Our Love Story

But lucky for all of us, I am spending the day with her.

And that means I will make all those walls she’s trying to protect herself with crumble.

In fact, breaking the ice is my specialty.

She’s in the kitchen drinking a green smoothie when I walk in, a bag of gear slung over my shoulder.

“Hey gorgeous,” I say, leaning over and kissing her on the check.

She smiles at me, and then picking up her glass as she frowns. “Why do you guys drink this every day?” she asks. “It is a kale-broccoli disaster in here.”

I laugh, and Enzo and Mason, who are working on editing their videos from the last two days for our MeTube channel, give Chloe a hard time.

“Love, we’ve gotta keep in shape, so we don’t get dropped by our sponsors,” Enzo tells her. “And kale is the breakfast of champions.”

She jumps off her stool, offering him her drink. “In that case, enjoy. And I will find something carb-a-licious.”

“I know a bakery on the way out of town,” I tell her, smacking her ass. “Let’s get you something sweet on our way to the mountain.”

She beams. “Perfect. Also, I need a coffee.”

“We have coffee here,” Mason says, pointing to the coffee pot.

“Yeah, but you are apparently morally opposed to half-and-half and refined sugar. Both are non-negotiable when it comes to my morning beverage. And I’ve managed through two days on that stuff, but I can’t stomach a third.”

She gives the guys quick kisses goodbye, and then before we leave she mentions not having had a chance to tell Ethan good-bye.

“He is probably still in bed.”

“Well, I’ll just leave him a quick note,” she says. She grabs a notebook from Mason and writes him a note in her perfect cursive.

Dear Ethan,

Sorry I missed you this morning. I wanted to let you know I appreciate that you care so much about making sure I am taken care of. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. Please take any legal action you think is best. I trust you.

And I can’t wait to spend tomorrow by your side.

xoxo,

ChloeShe passes it around so we are all on the same page, then asks Mason to make sure Ethan gets it. I pull my arms around her, so fucking grateful she is able to take Ethan’s meltdown in stride.* * *Not too long after, Chloe and I are in the Jeep with buttery croissants and vanilla lattes in tow. She is smiling, her hair is blowing in the morning breeze and a pair of sunglasses she borrowed from the glove box on her face.

“Happy now?” I ask as she sips her coffee.

“So, happy.” She squeezes my hand, and I pull it to my lips, offering her knuckles a kiss.

“So... Wanna talk about Ethan?”

She sighs. “Honestly, not really. I mean, I get it. We all have our stuff and for whatever reason, the Jordan stuff is triggering him.”

“He has had a rough go of things,” I tell her. I’ve always felt protective of Ethan, and the fact that Chloe isn’t pulling away from him tells me a lot about her.

“Well, I can relate to that.”

I nod. “Yeah. Enzo told us about your childhood, your family. I’m so sorry Chloe.”

She reaches for her croissant and rips a piece off. “It just feels so good to be able to open up to you guys. I don’t know if you understand how special it is. I have never had men in my life I could really be vulnerable with. That’s probably why I’m a twenty-two-year-old virgin.”

“Hey,” I say, pulling the Jeep to a stop as we arrive at our destination. “Have I told you how much I love that fact that you are a virgin? That you’ve waited all this time for us? I can’t imagine a hotter situation.”

“Is that all this is to you? About hot sex?”

I swallow, wanting her to understand that is not it at all. “Chloe, I’ve always been the asshole in my life. The womanizing jokester. I want to believe I have what it takes to be the man a woman would need me to be…

“But the truth is, the idea of sharing you with the other guys makes me feel better. Takes the pressure off. Maybe that makes me sound like a fucking pussy. But I’ve known you for only a handful of days and am already terrified of fucking things up with you.”

She unbuckles her seatbelt and turns in her seat to face me. “Last night I thought you guys were saying this was only a week-long fling. Now it sounds like you think it might be more than that?”

I look unblinkingly into Chloe’s eyes. Fuck, this woman is changing me.

“I’ve never been like this before. So head over heels for a woman I hardly know. But everything I know about you tells me you’re the sort of woman that could handle me. A woman who wouldn’t put up with my bullshit, a woman who would challenge me to be a better man.”