There was no mention of girlfriend, no mention of spending time with each other back in the States, at least, not yet.
On the bedside table sat the fabled letter from Blanca. Colin had placed it there the night he’d let her read it, and he hadn’t touched it since.
Sabela wasn’t sure what to make of it.
The contents of the envelope were the embodiment of the thorn she’d been looking for, but now that she knew what the issue was, she wasn’t sure how to best go about fixing the problem. Apart from offering her support and being understanding, there seemed to be nothing she could do.
Sabela looked up as she heard the doors open. Colin strolled into the room. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.
“I thought you’d be back later,” she said. “I wouldn’t have been such a couch potato if I knew you’d be back so soon.”
“It’s cute,” Colin said, smile growing. “You look hot lounging on my bed. I wonder if I can convince you to spend more time there.”
Sabela shot him a playful look. “You do have a talent at persuasion.”
He laughed and came over beside the bed. “I wanted to set things right, and I made a decision while I was working that I couldn’t wait to act on, so here I am.”
To her surprise, Colin plucked Blanca’s letter from the bedside table and held it out to her.
“Um?”
“You want to confirm that the letter is inside that envelope?” he asked.
What a strange request. Sabela sat up and took the envelope from him, then verified that the letter was still inside. She handed it back. “It is. What are you about to do, a magic trick? You sound like a magician.”
“We’ll go with that,” Colin said with a nod. “Magician works well.”
He was being so strange. Sabela squinted at him, but Colin didn’t explain himself. Instead, he crossed the room and approached the lit fireplace.
“Now watch as I make my past disappear.”
Sabela gasped.
With a flick of his wrist, Colin tossed the envelope, letter and all, into the flames.
The old paper burned easily. It curled and caught, searing black before crumbling into ash. The last mark of Colin’s past was gone, all of his own volition.
Sabela caught his gaze, stupefied. “Did you just do that?” she asked, breathless.
“Nothing up my sleeves,” Colin promised, shrugging off his suit jacket. He unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and showed her his wrists. “I just did that.”
He crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. “I don’t want the past anymore. I was serious about what I told you the other night. I want to focus on the future, and I want that future to be with you.”
Heat rose to her cheeks. To drive his statement home, Colin reached out and laid his hand on top of hers. Sabela couldn’t stop looking at his lips, eager to feel them against hers again.
Her heart beat a rhythm for him and him alone. “Colin, I … Thank you.”
“You’ve freed me.”
He squeezed her hand, and Sabela leaned in, craving his kiss, when there was a soft knock at the door.
Colin sighed. “Bad timing.” He raised his voice to be heard outside. “Yes?”
“It’s me, Sir, with lunch,” Marie called from the other side. “May I come in?”
“You may.”
Wrapped up in one of Colin’s shirts, Sabela sat up. She wasn’t embarrassed anymore around Marie. She was a grown woman, after all, and she was proud to be Colin Morgan’s girlfriend.
Marie set up their lunch at the end of the bed, then bowed her head and left, all smiles. She’d been smiling a lot in the last few days. Sabela figured Marie must approve.
Sabela was glad, too.
As they ate, she thought about the letter, now turned to ash. There was something about it that didn’t seem right, and she wasn’t convinced that she had all the facts.
“I know you said you’re done with the past, and I am, too. But would you mind if I asked you a few questions? If I’m reopening old wounds and you don’t want to answer, I understand.”
The fork paused halfway to Colin’s mouth, and he set it down again to give her his full attention. “I guess I can understand why you would be curious given the circumstances. It’s okay. Ask away.”
“How long did you say you dated Blanca?”
“That’s a hard question for me to answer. I never dated anyone but Blanca, so I felt like I had been with her forever. Our friendship grew into something more without really being defined, but I knew her since grade school, if that helps,” he said.
“And both of you knew my brother?”
She could see the lines tighten on Colin’s face. She wondered if she would regret asking him these questions and dredging up the past when he had so firmly tried to tell her he was done with it.
“Yes. I knew Trevor almost as long as I knew Blanca.”
Colin hesitated and sighed. It was difficult for him, but Sabela was proud of him for pushing through his discomfort to be open with her.
“Trevor always had a thing for Blanca,” Colin said. “She was softhearted, and she could never be unkind to him, even when he deserved it. I told her that she was stringing him along by not being clearer about her feelings, but she used to laugh at me and say they were just joking around as friends. Trevor, of course, took Blanca’s kindness as romantic interest.”
“The letter from her made it sound like she had been with Trevor for a while. You had no clue about any of that?” Sabela asked.
Colin’s brow furrowed. “Is there some point to these questions? Maybe you should just ask me what you want to ask me.”
Sabela shook her head. “I’m sorry. I realize that this is painful for you. I’ve been thinking about it ever since you told me your story, and it just seems so strange.”
How was she supposed to put what amounted to little more than intuition into words? “I didn’t know anything about my brother being with Blanca. I just would have thought that if they were together, I would’ve seen them. But I guess if he was trying to keep it under the radar, secrecy would make sense. They must have been sneaking around to hide their relationship from you. I apologize for bringing it up.”
Colin’s jawline twitched. “Well, they definitely did a good job of being together without anyone knowing, especially me. Perhaps if you’re done asking these questions then, we can move on,” he said.
“Of course.” Sabela thou
ght she shouldn’t have brought it all up. It didn’t serve any purpose, did it, really? She told herself to leave it alone.
Colin had laid everything out in front of her. She understood that he’d been hurt and felt betrayed, and he’d been lonely for a long time. Now he was taking a chance on her.
He was opening up to her.
She wanted that, and she didn’t want anything to get in their way.
What she thought was a ruined moment mellowed quickly. Colin turned to her, and she saw that the agitation was gone.
“I’m sorry for getting defensive,” he said.
Sabela couldn’t believe how quickly and easily he apologized. It was progress of the most promising sort.
“And I’m sorry for bringing up the past when you’re trying so hard to bury it,” she said.
Colin leaned over and brushed her forehead with his lips. “I have another conference call I need to get on. Finish your lunch and enjoy the rest of the day. Maybe we can hit the slopes again tomorrow.”
“Joy, oh joy,” Sabela replied dryly, but she followed it up with a wink. “Will you be more patient this time?”
“I’ll do my best. I’m determined to make a skier out of you yet.”
She groaned. “Believe me, your time is better spent elsewhere.”
“Baby, any time spent with you is the best.” He gave her a sexy wink, and left her with a silly grin on her face.
She sighed, thinking about how tight his ass looked in the jeans he was wearing. Later, she’d be wanting a handful of that. She tittered and snuggled back under the covers.
Chapter Forty
COLIN’S DAYS PASSED IN LAZY moments spent with Sabela in bed and around the chalet and Andermatt.
Colin couldn’t remember a time when he’d been happier.
Waking up next to Sabela every morning was a treasure he cherished, and the laughter she brought into his life had no equal.
Burning Blanca’s letter was the best decision of his life to date, and he knew that from it, other wonderful opportunities opened themselves up.
He hoped to share some of the best moments of his life with Sabela.
Colin’s associates were expected to arrive the next day, and Sabela had been delighted to help both him and Marie with the planning. They tested dishes, discussed plans and in general got to know one another better.