I kissed him, and he laughed.
“Damn, that means the place you like is pretty darn expensive, isn’t it?”
I laughed, and Blake grinned, kissed me, and said, “That’s fine. Whatever it takes to be with the girl I care about.”
After a comically heated hotel debate, with the aid of some research on my phone, Blake and I decided on Mountain Chalet Aspen, Blake admittedly grudgingly.
“I really liked Hotel Jerome,” he said. “Their bedroom was the best-looking room I’ve ever seen in my life, and I can just imagine what good sleep we’d get in that comfy bed.”
“Blake, it was over 1,000 dollars for one night; I’m not letting you spend that much money on me, no matter how comfy the bed is.”
“Oh come on, Claire, it’s not every day I get to have a sleepover with the prettiest girl in Aspen.”
I giggled and elbowed him. “Oh hush. The Mountain Chalet is more our style and you know it. It’s right on the hills, has a nice hot tub and sauna, and we even get a free breakfast, no hunting required.”
Blake laughed. “Well, you can't blame a guy for trying.”
I kissed him on the cheek.
“And if you’re trying to impress me by spending a lot, that’s very generous of you, but very unnecessary. I just care about spending time with you.”
Staring into my eyes, Blake suddenly leaped up, grabbed me, and spun me around. The world was a sailing, laughing blur, and once Blake put me down, it took me a moment to get my bearings again.
“What was that for?” I asked him, my smile still face-wide.
Blake was smiling dopily himself.
“Just… I don’t know. You’re really great. That’s all.”
I kissed him and then whispered in his ear, “I think you’re really great too.”
With another grin at me, Blake grabbed my hand and set off in the direction of Mountain Chalet Aspen.
“C’mon, Claire, we have a sauna to check out.”
When I glanced back into the park one last time, the bird from before was still in the same spot, waiting for its companion to return. Why did I still have a bad feeling about all this?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The hotel was even nicer than we’d expected. The staff was kind and courteous and the sauna was a dreamy and warm. The whole night was one long, wonderful whirling from one thing to another: from the pool to the sauna to the restaurant and back again. By the time we collapsed in the comfy bed, I was euphoric and terrified.
I’d never been so happy in my whole life. I couldn’t take it if tomorrow didn’t go well. Already, I couldn’t stand the thought of losing Blake.
The next morning, I woke up early, nervous about meeting Lila. I dressed and brushed my teeth quietly, careful not to disturb Blake.
However, when I put my hand on the door handle, he said, “Just where do you think you’re going?”
I turned to find him sitting upright and staring at me, looking wide awake.
“Oh. I thought you were still sleeping,” I said. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”
He smiled and patted the spot on the bed beside him. “This is our vacation, remember? I want to spend every minute of it with you that I can.”
I went to sit beside him, and he wrapped his arms around me and snuggled me under the covers with him. I went gladly and let him cover me in kisses, let his hand slide through my hair.
“It would’ve been too hard to get out of bed without you,” he said into my ear. “What were you thinking, just leaving?”
I responded by kissing him, because I didn’t want to admit that I was already trying to consciously distance myself from him in case our lunch with Lila went poorly. Hell, I knew Lila—when our lunch with her went poorly.
“I’m nervous about today,” Blake admitted.
“About that,” I said, sitting up. “Lila’s a very…strong personality. After all that’s happened, she may not be all that…receptive to me being with someone. So just don’t take it personally if things don’t go super well.”
“Okay,” Blake said, sitting up himself. “Though you did tell her about me, that I’m coming, right?”
I said nothing, and he exhaled.
“You didn’t, did you? You didn’t even tell her that I exist at all.”
I sighed and turned to him. “Listen, Blake. You don’t know Lila. She’s difficult, dramatic. I figured it was better to tell her in person.”
Blake was eyeing me coolly, and he asked, “Better for who—me or you?”