Grayson pressed deep into her one more time and let go, losing himself in her sweetness and heat while breathing in the scent that would remind him always of her. This, he thought as his body cooled and twitched with aftershocks, is the kind of thing that changes plans and lives. And he’d thought he’d had great sex with Heather. That was nothing compared to what’d just happened with Emma.

“Am I crushing you?” he said after a long silence.

“Not at all.” Her hands continued to move on his back, soothing as much as arousing him.

“Are you okay?”

“Uh-huh. You?”

“Never been better.”

“Never?” she asked in a small voice that tugged at his every emotion.

He raised his head to look down at her. “Never,” he said, kissing her. “Not even close.”

She beamed with pleasure at hearing that. “Glad to know I’ve still got it.”

“Oh, you’ve got it, all right. In fact, I can’t wait to have more of what you’ve got.”

“You were worth waiting for, Grayson.”

Her softly spoken words touched him deep inside. “So were you.”

Lucy stood at the bottom of the bunny hill and watched as Colton patiently taught Simone how to ski. She could see him talking with his hands and pointing to the skis as well as demonstrating what he was trying to convey to the little girl who hung on his every word. Simone loved Colton almost as much as Lucy did.

Colton pointed to the bottom of the hill, and Simone nodded.

Lucy was too far away to see for sure, but she suspected Simone was biting her lower lip in concentration as she tried to put it all together—skis and poles and body positioning.

Colton stayed close, ready to intervene in case of disaster.

Wearing the helmet Colton had insisted on to protect her head, Simone moved slowly, carefully and with determination as she started down the little hill.

“You’re doing great,” Colton called to her. “Keep it up!”

Lucy used her phone to video Simone’s descent as well as her triumphant smile at safely reaching the bottom of the hill. “Great job! You did it!”

“I want to do it again. Can we go again, Uncle Colton?”

“You bet.” Winking at Lucy, he steered Simone toward the towrope that would take them back up the hill.

Every time they were with Simone, he was endlessly patient and creative in thinking up ways to entertain an active, bright nine-year-old. He’d even gotten Simone interested in the making of maple syrup, and now she wanted to come back to Vermont in the spring to help during the sugaring season.

They waved from the top of the hill, and Lucy began recording again, following Simone as she made the tight little turns that Colton had taught her.