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ALEX

“ I hope we haven’t kept you waiting too long,” I say, reaching out to shake my best friend’s hand.

“Are you kidding me? I’m just glad we’re all here!” He pulls me into a hug.

When Oscar and Kellan join us, a lingering tension crackles between them—lighter than before, yet unmistakable.

“So, how’s your view?” Makayla asks Callie.

“It’s amazing,” Callie says, looking up at Bryan with love in her eyes. “I can’t believe this place; it’s so beautiful.”

“I agree,” Makayla pulls out a chair and sits across from her. “The view from our balcony is magnificent. Granted, all that white can blind you in full daylight.”

I press my lips together, focusing my mind on something other than the memory of Makayla in the hot tub. She’s unforgettable—utterly fascinating. I don’t know what happened during the years we were apart, but damn, she’s returned a fully blossomed woman, blazing with the intensity of a wildfire.

“Oh, you’re sharing a room. You and the Anderson brothers?” Callie asks innocently.

“We’re sharing a suite,” Makayla responds. “Each of us has our own bedroom and bathroom. We’ve got the common areas, but that’s great because we’ve got so much catching up to do...”

“I’ll bet. You haven’t seen each other in years, right?”

“Yes—a lot of time and plenty of stories in between, it seems.”

Callie giggles. “I’m sure you’re enjoying every moment of this reunion.”

Something electric passes between the two women.

If I didn’t know any better, I would swear it was some kind of unspoken communication.

Callie’s lips curve in a faint smile, and Makayla discreetly nods.

I’m not sure what it means, but I suspect Bryan’s fiancée has already guessed what’s going on between the four of us.

Callie doesn’t let on. She studiously unfolds her napkin and places it in her lap. Makayla clears her throat and turns to Bryan. “How was the meeting this morning?”

He shrugs. “It was fine. Pretty standard, actually. It made me think we could’ve kept the whole trip strictly leisure, though. There was nothing on the agenda that couldn’t wait for another week.”

“Everyone wanted to get it over with—it wasn’t just the partners,” I say. “We also had two Stockholm-based clients fly in. That’s why we were fine mixing business with pleasure on this trip.”

“It was nice to finally meet them in person,” Bryan says with a smile.

Makayla’s brows lift. “You signed clients without meeting them in person?”

I nod. “We do it all the time, especially with overseas clients. Sometimes they come to us for face-to-face meetings, but with Zoom, Skype, and cloud-based docs, our client pool has exploded.”

“Which means higher revenue and better time management—we spend less time in meetings and more time rolling out campaigns,” Kellan adds.

“It’s a win-win,” Makayla agrees.

I glance around at the table, inwardly amused by the setup.

I’m seated beside Makayla, Kellan on her other side, Oscar closer to Bryan.

A waitress arrives with a water pitcher for our table—a snazzy-looking Bohemian crystal piece, to be precise.

The water itself is infused with fresh lemon and cucumber slices.

Makayla’s eager to try it, so I take the pitcher and pour her a glass.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, giving me a shy smile.

“Always a pleasure to serve you, Kay,” I say. She catches the hidden meaning—it’s written all over her face—and heat surges, tightening my jeans. Good thing the table hides most of my lower body.

“Today’s specials include tuna tartare with a balsamic reduction, caramelized shallots, and toasted sticky rice, followed by green-pea cream soup with sourdough croutons and honey-glazed Jamón Ibérico,” the waitress says. “For dessert, the chef is offering strawberry and white-chocolate tiramisu.”

Her descriptions are enough to make my mouth water.

“Wow, I might order the full course,” Makayla says, her voice dreamy. “My mouth is already watering.”

The waitress laughs softly. “I can’t blame you. We also have fresh salmon flown in overnight. The chef built a three-course tasting around it, and I’ve tucked the details into your menus in case molecular gastronomy tempts you.”

“It all sounds fantastic. Could you give us a minute?” Oscar asks, closing his menu.

“Of course,” the waitress says, bowing out of the conversation.

“So, what are you going to have?” Bryan asks his sister.

“Oh, I’m definitely going for the specials—they sound light yet decadent,” Makayla replies. “And judging by the pairings, I’ll need a crisp white wine. A floral chardonnay, to be specific.”

I smile as I look over the wine list. “The Castello Banfi sounds like it’s right up your alley.”

“A Montalcino chardonnay,” she replies, giving me a surprised look. “I’m impressed, Alex.”

“Our brother knows his wine,” Kellan says.

“And you?” Makayla asks him.

Kellan shakes his head. “I could spend hours breaking down every single malt on their shelf.”

We all take a moment to peruse the menu and make our lunch selections.

“I’m leaning toward the salmon tasting,” Oscar says, scanning the list. “Fresh-caught Swedish salmon isn’t something we get every day.”

“I know what I’m having too,” Bryan says, setting his menu aside before turning to Callie with open adoration. “How about you, babe?”

“I’m with Makayla on the specials,” she replies.

“Excellent.” He pauses to look at my brothers and me. “Side note—we have a meeting this afternoon with Jan from HyperCore. Should I expect you there?”

“Yes,” I reply, hiding my true reaction behind the menu. “Unless you think you can handle Jan without us.”

Truth be told, I’d rather spend the afternoon plotting a return to our suite—preferably with both my brothers and Makayla in tow.

“We handled Jan’s onboarding,” Oscar reminds me. “Of course we’ll be in the meeting.”

“I have to admit,” Makayla says, “I’m in awe of how you balance work and leisure so effortlessly while basking in Swedish luxury.”

Bryan laughs. “It’s not our first hybrid trip, Kay. You should’ve seen the first time we got together like this. It was chaos 24/7.”

“We couldn’t agree on anything—except when we opened a bottle of Scotch,” Kellan chimes in. “That’s when peace was always restored.”

“I’d never get any work done with a view like this,” Makayla says, nodding toward the window.

I’m supposed to follow her gaze, but instead I admire her soft profile.

Her lips are slightly parted, slick with pale-pink gloss; her cheeks are rosy and full; her nose, perfect; and her eyes sparkle with a wintry twinkle.

Every inch of her radiates beauty and sweetness.

No wonder we’re so smitten—she was made for us.

“Hey, we should go skiing,” I suggest.

“Great idea,” Kellan agrees.

“What about work?” Oscar asks.

“Won’t Jan from HyperCore expect all four of you to attend?” Makayla asks.

“Actually, you know what, guys? I can handle the afternoon meeting,” Bryan responds.

“You should go skiing if you want. You only live once, and I’m sure Jan will understand.

I’ve had my fair share of briefings with him, too, and I’ve got his profile well defined in our portfolio.

If anything, I’ll send each of you a detailed summary once we’re done.

I’m sure Jan’s eager to grab some slope time himself, so it shouldn’t run long. ”

“Are you sure?” Oscar presses. It sounds to me like he’s looking for an excuse to stay away from our gorgeous suitemate, which is the exact opposite of what I want him to do.

“He’s sure,” I snap. “Let’s give our partner more credit, brother. Bryan has never steered us wrong before.”

Kellan gives a wry smile. “Besides, Bryan knows to consult us on clients who’ve been with us less than three months. I trust him.”

“Your confidence is greatly appreciated,” Bryan replies.

Makayla shifts in her seat. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been on skis,” she says. “The last time nearly ended in tragedy.”

Her brother laughs. “Don’t be so dramatic. You veered off the slope—I caught you in time.”

“You could take a class,” Callie suggests. “The receptionist mentioned that they provide hour-long training sessions with experienced instructors, directly billed to your suite.”

“I don’t know,” Makayla says, lowering her gaze. “I can’t really afford a Swedish ski instructor right now.”

“Pish-posh,” Bryan cuts in. “Bill it to my suite!”

I raise a hand. “Or—just a suggestion—we could help Makayla ourselves.”

She gives me a surprised look, and I’m not sure what to make of it. Does she want us to steady her on the slopes, or is she searching for an excuse to keep her distance after Oscar’s ice-cold rebuff? The signals are mixed.

“Great idea,” Kellan agrees, catching on. “We’ll help you get your ski legs back—keep you safe.”

Oscar narrows his eyes, nostrils flaring. I can almost see the million excuses forming, but to his credit, none of them leave his lips.

I smile at him, hoping to entice my brother back into the game. “We could all go.”

Oscar glances at Makayla and then at Callie. For once, I can’t read what he’s thinking. Bryan has already given him permission to skip the afternoon seminar, and there’s no way anyone will believe he would prefer to sit in a conference room. He’s out of options until Callie offers him a way out.

“Your brothers can help Makayla, and you and I can hit the grown-up slopes,” she says.

Oscar sighs. He’s clearly not on board with the whole “fun” thing. I almost feel bad for the guy. He’s trying a little too hard to be a wet blanket, but no one’s letting him.

“Okay,” he finally says. “I’m still not comfortable with it, though. You’d have more fun with your boyfriend, Callie.”

She looks over to Bryan and gives him a gentle pat on the hand. “Oscar’s right,” she says. “Are you sure you can’t reschedule Jan at all?”

Now it’s Bryan’s turn to look uncomfortable. I know he’s got a legitimate excuse. He’s one of the people who organized this whole trip and it might look bad if he bailed.

“Why don’t you ask Jan?” I suggest. “It’s worth a shot.”

“Alright,” he agrees.

“Then we’re set. See, that’s why we’re partners. We figure out ways to get along,” Kellan says.

Oscar chuckles, low and dry. “Or we just elbow Bryan into doing what we wanted in the first place, and he goes along because he’s a good guy.”

After the waitress collects our orders, the conversation drifts from topic to topic yet somehow always circles back to Makayla. Everyone is fascinated by her winery project, and we hang on every word as she shares her plans and daydreams.

I’ll give Makayla credit. She dreams big and she dreams smart.

The entire time she talks, I watch her—half tempted to scoop her up and carry her back to our suite, half savoring the slow-burn anticipation stacking between us, brick by brick.

Spotting a tiny piece of fuzz attached to her sweater, I pick it off without thinking. She glances over and flashes the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen.

“Where have you been all my life?” The words slip out before I can stop them.

Oscar clears his throat.

Reluctantly, I tear my gaze from the vision beside me and face my brother.

He’s looking at me as if I’m about to pull a gun.

I sigh, reaching for my water glass instead.

I respect his protectiveness, but I’ll follow my heart.

And the vibes I’m getting from Makayla tell me that she’s on the same page.

I sneak a glance in her direction and find her looking at Oscar. She gives him the same warm smile she gave me, and a quiet cheer rises in my chest. She’s the missing element. Oscar won’t be able to resist her forever.