THE HOUSE CREAKED AND GROANED when no one was in it. Not rickety but mournful as if it missed my kids as much as me. I'd built the house from the ground up, ensuring its foundation was strong enough to withstand the storms outside, though these days, I wasn't sure how true that was.

A rush of mountain wind had the trees raging, the storm a dance of violent winds and lightning.

I waited for my daughter, checking my phone every five minutes as rain assaulted the windows. I only found texts from Paul's accountants and Luke confirming our meeting on Monday. 

I pinched the bridge of my nose, wondering if I'd made a mistake in taking on so much. Maybe Johnny had been right. It was his father's company, not mine, but Linda's family needed me the way I once needed them, and Johnny was in no shape to run a business, especially one that size.

I rose off my chair in the kitchen and plunked down on the couch in front of the fireplace, the tv off. It had been a long day of meetings, then training. A few of Paul's colleagues dismissed themselves with an, "Enjoy your evening, Nick." I almost laughed. Our second last race of the season was tomorrow, and I needed to ensure the track was ready, meaning I had no time for anything else. Deep in thought, I hadn't realized I dozed off and startled from sleep as the front door opened.

I snapped, hoping to find my daughter. Instead, I found my wife. "Hey," Hadley greeted softly, discarding a pair of heels at the door. She removed her coat, revealing a skintight black dress.

I smiled in greeting, taking her in. My wife still had it. The same supple, golden-tanned skin decorated with tasteful tattoos, the same soft caramel-coloured hair, and that ass...

She sauntered to the living room on bare feet, removing the earrings from her ears before bending to kiss me. "How was your night?"

Lightning flashed as I scrubbed the side of my face. "Quiet." Nico took off an hour before I passed out, and my daughter still wasn't home. "Did you talk to Nadine?" I asked, rechecking my phone.

"Earlier," she said, disappearing into our room, leaving the door open. "She said she turned around at Raven's Pass. Something about the heat in her truck."

Surprise elbowed, as violent as the crash of thunder outside. "Why didn't she call me?"

Hadley returned in wool socks, her petite frame void of the black dress and replaced with a pair of sweats and a loose t-shirt. "I don't know," she answered, collapsing next to me and combing damp hair from her face. "Maybe you should try calling her."

"I did," I answered, "it went straight to voicemail."

Worried sorrow clouded those chocolate-coloured eyes. She slid behind, straddling my back with both knees, and running manicured fingers through my hair. I welcomed her comfort—resting the back of my head against her shoulder. I hadn't spoken to Nadine since I last saw her, and I felt like shit. I blew her off for a banquet I would have given anything to bail on after promising to take for an evening ride when I couldn't train her.

My wife said, "She needs a new truck," interrupting my train of thought, "if she's gonna keep driving back and forth. Did you talk to Vern at the dealership?"

I sighed, running a finger and thumb through my eyes. "I forgot."

Hadley's disappointment seeped into my back, yet she said nothing. I never ignored anything involving the kids. I was always there front and centre, but with the added stress of Paul's business, Bell Racing, and all the bullshit that came with it... "I'll do it first thing Monday morning."

Hadley's fingers ran along my neck, coaxing a low groan. "I'm worried about her," she said. "She's been distant."

I noticed.

"Did you find out what happened with Jace?"

"No," I answered in defeat. No one was talking, not even Nico, who was sealed up tighter than a vault. Had I known about Jace, I would've ditched his training and assigned someone else to work with him instead of inviting my troubled-looking daughter to join us.

Fuck I was so out of the loop, especially about Hunt. Hadley said she spoke with her, and Nadine told her the same thing she told me, that she and Hunt weren't dating, but I had to wonder, especially after the worried text I got from my brother-in-law about the kiss at the music festival. It was too late to wake Nadine, my wife scolded when I made for the stairs, but even she looked concerned. When I got up, Nadine was gone, claiming to be training at Paul's. He didn't answer my call, and I knew if I stopped by, Johnny would lose it, so I stayed home.

I took Hadley's tattooed hand in mine, running my thumb over our matching ink.

"Where's Nico?" she asked, suddenly realizing just how quiet the house was.

"Gone," I replied.

The disappointment she held grew, and nearly crushed. "Did you two make it to the cabin today?"

Another no. "I got a call about the track," I explained. "I had to fix the final bend before the race tomorrow."

"Don't you have someone that can do that for you?"

I said nothing.

She turned her head away. "Look, I know you're trying, Nick, but I need you to make a better effort. Nico was looking forward to the trip today. Just like Nadine was looking forward to the training."

Her words punched a hole straight through my gut. I knew they needed me. I did. Nico was filling his time with reckless stunts if the rumours were true, while Nadine was rebounding with the son of my enemy. To spite Jace or me, I didn't know, but I needed to intervene before one of them got hurt, physically and emotionally.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, twisting my neck to look at her. "I've got a lot on my plate."

"Maybe you took on too much," she mused. "I can help."

"You have too much to deal with already," I said, and she did. Hadley had taken on Linda's bar, and with it came a host of memories that had her sobbing over boxes of old receipts, pictures, and pay stubs. Hadley had grown with the bar, she was practically raised there, and it wasn't easy going back. I knew.

"My brothers then."

"They're in too deep with all the legal bullshit and accounting."

She breathed a frustrated sigh through her nose, long lashes framing almond-shaped eyes.

"I'm trying, Had," I said, knowing her patience with me was wearing thin. I wasn't around much, not since I took over Paul's business and his team, and when I was, my nose was pressed against the fucking phone or buried in ledgers that may as well have been written in a foreign language. "I need to do this." For them. For her.

"Well, try harder," she near growled, her nose inches from mine.

I quirked a smile at her level of frustration and leaned in, kissing petal soft lips.

I saw her every day, slept in the same bed every night, and somehow I missed her. I missed the free time we had in the evenings. I missed the date nights. I missed my kids too.

She surrendered, though it wasn't without effort.

She pulled, her breath warm on my lips. "Janelle and I are leaving first thing, so I won't be here to wish you luck." Before the race tomorrow. My sister-in-law was taking my spot on my wife's all-expenses-paid trip this week from one of the sponsors. A trip to Spain I was invited to and wasn't attending.

I pulled her back in—my kiss deeper and full of yearning. "Then I guess you'll need to do it tonight."

She grinned, her nose grazing mine. "Promise me you'll check in with Nadine," she said between breaths, "and that you and Nico won't fight when I'm gone."

A flicker of sadness stung my heart. "Nico and I won't fight." I promised, though that all depended on his attitude. "And I'll check in with Nadine." I didn't know who had ended it between her and Jace, but I was determined to find out.

Hadley's mischievous grin had me reeling, and I pulled her onto my lap, letting her know just how badly I wanted her with a few minor undulations before whisking her to our room.

A/N: Looks like Nadine lied 👀 I wonder who picked her up?

I'm always looking to expand the playlist, so if you have any song suggestions please feel free to drop them in the comments. If you're interested in the playlist, you can find it on Spotify titled, 'Snowstruck Playlist'.

The photo below is of Hadley and Nick Baker when they were young. To read more about their story, check out 'Snowcrossed'

And this is Nico just cause it's adorable!