Though it was nice to have Mom and Dad say they were proud.
“We just wanted to recognize the changes you’ve made lately,” Dad said. “Maybe it’s time to start talking about transferring ownership.”
Seriously? I reached down and pinched my own leg. Was this really happening? Finally?
“When we came to you about Knox taking over the hotel, we told you that you weren’t ready,” Mom said.
Ouch. I didn’t need the reminder. I remembered every word of that conversation.
“And now you think I am?” I asked her.
“Yes, we do.”
Holy. Shit. This was happening. This was really happening.
“Any time there’s been an issue with an employee, you’ve handled it perfectly,” Dad said. “The guest count is the highest in history.”
Before me, they’d never even kept track of that number. But I could tell you how many guests we’d had every day of the year for the past three years.
“And the magazines and tourist blogs we’ve been mentioned in lately.” Mom’s smile was contagious. “It’s just wonderful.”
“Thanks.”
For tourists traveling to Glacier National Park, Quincy was a popular tourist stop. During the summer months, we were booked solid. The same was true around the holidays. So I’d worked hard to drum up press features for The Eloise that would fill rooms during our quieter months. Spring break. Hunting season. Thanksgiving. And though there were still slow times, our off-peak seasons were getting busier and busier.
“The hotel is flourishing financially,” Dad said. “You’ve really shown us how responsible you can be.”
Responsible. That word was like a knife to my heart.
Responsible, twenty-six-year-old women didn’t get married in Las Vegas on a drunken whim.
Oh, no. No no no no no.
The minute they found out about Jasper, I could kiss my hotel goodbye.
Maybe I should tell them. Get it out there in the open. Apologize and promise to fix it.
“It won’t happen immediately,” Dad said. “But as long as this momentum continues, we’re looking at stepping away, officially, by the end of the year.”
I opened my mouth but couldn’t speak.
“We’ve shocked her, Anne,” Dad teased.
Mom laughed, putting her hand on my arm. “It’s just so comforting to know you’ll take care of this place. That you’ll be responsible for it long after we’re gone.”
Responsible. There was that word again.
Tell them. Tell them right now.
“I need—” The words lodged in my throat so hard I coughed.
“You okay?” Mom ran her hand up and down my spine.
I nodded, swallowing hard and choking down the confession that would end my lifelong dream. “I won’t let you down.”
Dad smiled, his blue eyes softening. “No, I don’t think you will.”
My heart crumpled.
I was going to let them down. I was going to fail them completely. They were going to be so disappointed in me. Just like with the lawsuit.
“We’ll get out of your hair.” Mom gave me a quick hug, then rounded the counter. “I’m making potato soup for dinner tonight. Want to join us?”
Her potato soup was a favorite. “I have plans. Next time.”
“Next time.” She clasped Dad’s hand, interlacing their fingers, then as he waved goodbye, they headed for the door.
The moment they were out of sight, I collapsed on the counter, banging my head against the surface. “How could I be so stupid?”
Why had I married Jasper? Why?
Sure, he’d sort of dared me. And yeah, it had been my idea to do something spontaneous. Tattoos would have been better. Why hadn’t we just gotten matching tattoos? Guaranteed, I would have regretted Jasper’s name on my skin less than this marriage.
“I have to fix this.” I whipped up straight and scrambled off my chair, diving for my phone and purse.
A secret. That was the only solution.
If I wanted this hotel, no one in my family could find out the truth. Which meant I needed to get to Jasper. Now. Before he told Foster. Before Foster told Talia. Before Talia told Lyla and Lyla told everyone with the last name Eden about my hasty marriage.
I put out the sign on the counter we used when the desk clerk needed to take a quick break. Then I sprinted for the elevator, hitting the button for the fourth and top floor.
Brittany was cleaning rooms today, but she’d been training recently to run the desk.
I found her vacuuming the largest room, nearly done with the cleaning for today. “Hey, can I beg a favor?”
“Of course.”
“I’ve had sort of an emergency come up. Would you mind watching the front desk for like, an hour?”
“Sure.” She nodded. “Everything okay?”
Nope. “Yep,” I lied. “Be back soon.”
With my keys in hand, I hustled to the stairwell, too anxious to wait for the elevator. Then I jogged to the first floor, racing through the lobby to push outside and start the trek home.
Gah. Why hadn’t I driven to work today? My house was only two blocks away, part of why I rented it even though the water heater was as questionable as the furnace. But the sidewalks were slick with the recent snow, forcing me to walk instead of run.
The moment I arrived, I went straight for the garage, climbing into my gray Subaru. Then I sped across town toward Alderson Road.
Alderson was on the outskirts of town, where most of the roads were unpaved. My tires crunched on the gravel as I sped past rows of towering evergreens. Beyond their trunks was a creek that eventually flowed into the Clark Fork River, which acted as a natural boundary on one side of Quincy.
The properties out here were secluded, most of the homes large and built off the road to give their owners some privacy. The turnoff to the A-frame was the last in line, and when I reached the mailbox, I slowed to roll down the narrow driveway.
A silver Yukon was parked in front of the cabin. Inside the house, the lights glowed golden behind the windows. Standing on the front porch, with his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans, was Jasper.
My heart tumbled.
Jasper stood statue still, his dark eyes unreadable. He was as gorgeous as he had been Saturday. That ruffled dark hair. That stony jaw dusted with stubble. Soft lips and a body built for sin. The ache in my core that had woken me this morning flared to life.
Never in my life had sex been that good. He’d made me come two—no, three—times. The fact that Lyla hadn’t heard us having sex on our end of the hotel suite had been a freaking miracle. Because that man had made me scream.
Heat rose in my cheeks as I parked beside his SUV. I took a fortifying breath and climbed out of my car, walking to the base of the porch’s stairs.
Here goes nothing.
“Hey there, husband.”
Jasper’s jaw clenched. That clench had to be a good thing. A sign that Jasper didn’t want to keep the title.
“So . . . about this marriage.”
CHAPTER FOUR
JASPER
Marriage.
That word packed a punch.
Eloise stood at the base of the steps, looking at me with those striking blue eyes. They caught the afternoon light, making them shine as vibrant as the sky above our heads.