I kissed her nose and moved back to the kitchen. "I'm not the only one with a freezing-ass cold nose."

Her laughter caused me to glance over my shoulder.

"What?" I asked.

"Freezing-ass. We should just make that our private joke. You're a grown-ass man with a freezing-ass cold nose."

I laughed too, and shook my head. "Tell me a few things about you while I cut this up, then we'll eat."

"Like what?" She moved to sit on the stool at my small two-seater table.

"Like your age. Where you were born. Um...the color of your panties?" I kept my back to her, but couldn't help the huge smile that lifted my lips.

"I'm twenty-four. I was born here in Aspen and I don't wear panties."

I jerked around and pinned her with a stare. "You do, too. You had on panties the other night in your bedroom."