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Chapters (48)
  1. 1. One
  2. 2. Two
  3. 3. Three
  4. 4. Four
  5. 5. Five
  6. 6. Six
  7. 7. Seven
  8. 8. Eight
  9. 9. Nine
  10. 10. Ten
  11. 11. Eleven
  12. 12. Twelve
  13. 13. Thirteen
  14. 14. Fourteen
  15. 15. Fifteen
  16. 16. Sixteen
  17. 17. Seventeen
  18. 18. Eighteen
  19. 19. Nineteen
  20. 20. Twenty
  21. 21. Twenty-One
  22. 22. Twenty-Two
  23. 23. Twenty-Three
  24. 24. Twenty-Four
  25. 25. Twenty-Five
  26. 26. Twenty-Six
  27. 27. Twenty-Seven
  28. 28. Twenty-Eight
  29. 29. Twenty-Nine
  30. 30. Thirty
  31. 31. Thirty-One
  32. 32. Thirty-Two
  33. 33. Thirty-three
  34. 34. Thirty-Four
  35. 35. Thirty-Five
  36. 36. Thirty-Six
  37. 37. Thirty-Seven
  38. 38. Thirty-Eight
  39. 39. Thirty-Nine
  40. 40. Forty
  41. 41. Forty-One
  42. 42. Forty-Two
  43. 43. Forty-three
  44. 44. Epilogue
  45. Afterword
  46. Also by
  47. Acknowledgments
  48. About Author

“Yup,” Olive answered for me and crossed her arms, staring Alea down. Neither girl budged. It was a staring contest of epic proportions, the battle of the century, Scar versus Mufasa. And I was an innocent bystander who was about to witness the fight that should be televised by all boxing stations. It was violently uncomfortable watching it go down, but I couldn’t look away. My twenty-five-year-old girlfriend and my nine-year-old student, both with attitudes that could drive you up the wall—having a stare down. I could’ve sworn a tumbleweed rolled in the background of their duel. This resort was clearly not big enough for the both of them.

“Well, Finn, my teacher, needs to come to class now,” Alea sassed Olive.

“Well, my boyfriend will be there shortly.” Olive stared her down.

What is happening right now?

“Um, guys,” I muttered but neither of them acknowledged me.

Olive stood, towering over Alea, but what she didn’t know was that Alea’s attitude was taller than this entire building.

Their staring contest continued until I touched Olive on the shoulder. “I probably should go, Olive. I’ll see you tonight though, right? Day four?”

Olive didn’t look away from Alea, who smiled at me and said, “Yeah. He should probably go.”

Olive finally tore her gaze away from the little girl. “I’ll see you tonight.” She planted a big kiss on my cheek, her lipstick undoubtedly leaving a mark, and I made no endeavor to remove it.

“Bye, babe.” Olive turned to leave but not before giving Alea a cold stare.

These two girls would be the death of me.

26. Twenty-Six

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The last three days had been some of the best I could remember. Finn made Christmas plans for us each day, and his excitement was adorable. It was like a child dragging you to go meet Santa; it was cold and you didn’t want to stand in the lines, but seeing how excited they got when they finally met him made it worth it.

Day Four

After I stopped by the lodge to surprise him, he took me to a bonfire that Cooper had at his house, where he excitedly introduced me to all of their friends and their girlfriends. One of the girlfriends brought her dog, and I stuck by his side all night; dogs that were fluffy and begging to be squished were my kryptonite. Finn eventually pulled me away and brought me near the fire. I sat in his lap—due to limited seating of course—close to the warm glow, and every time the smoke came my way, he would pick me up and move me. His friends ribbed him about being whipped, and he never once denied it. It was a tiny view into his personal life, and I smiled the whole way home.

Day Five