BiancaBianca struggled to hold it together, but the disappointment was too much. She'd looked forward to today all week—counted the days—the hours. God, she felt pathetic. She prayed her voice wouldn't give. The last thing she wanted was to sound needy. "When will you know?""All I know is they just announced we're snowed in for tonight." Felix spoke quickly. "I've been waiting for hours just to get confirmation of that.""Why did you take so long to get there?""Same reason—the weather. Traffic was horrendous. We still got here on time, but all flights were being grounded because of the blizzard."It was just as he said the word blizzard that she noticed his words were slightly slurred. Immediate thoughts of him actually partying instead of sitting at an airport as he was claiming assaulted her. "Have you been drinking?""I'm not gonna lie. I've been sitting here for hours with nothing else to do. So yeah, I've had a few."She exhaled, feeling a little guilty about immediate

BiancaFelix had thought of everything. The dinner he'd instructed his cooks to make for their first night back together was excellent: steamed shrimp, oysters, stuffed mushrooms, crusty bread with some kind of gourmet spread the cook called bruschetta. They even prepared a chocolate fondue with strawberries and pineapple slices to dip. It was so perfect, and she'd shared the dinner with Gio.Not that any girl in their right mind would be complaining about having such a romantic dinner with a gorgeous guy like Gio. He was sweetly attentive and as polite as she remembered him, but she couldn't help wishing Felix had been there instead. Still she made the best of it and enjoyed their delicious dinner. When they were done, Gio sat back in his seat looking very stuffed. Bianca reached for another strawberry. "I'm stuffed too, but these are so delicious I just have to have one more."Gio leaned his head back on his chair and closed his eyes. Bianca took advantage of the moment to better

GioThe next morning, Gio woke to sounds of trucks outside. He peeked out the window, and sure enough, the plows were going. Gio had seen Felix's private plows on the property last night. Now he knew why he had three. The entire long driveway had been snowed in overnight. Gio expected the winter to be white up here. He knew that's what Big Bear was known for, but this seemed a bit much.He showered and dressed in his favorite pair of jeans and a dark thermal. Once fully dressed, he walked into the living room where Bianca stood in front of the television, holding a mug in her hand. She was still in a bathrobe and her hair looked damp. When she heard his footsteps, she turned, giving him a weak smile.Gio sucked in a breath for two reasons. For starters, she'd washed off all of yesterday's makeup, giving her that innocent fresh look like back in school. This was the Bianca he remembered, and the look brought with it even more memories: memories of staring at her when she was reading

GioGio could've gone for a simple cheeseburger at the ski lodge, but Bianca insisted the food there was overpriced and not worth it. She said there was some place he had to try while he was up here and they may as well try it today.They now sat at BJ's, a dive off the main strip, but Bianca swore they not only had the best cheeseburgers in Big Bear but also the best homemade chili. They also ordered two mugs of beer. Another thing Bianca said was great about this place—their prices. The mugs were under two dollars."Now we're talking." Gio smirked, clinking her mug in the air before taking a swig."I thought you'd like the cheap beer. You're such an Angelino!" Bianca took a swig.Gio placed the mug down, loving how her always-cheery demeanor was so damn contagious. He hadn't stopped laughing or smiling all morning, even when he was falling on his ass. "You calling me cheap?"Her bright eyes teased him. "I call them like I see them. Even Felix with all the money he has couldn't

BiancaFor as much apprehension as Gio had about getting up on the slopes, he actually caught on much quicker than Bianca had imagined—even faster than Felix had when he first tried snowboarding. After just a few hours, he was getting fancy and speeding up so much at one point she had to warn him not to get too overconfident.She watched as he flew by her while she'd stopped to take a breather. Shaking her head, her eyes followed him. After spending the entire day with him, she could very easily understand how anyone could develop a major crush on this guy. Not only was he incredible to look at but he was turning out to be one of the sweetest guys she'd ever met. She felt terrible that he seemed so agonized about the tragedy in the ring.He made his way back to where she still stood. His big satisfied smile gave her silly butterflies, reminding her of the days back in high school. Then she remembered how she'd felt earlier when he held her hand. Oh, yeah, she was definitely developi