“Max was just telling us about the ranching software he sold to Google,” Josh says excitedly.

“Seriously?” I turn to Max and shake his hand. “Congrats, man.”

“Thank you.”

“Jilly says you’re moving back to town,” I reply and sip my beer.

“Yeah, she’s going to sell me a house.” He cringes and leans in to talk quietly. “I don’t want any weirdness between us. I didn’t know you were dating her when I asked her out.”

“I wasn’t then, man. If we were, Jill wouldn’t have gone with you. It’s all good.”

He nods and we’re sucked back into the conversation with the others. Finally, Grace yawns.

“Sorry guys, I love you all, but this is boring. I’m going to go talk about sexy shoes with the girls, even though I can never wear shoes like theirs because I would die a very violent, painful death.”

“Enjoy, darling.”

“Cheerio, love,” she calls back to him in a horrible accent, making us all laugh.

“She’s always doing that,” Jacob murmurs as he watches Grace with lovesick eyes.

Ty and Brad wander over to join us, and now we are officially split, men versus women.

“Couldn’t take the shoe talk anymore?” I ask Ty.

“Dude, they’re on to purses now.”

“Handbags,” Brad corrects him with a shudder. “We got schooled on the whole, ‘they’re not purses, they’re handbags’ thing. So we came over here where it’s safe.”

“Who the fuck spends a thousand dollars on a purse?” Ty asks.

“Handbag,” Brad says again. “We don’t ever want that lecture again.”

“Oh, some spend more than that,” Jacob adds with a wince. “It’s ridiculous.”

“Cara spends hundreds on her hair, just to keep it straight. I don’t get it. It’s hair. Wash it and be done with it.” Josh shakes his head in confusion.

“I pay fifteen dollars to get my hair cut,” I reply with a shake of the head. Is this what will keep Jillian happy? Thousands of dollars’ worth of accessories and designer clothes and hair and nails? I’m not a poor man, but I can’t give her that. I glance over at her and see her laughing with Jenna, with her designer shoes and jeans, the handbag with the MK emblem on the side.

“My apologies, mates, but if spoiling my Grace with a trip to the hair salon makes her smile, I’m happy to do it.” Jacob shrugs but doesn’t look in the least bit embarrassed.

I take a deep breath to clear my head, then feel Jill’s small hand on my arm. “Zack?”

“Hey, sugar.” I turn to smile at her, and my heart stills in my chest at the happy grin on her gorgeous face. Her blue eyes are big and bright, and she bites that luscious lower lip of hers as she slips her arm through mine and presses her round breast to my arm.

Fuck, I love her tits.

“What are you guys talking about?”

“Women,” I reply honestly and tweak her nose with my fingertip.

“Oh good, I came at the right time.” She laughs and leans her cheek against my upper arm.

“Actually,” Jacob begins as he checks his watch, “it looks like things are about to start.”

The night-skiing lights on the mountain go out, leaving the small ski village in utter darkness. Suddenly, music begins to play from a DJ booth near the ski lift. As Rihanna sings, asking someone to stay, an MC takes a mike.

“Welcome to the annual torchlight parade! In just a few moments you’ll be able to see the skiers come down the mountain with their red torches. There will also be a fireworks show, courtesy of Jacob Paxton, the generous sponsor of this event!”

A round of applause is heard, then the music volume goes up and we all gather around the railing, watching the dark hill.

I pull Jill in front of me and wrap my arms around her shoulders. She holds on to my arms and leans against my chest. I plant my lips in her hair and breathe her in, her scent, her warmth, mentally counting the hours until I can scoop her up and carry her down to our room and bury myself inside her for the night, forgetting about everything but her.

But us.

“Look!” Jill points to the top of the hill, where we can barely see a warm red glow as the skiers begin to ski down the mountain.

They ski down in a crisscross pattern at a relatively slow pace. When the skiers in the front reach the halfway mark down the mountain, the fireworks begin.

And this is the part I’ve been dreading all night. Jill looks up at me to watch my face. I kiss her forehead and murmur, “I’m fine.”

And I will be.

But while everyone around me enjoys the fireworks display, it’s a private hell for me. The sounds, the bursts of light, are all too reminiscent of warfare, and I’ve seen enough of that to last me a fucking lifetime.

If I never saw fireworks again, it would be too soon.

I keep my eyes trained on the lights of the pyrotechnics. It helps if I can keep my eyes on them, rather than just hearing the loud boom, wondering where it’s coming from. I let go of Jill and brace my hands on the railing before her, still caging her in, but now I’m able to tighten my fists without her knowing.

I bury my nose in Jill’s hair, take a long, deep breath, and pray that it’s almost over.

The skiers are almost all down the mountain now, and the fireworks are coming faster and bigger now, signaling the finale.