(Slade’s POV)
I had been avoiding Aspen for three days.
It was pathetic and I knew it. Every time I walked into a room and saw her there, something in my chest tightened. I would remember how close I came to kissing her outside the arena. How close I came to crossing a line I had drawn for myself a long time ago.
So, I stayed out of the guest house yard. I kept my door shut more than usual. I let her handle tasks through texts and emails instead of face to face. She did everything I asked, and she did it well, and somehow that only made it worse.
Saturday morning rolled around and it was the first one I had off in weeks. I made coffee, sat on the couch, and turned on the TV.
Sports news filled the screen. Same panel, same fake smiles, same noise. I barely listened.
Then I saw it.
A
