Beyond Reason by Karice Bolton

“You’re going to be okay. When he sees you, all will be forgiven. No one could possibly stay mad at that face.”
    I turned in my seat and my eyes narrowed as I studied him. “How do you always know what’s bothering me?”
    “Just lucky, I guess.”
    “What if I meet him and nothing changes? I go back to Portland and am still as screwed up as I’ve always been. All these years, I’ve been able to blame my choices on my past, and what if the problem is really just me?” I laughed, but it didn’t sound very funny.
    Ayden turned slightly in the chair and lifted up the armrest between us.
    “You’re not anymore screwed up than the rest of us, Lily.”
    “Oh, but I am,” I assured him.
    “I’m not exactly sure what you’re referring to, but the Lily I know is a passionate free-spirit who embraces friendship fiercely.”
    “I’ll give you that. I’m an awesome friend, but I suck at romantic relationships. That’s what I was referring to.” I smiled, and I knew he knew it too.
    “You don’t see a ring on my finger either,” he laughed, wiggling his ring finger.
    “Doesn’t mean you suck. You just haven’t found that special someone.”
    “So why can’t you apply that same line of thinking to yourself. You put so much pressure on yourself,” he whispered, as one of the flight attendants walked down the aisle.
    I couldn’t explain it to him, what it was like to feel numb time and again. And how I so desperately wanted the numbness to fade. Besides we were on our way to a ski vacation, where he would eventually meet up with Sammie, and I would do who knows what with what I was about to discover.
    “Maybe you just haven’t found the right person. Or maybe you did and he’s in Utah.”
    “Now onto the most important question of all,” I said, grinning
    “And what is that?”
    “Are you a member of the mile-high club?”
    He wriggled his brows, and I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “I’ll never tell.”
    Without the armrest separating us, I leaned against him and began reading again, this time flipping the page and allowing myself to bury my mind into someone else’s world.

 
     
     
     
    “Can we just stay here forever?” Brandy asked, as we all piled into the grand foyer of the condo.
    Besides the fact that the snow began falling once we reached Deer Valley, the lodge was stunning and our condo was spectacular. This was turning into a perfect getaway.
    The foyer was two stories high and exposed beams jetted from above in a sunburst pattern. The wall to my left was covered in built-ins for snow gear and straight in front of us was the great room. This would be a wonderful refuge if things headed south on me this week.
    “Kudos to whoever picked this place out,” I replied, following Jason and Gabby down the hall.
    Gabby stopped and took a bow just as I looked around the great room. A large leather sectional framed the room along with several overstuffed chairs, and a huge flat screen was anchored above the fireplace. The room opened to the kitchen, which was just as grand as the rest of the condo. Dark granite countertops covered the rustic, lower cabinets, and the breakfast bar was large enough to fit six chairs.
    Ayden came up behind me and set his hand on my shoulder, sending a prickle of electricity down my arm. “This is all fine and dandy, but we need to figure out the bedroom situation. That’s where we’ll see what’s up,” he said.
    For some reason, hearing Ayden mention the word ‘bedroom’ messed with me. I closed my eyes and rolled them simultaneously at my pitiful reaction.
    “There are five bedrooms,” Gabby replied, but her voice went up an octave on the word bedrooms.
    Oh, no. There was a catch.
    “Two of the bedrooms have an adjoining ensuite. The other three share two main bathrooms,” she said.
    “That’s no big deal,” I said, shrugging my shoulder.
    “One of the bedrooms has bunk beds. Two of ‘em. Twin size.” Brandy took over for Gabby.