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“Even whensomeonewas out of town,” Emily said, looking sidelong at her sister.

“I can’t stop the weather causing flight delays, Em,” Nicole told her.

“So, you’re walking,” Matt said.

“And so are you,” Emily pointed out.

“Just like us,” Nicole added.

Matt smiled again, a wave of fondness for the sisters passing through him. For all the craziness of the Engel family, they felt like a port in the storm when Nick wasn’t around. Unlike their eldest sister, the two women were perfectly happy left to their own devices, never demanding anything of anyone.

Matt snorted. “Is this where you tell me you’re going to join me on my walk?”

“I think we’re becoming predictable,” Emily said.

He thought about telling them no, he wanted to be alone with his thoughts, his feelings. He wanted to walk the bitter night byhimself to think. The problem was the two of them were looking at him with the same amusement and patient understanding that he recognized all too well from Nick.

Ah, Nick. Who he had left behind to suffer on his own because Matt himself hadn’t been able to process what happened. Nick, who had hurt for so long, ached for too long, who had been there for Matt through it all. And now he was alone.

“If you insist,” Matt said with a sigh.

They beamed and happily trotted to each side of him. Before he could protest, each sister took one of his arms in theirs and began walking. Knowing there was no point in arguing, Matt allowed himself to be led away from the neighborhood-like structure of the family lodge.

“Where are you taking me?” he found himself asking.

“A place to think,” Emily told him.

“Because clearly, that’s what you’re all about tonight,” Nicole added.

While not wrong, he found himself wondering what had given him away. Then again, they had probably walked up to him when he was neck-deep in his thoughts, and it was undoubtedly written all over his face. It was a strange thought that someone other than Nick could read the emotional weather on his face and yet comforting all the same.

They led him well past the stretch of land he associated with The Lodge. The snow became crustier and thicker, crunching before their feet sank in several inches. The air was fresh and clean, as it could only be with snow on the ground. Matt breathed deeply as they approached a ledge, stopping several feet from the point of no return.

The sky above was black, yet he would swear it was lit with every star and planet in existence. Milky bands spread between them, covering the inky blackness. He could not tear his eyesaway from it, even as the valley below opened up, offering a snow-covered vista that should have taken his breath away.

Despite the beauty and sheer awe, he wished it were Nick at his side, showing him that beauty. Nicole and Emily were wonderful, and he held a soft spot for them both, but Nick, they were not.

“Breathtaking,” he muttered, looking at the glittering expanse.

“There’s a reason our family took this part of the land as their own,” Emily said.

Nicole chuckled. “And a reason we brought you here.”

Matt blinked, unsure of how to proceed. “Oh?”

“You looked like you were looking for something,” Emily told him.

Nicole snorted. “Answers. We’re always looking for answers, aren’t we?”

Matt looked between them, unable to help but raise his brow. “You’re both deadly serious right now, and I have to say, I’m not used to it.”

“Where’s Nick?” Nicole asked.

Matt closed his eyes, the wash of awe and beauty lost as he bowed his head. He knew it was an obvious gesture, but he couldn’t help it.

Nick was back at their shared cabin, probably huddled up and terrified. Matt had left him alone because he knew Nick and he needed time. It didn’t erase the twist of guilt in his gut, however, knowing he’d left Nick in probably the worst state Matt had ever seen him in.

“At home,” Matt told them simply, feeling it was the easiest answer.