Ali really shouldn't have opened that email. She also shouldn't have checked the online market reports or read any of the national news. Diving back into reality created information overload and gave her too much to think about after weeks of keeping the outside world away.

Although the offer of a promotion first excited her, the feeling soon turned into doubt and then fear. Leading a new office would give her autonomy and would be a logical step in her professional life, but it would also be a huge change. And change was something she wasn't sure she needed—or could handle.

She'd always been an East Coast girl, and her whole existence—her family, friends, and career—was tied to the greater New York City area. Sure, she was a competent adult open to new experiences, but moving cross-country and leaving the familiar behind was still daunting.

The internal struggle between these conflicting emotions would have nagged away at her for the rest of the day had it not been for the distraction provided by one of the lodge's latest guests. Having arrived just a day earlier, Reese was an intellectual property lawyer from San Francisco whose frankness about everything—even the eating disorder that landed her at Pebble Creek—had already put off most people around her. Ali found her candor refreshing, and after she showed the perky redhead around, they ended up people-watching on the rear patio under the warm glow of the setting sun.

While she'd given the newcomer a heads-up about some of the more colorful characters to avoid—a certain Southeast Asian nemesis's name may have come up—Reese was more intrigued by the opposite sex.

"Aw, he's kind of cute," she said, leaning back in an Adirondack chair and nodding toward a guy across the patio in a beanie and horn-rimmed glasses.

Ali pulled her feet under her. "Sorry, but he's batting for the other team."

"Crap. How about him?" Reese moved on to a man sipping beer at a nearby table.

"Married," Ali lamented.

Reese frowned. "That one?" she asked again.

Ali shook her head. "Bad breath."

"Ew." Reese scanned the crowd. "Him then?"

Ali remembered a prior conversation with the guy in the plaid shorts. "Totally self-absorbed."

Reese sighed. "How did you ever survive three weeks in this place?"

"I don't know. Kept busy, I guess." Ali smiled, but as soon as the words left her lips, she thought of Hank and the sting of his absence returned.

"Well, lucky you. One more." Reese tapped her fingers together while doing a final sweep of the diminishing selection. "How about that guy?"

"Boring." Ali glanced at the muscle-head and feigned a yawn. "Unless you enjoy stories about how cheese was made in the Middle Ages. Because if you do, then he's your winner."

Reese laughed. "Point taken. But they all can't be bad. Come on. I have an idea." Grabbing Ali by the arm, she ran toward the lawn and picked up a discarded soccer ball. It didn't take a lot of effort to put together two teams, and soon they were in the middle of a heated match.

Ali had played in high school, but it took her a bit to get back into the game. She didn't have much to do with her side leading five to three, but when a midfielder passed her the ball, she took off for the goal. With her head down, she zigzagged to dodge the opposition before dribbling down the field at full speed. Concentrating more on keeping control than looking ahead, she came to an abrupt stop when a pair of jeans and two cowboy boots blocked her path and kicked the ball away.

She looked up and immediately jumped into Hank's arms. "You're back!" she squealed in delight.

He smiled as she clung to his neck. "That's quite a welcome. Does it also mean I can kiss you here?"

"You better." She grinned before crushing her lips onto his. "God, I missed you," Ali whispered between smooches, surprising even herself with the blunt admission.

"I missed you, too," Hank agreed. Putting a hand at the small of her back, he guided her out of the way of the approaching ball and continued gently pushing. "Let's get out of here."

"Now, that's my kind of keeping busy!" Reese called out, giving her two thumbs up as she ran past, chuckling.

Ali laughed and slipped her hand into Hank's as she matched her pace to his. After they cut through the dining area and down the lobby, her grin faded into awe.

"Did you do this?" she whispered, opening her suite door to a display of fairy lights hanging from the ceiling and hundreds of red petals strewn across the carpet.

"Only if you like it," Hank said, following her inside. "I wanted candles, but Liz has a thing about open flames."

"Of course I love it." She turned to him enthusiastically, but something behind him caught her eye. "Ooh, what's in here?"

Following the path of roses into the bedroom, Ali found orange flames burning in the gas fireplace. Even further in, more lights twinkled in the bathroom, where a bottle of champagne sat next to the deep tub full of steaming bubbles.

"This is insane," Ali said, staring at the enchanting scene in disbelief.

Hank stopped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Still liking it?" he whispered into her ear before his lips grazed her temple.

A chill ran through her and Ali closed her eyes. "It's the most romantic thing I've ever seen," she admitted.

He spun her around. "Then would you like to get in?" He paused before adding, "With me?"

She smiled at the notion that he would feel the need to clarify. "Uh-huh," she hummed before kissing him. 

But there was a certain tenseness to Hank that Ali couldn't quite put her finger on, something that hadn't been there before. It was as if he was holding back, unable to fully let himself be present in the moment. As she took him in bit by bit, she considered whether she should press the issue, but finally thought better of it.

Whatever it was that he was going through, he needed the time and space to allow her in. And since he'd already taken the first step—he was here, with her, after all—then the rest should soon follow.

Unrushed and unbothered, their clothes fell away layer by layer as they got reacquainted after what seemed like more than just a few days apart. After slipping into the hot water on opposite ends of the tub, Ali draped her legs over Hank's thighs to make the most use of the tight space.

"You've lost a little weight," she noted, stroking his cheek with a wet hand after noticing dark shadows under his eyes that hadn't been there before.

"I've had a pretty horrid week, but it's going much better now." He smiled before reaching for the nearby bottle. "Champagne?"

Her mouth was parched and she was already overheated. The cool bubbly would be heaven. "Yes, please."

He filled a glass and handed it to her, returning the bottle to the ice.

"Aren't you going to have any?" she asked in surprise.

Hank shook his head. "I wish I could, but not right now. You go ahead, though."

She took a sip while watching the naked man—her hot as hell naked man—stare back at her. When he cravingly wet his lips with the tip of his tongue, she gave him a coy smile. "Would you like a little taste?"

He cocked his head and grinned. "You know that I just said . . . oh," he stopped as realization set in from watching her down the rest of the glass and place it on the floor outside the tub before drawing him close and slipping her tongue into his mouth.

Ali could feel the tension leave his body as Hank's shoulders relaxed while he lost himself in the cool tanginess she was offering. She almost couldn't bear to pull away as he continued to gently nibble at her lower lip.

"This is wonderful, but you know, you didn't have to go to all this trouble," she whispered, relieved that the crack in his defenses seemed to be widening.

"No, I really did," he said, fingering a lock of hair that had fallen out of her messy bun. "And I should probably tell you why I disappeared for three days."

His posture had stiffened again and she immediately know it wasn't something easy to reveal. Trying to defuse the tension again, she smiled and stroked his arm. "It's really none of my business."

He looked into her eyes. "I want it to be your business."

A flurry of anticipation ran through her, and she bit her lip to keep from saying something stupid and spoiling the moment. Instead, Ali took both of Hank's hands in hers and squeezed to indicate her support.

He gave her a weak smile before starting. "I was in an accident last summer." He paused and looked down, examining the collapsing soap bubbles. "I was very, very lucky to even come out of it the way I did. Most of my injuries have healed, but I've had post-traumatic vertigo ever since."

"Vertigo? That's like dizziness, right?" she asked, staying on point so as not to spook him from revealing more details.

He nodded. "And occasional nausea, blurred vision, hearing problems. It's all consistent with mild traumatic brain injury, which thankfully sounds worse than it is."

"Is there a cure?" She frowned, trying to imagine what he had been going through.

"That's the thing." He let go of her hand and splashed water on his face. "I've tried lots of different treatments with varying degrees of success. Of course, the ones that work the best have the worst side effects, but none of them are cures. They all just temporarily relieve the symptoms."

Ali leaned back. "But that's good, right?"

"For some people, maybe," he said. "But I don't want to just manage a chronic condition. I want my life back."

So that's why he'd been so guarded about his past. No matter what Hank had been doing before his accident, his world must have surely turned on its head afterward. "Of course. Who wouldn't?"

"Yeah, but this isn't like cancer or heart disease where potential breakthroughs could have global implications. Something that only affects a tiny percent of the population isn't a top research priority." The bitterness in his voice was palpable. "I was lucky to get into a clinical study with a doctor down in Houston a while back, though. His work with astronauts and the effects of zero-g environments on the body helped him come up with some amazing stuff."

The pieces were starting to fall into place. "Is that why you were out of town?" she asked.

"Yeah. He's testing a new drug and said my body could take a while to get used to it. After I took the first dose on Monday, I thought I was just having normal side effects. When I had to fly back to see him yesterday and he looked at my labs, he said I was lucky it didn't kill me," he said.

"Oh, wow." Ali sat up again and gave him a comforting hug. "Thank you for telling me. If there's anything I can do—"

"No." He pulled away. "I'm sorry, but it's complicated."

More complicated than what she'd just heard? Ali's heart ached for what the incredible man in front of her was holding back. She wouldn't press him for more, though. Not right now, anyway. By the look on his face, it was clear it had taken a lot for him to even tell her this much. With time, she was sure he'd reveal more.

Time. The thought bummed her out. In a week, she would be getting ready to go back to New York. Time was one thing they didn't have.

"Last weekend, you mentioned something about a party for your dad?" She remembered the final words from their last meeting.

"Oh, yeah." He snapped out of the prior mood and smiled again. "It's this Saturday night. You're still coming, right?"

The assumption was surprisingly presumptuous considering she hadn't given him the chance to properly ask yet. "Well, we never really talked about it," she said.

He playfully covered her shoulder in bubbles. "I just assumed since Liz said you'd already picked out a dress."

"She did, huh?" Apparently the siblings were close enough for such revelations. Hopefully she hadn't alluded to the redecorating, but because Hank hadn't mentioned it, Ali figured she must've not said anything. It also meant he didn't even go home before he came to see her. "You know she set us up, right?"

"No, but that sounds like something my sister would do." Hank washed the bubbles off before adding, "Which also means she shouldn't have any problems with bringing you into the city on Saturday. I have some errands to take care of before the dinner, so I'll just meet you there."

She was a bit disappointed but respected his unspoken reasons. "All right." Scooting forward again, she kissed him. "As long as you stay here tonight."

He flashed his teeth in a large grin. "I thought you'd never ask."