“Okay.” Turning back to face the front of the canoe, he carefully placed his paddle down. “Cody?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we have a selfie?”
“Course we can.” I leaned forwards, my own smile coming so easily as he held up his camera and grinned into the lens.
We explored the lake for almost an hour, taking in the scenery from every angle. When our time was up and we’d returned the canoe, Jude dragged me over to a tourist board with a map showing the different trails we could take.
“Let’s go for a walk,” he said, bouncing on his toes, and caught up in his enthusiasm, I picked a trail at random, a hike up the mountain to a teahouse at the side of another alpine lake.
“It’s three and a half kilometres each way,” I said, studying the route. “You up for it?”
“Yeah. That’s nothing. And it’s a teahouse on a mountain! We don’t have those in England.”
His enthusiasm suddenly disappeared, his brows pulling together, and I followed his gaze to the placard next to the map. Pressing my shoulder against his, I lowered my voice. “What’s up?”
“Uh, Cody. Look at that warning sign. We’re not gonna get eaten by grizzly bears, are we?”
“No. You’ll be making enough noise to scare them away,” I assured him.
An expression of outrage wiped away his apprehension, and I managed to distract him by teasing him about running his mouth as we headed for the start of the trail. While there was a miniscule chance of bear sightings, the likelihood of us actually being attacked by one on a well-trodden trail in the height of summer was almost non-existent.
By the time we reached Lake Agnes, we were both slightly out of breath from the hike, but the views made it all worthwhile. Rounding the corner as the trail came to an end, the first thing I saw was the small mountain lake with the teahouse to the right—a rustic wood-and-stone building with a short line of hikers outside, waiting to be served. Jude grabbed my arm, tugging me around, and my jaw fucking dropped at the sight in front of me. The lake dipped into a waterfall that crashed down the side of the mountain, and ahead of us was an incredible vista of distant mountains and forests, spreading out in every direction. I could even see our hotel, a tiny building far below.
“Wow,” Jude repeated for what had to be the tenth time as we sat on the deck with cups of the teahouse’s signature tea. “I’m so glad we came up here.”
“Me too.”
We fell silent as we sipped our tea, both of us taking in the view, but eventually, Jude sighed. When my gaze met his, he shifted closer to me, glancing around us before lowering his voice. “We should probably talk about things.”
“About what?”
“You know what. What happens next.”
My entire body stiffened. “Jude…”
“I know. But we’re running out of time.”
“I know.” What could I say? There was nothing I could do to change things. Jude had his life in England, and I had…what? A failed NHL career and an uncertain future.
“I don’t want this to end,” he murmured.
Rubbing my hand across my mouth, I stared out at the lake, wishing things were different. But wishing was pointless. “Neither do I. But?—”
“What if it doesn’t have to?”
My head whipped around to stare at him. “What do you mean? You’re leaving. We’re going to be in two different countries.”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’m leaving. But what if we’re not in two different countries? What if you came with me?”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“Come with me. To England. For a visit.” The words spilled out from him, tripping over each other, like he wanted to get them out as quickly as possible. “I’ve been thinking about it all day. It’s the off-season for you, and your coaching finishes for the summer soon, right? You could fly out and spend some time with me.”
“Jude—”
“It’s just a holiday. No pressure. You could fly back whenever you wanted.” He leaned closer, his eyes so fucking wide and imploring, I almost agreed there and then. But I wasn’t like him. I didn’t make decisions on a whim. I couldn’t. “Please, Cody. I’m not ready to lose you yet.”
