“We’ve always made a great pair,” Tyler said proudly. He looked over at Luke. “Could you get a picture of us?” He held out his phone to Luke.
“No, he doesn’t need to do that,” Riley said, embarrassed.
She tried to take the phone from Tyler, but Luke got to it first. “It’s no problem. You both look like you’ve stepped out of a magazine.”
“That was the plan,” Tyler said as he put his arm around Riley. She knew she should have been enjoying the moment, but instead, she felt awkward having Luke take their photo.
“Say ‘Christmas Camp,’” Luke said as he held up Tyler’s phone.
“Christmas Camp,” Riley said, smiling the kind of smile that said, Hurry up and take the picture.
“Got it,” Luke said and handed Tyler his phone.
“Thank you,” Tyler said. He checked the picture and smiled. “We look great.”
Riley frowned. “You look great. I look a little . . . constipated.”
Tyler laughed. “You’re always so critical of yourself. That dress looks fantastic on you. We need to get going. Are you ready?”
“I’m ready,” Riley said.
“You two kids have fun,” Luke said as he started to stack the firewood again.
When Riley glanced back at him, he had already turned away.
Tyler took her hand. “Let’s go.”
When Riley saw a shiny black stretch limo waiting in front of the lodge, she felt like Cinderella going to a Christmas ball.
Tyler held the door for her, and they got in. As the limo pulled out of the driveway, Tyler popped a bottle of Champagne and poured them each a glass.
“You got my favorite Champagne,” Riley said. “You remembered . . .”
Tyler handed her a glass. “I remember everything. The time we spent together was the best time of my life.”
“Really?” Riley asked. She didn’t even try to hide her surprise. “You never told me that before.”
Tyler held his Champagne up for a toast. “I realize I never told you a lot of things that I should have, but I’m hoping to change all that, starting with tonight. A toast, to new beginnings and happy endings.”
When their glasses touched, their eyes met, and Riley felt like this really was the start of a new beginning for her and Tyler.
A half hour later, as the limo pulled up to a ritzy resort, guilt twisted in Riley’s stomach. They were at the Skyline Resort, the new five-star resort Luke had told her about that was taking away all his customers.
Even from the limo, Riley could see how impressive the property was. By the size of it, she guessed there were well over a thousand rooms. The entrance to the resort was lavishly decorated with modern gold Christmas decorations. There was also a huge waterfall lit up with shimmering gold lights.
When they entered the lobby, they were immediately whisked away by one of the concierges to a penthouse suite Tyler had rented, where he had planned a private dinner for them.
The suite was decorated in the same gold theme as the rest of the resort and had its own magnificent Christmas tree and a wall of windows with a breathtaking view of the mountains. There was also a fire burning and dozens of candles, giving the suite a romantic glow.
There was more Champagne, as well as chocolate-covered strawberries, when they arrived, followed by one of the most elaborate—and delicious—meals she’d ever had.
Tyler had ordered all her favorite foods, including fresh oysters and mussels flown in from Atlantic Canada to start, a local Colorado grass-fed T-bone steak and an Australian lobster-tail for their main course, and crème brûlée for dessert.
A string quartet played classical Christmas music during their meal, and when they played “Silent Night,” Tyler got up and asked her to dance.
Riley hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” Tyler asked. Then he remembered. “That’s right. You don’t love Christmas music. I can have them play something else…”
Riley quickly stood up and touched his arm. “No, this is fine, but maybe we can sit by the fire instead…”
“And have some port,” Tyler finished for her. “I remember you like that.”
Riley was impressed again. “Only because you introduced me to it. It’s like a liquid dessert. Who wouldn’t like it?”
“Consider it done.”
Riley saw a waiter was already leaving the room and figured he was probably going to get the port.
As she sat down on the couch by the fire in the magical setting, she felt very spoiled.
When Tyler sat down next to her, she smiled at him. “Thank you for planning such a special evening.”
Tyler looked into her eyes. “Thank you for saying yes.”
“So how are you?” Riley asked “How is work? Busy as always?”
Tyler settled back and got comfortable. “Actually, I’ve been cutting back on my hours.”
Riley raised her eyebrows. “Really? Why?”
“I want more time to travel and enjoy life,” Tyler said.
“Wait, who are you and what have you done with Tyler?” Riley asked. “You love your work.”
Tyler nodded. “I do, but once I made partner, I realized I got the title and the money, but without having someone to share my success with, it all felt pretty empty. I’ve met all my goals. Now I want to set some new goal that have nothing to do with my career.”
Riley nodded. “I’m happy for you. You deserve some downtime and to figure out what makes you happy and to do it.”
Tyler took her hand. “I already know what makes me happy, and that’s why I’m here. I know when we were dating I didn’t make enough time for us, but if you’ll give me a chance, I’ll show you how things could be different. With my new schedule, I’ll have more time to visit you in Arizona, and we could do some trips together, whatever you want. What are your plans for the future? What do you want?”
Riley stared into the fire. “That’s a great question. I thought I had a plan with writing my books, but now everything
