Amy bounded into the kitchen the next morning and slid in next to Crissy.

"So?" she asked, eyes bright. "How did it go?"

"His family is very kind and we all got along really well," Crissy said, never breaking her rhythm as she rolled out dough for strudel.

"I knew they'd love you," Amy beamed. "Did you ask him?"

Crissy said nothing, focusing instead on the steady motion of her rolling pin rocking back and forth, flattening out the dough.

"You didn't tell him," Amy said. "You little chicken."

Crissy shrugged. "It wasn't the right time."

"Liar. It's something else." Amy squinted at her, arms crossed, head tipped to the side as she considered.

"I was thinking about it and I've decided I'm going to the wedding alone," she said.

Amy laughed though there wasn't any humor in the sound. Then she straightened up and fixed Crissy with a dead serious look.

"Like hell you are," she said. "Your family will eat you alive. And you are not going to get stuck with your ex. Not going to happen. I'll hitchhike there and be your date if I have to."

"You'll be in Venezuela, getting a nice angry red sunburn," Crissy pointed out.

Amy groaned. "Damn it. Why the change of heart?"

Crissy sighed and set her rolling pin aside to look at Amy. "I care about him, Amy. He's so nice and polite. You should have seen him with Megan. They teased each other mercilessly but you could tell they're very close. And he loves his nieces and nephews. I can't put him through interrogations from my family."

Amy's expression softened. "Sugar, Quinn is a big boy. It's admirable that you're trying to protect him. But this is his decision too. He cares about you. Don't you think he would want you to have back up if you're going into the pits of hell?"

Crissy bit her lip and turned back to the strudel. Of course Amy was right. But it still worried at her. Amy came up behind Crissy and rested her chin on Crissy's shoulder.

"Just ask him," she said. "Explain why you don't want him to go."

"That's the problem, Amy," Crissy said. "No matter how bad it is, he'll always go with me. And I can't stand the thought of him getting shredded by my family. I don't want them anywhere near him."

Amy nodded. Before she could reply, the bell over the door chimed. She sighed as she moved to the door then paused.

"I don't like this," Amy said. "It makes me sick to think of you heading into that wedding by yourself."

"That could just be a pregnancy thing," Crissy said.

Amy raised an eyebrow. Crissy ducked her head.

"I know," Crissy said. "I don't like it either."

"But I understand your reasoning," Amy said. "If I was in your shoes, I would probably feel the same way about Manny. Just don't make that decision final yet, okay, sugar? Think about it some more?"

Crissy nodded. "I will."

"Even though it's likely you won't change your mind," Amy said before she turned to the counter.

Crissy settled into her dough again, Amy's voice a low distant hum as she greeted the customer and started the order. Amy's words tumbled around in her mind, tugging at her heart. How would Quinn feel about facing her family by herself, getting set up with her ex for the entire course of Andrea's wedding? Of course he wouldn't like it. That's what worried her. If only he would understand why she didn't want him there, didn't want to put him through any of that. But she knew all he would see was that he needed to be there with her so she wasn't alone.

A light knock drew her attention. She turned to the doorway to see Quinn standing there, Amy directly behind him with a wicked grin on her face. Oh no, Crissy thought, no no no, Amy did not just....

"Amy said you had something to ask me," Quinn said.

Crissy tossed her apron on the counter with a scowl aimed in Amy's direction. Amy shrugged, looking completely unaffected by Crissy's glare.

"I'm your best friend, sugar," she said. "I'm not going to sit this one out."

"I'm never telling you anything ever again," Crissy said.

Amy snorted. "You can try but I'll find out anyway."

She patted Quinn's shoulder then disappeared. Quinn glanced at Crissy, a mixture of concern and confusion in his eyes.

"I have no idea what is going on," he said. "But I get the feeling that's going to be a pretty normal occurrence when I'm around the both of you together."

Crissy sighed. Quinn stepped forward and took her hand.

"What is it?" he asked.

There was no point in trying to keep him in the dark. He was going to find out if Amy had anything to say about it. And she would much rather tell him herself than to have Amy spill the beans. At least this way, Crissy could attempt to convince him to stay behind.

"My sister is getting married in June," she said. "And I need a..."

"Yes," Quinn cut in. "I'll go with you."

Crissy blinked, surprised. "I haven't even finished what I was saying."

"You were going to say you needed a date," he said. "Right?"

She squinted at him. "Did Amy tell you that?"

Quinn laughed and shook his head. "No. I do figure things out on my own occasionally. Is that what you wanted to talk about last night?"

"It's...not that simple. My family can be...harsh. And stressful. I wouldn't blame you at all if you didn't want to go."

Quinn hummed. "That's not likely going to happen, sweetheart. Besides, I've met your sister, remember? She's scary as all hell but not scary enough to run me off."

Crissy's chest ached at that. The exact response she knew he would give. The exact response she was afraid of.

"Unless," Quinn continued, eyeing her warily. "Unless you don't want me to go for some reason."

"Yes...no." She shook her head. "I mean, I don't want you to feel obligated that you have to go."

"Well I don't."

"But..."

Quinn stepped forward again, closing the last bit of space between them, and cupped her face in his hands.

"I want to go with you, Crissy," he said. "It's not because I feel obligated or that I owe you in any way. I love you. And as much as your sister terrifies me, I'd like to meet the rest of your family."

Crissy closed her eyes and leaned into him. He kissed her forehead with a smile. How did she ever find such a perfect human being in this world?

After a pause, Quinn asked, "Was I supposed to give a different answer? Because if I was..."

"No," she said. "I'm just...I was kind of hoping weddings made you uncomfortable."

Quinn pulled back and looked down at her, confused. "You don't want me to go?"

Crissy hesitated. "My family isn't like your family, Quinn. They won't be kind to you. It's not because of you, it's because they're not kind to most people."

He nodded. "Is that all?"

She frowned. "This isn't a small thing, Quinn..."

"If you don't want me to go, then say so, Crissy. But every family has its rough patches. I won't hold it against you, no matter what happens at that wedding. So do you want me to go, or not?"

No, she didn't want him to go. He should stay here, safe, far away from her family. Untouched and happy. But the selfish part of her wanted him there, to be by her side and know that whatever cruelties her family threw her way, Quinn still loved her.

"Yes," she said. "I want you to go."

He grinned and Crissy's heart ached at the sight. She just hoped he wasn't hurt by any of this.

[][][]

The snow was beginning to melt and the sun came out in full force. Chunks of snow slid from roof tops and fell in wet puddles on the sidewalks. Tiny yellow and purple flowers burst through the piles of snow along the road sides, promising the arrival of spring. For the first time all winter, Crissy could go outside without being bundled up in several layers.

One Tuesday evening, Crissy was closing up the shop, wiping down counters and tables alone. Amy had taken the day off and Crissy had let Ellie go an hour early before closing time to enjoy the warmer weather. She was cleaning the window overlooking the street when a snowball smacked the glass and she flinched. She glared around the smear of snow to see Pete grimacing. He waved and mouthed an apology before another snowball crashed over his head and he took off into the street.

Crissy watched as more and more people spilled into the street, peppering each other with snowballs. She recognized nearly the entire fire department, with Pete running a small fortress outside of the station. Buckets and boxes were stacked together, packed with snow to create a shield.

Crissy settled into the nearby table and propped her elbow on the window sill. She scanned the streets until she found Quinn, slipping in the slick melting snow and laughing until his cheeks were flushed. In one smooth motion, he scooped up a huge handful of snow, packed it into a ball, cocked his arm back, and completely nailed Pete in the face as he came up out of his fortress to fire.

Crissy laughed softly as Pete sputtered, diving behind his fortress for cover again. Off to her left, she spotted a thatch of dark hair and she turned to see Stephen raise his arm and tag Quinn in the back of the head before he ran off again.

Quinn darted by the coffee shop as he chased down Stephen in retaliation. Then he stopped, doubled back. He pressed his hand to the window and smiled.

"Hey," he said.

She placed her hand against the window in reply. "Are they kicking your ass?" she asked.

"Yes but don't tell them I said that." He nodded towards the street. "Come on out. I could use some help."

She hesitated but that only served as encouragement for Quinn. He chuckled, his eyes dancing, his tongue sliding over his bottom lip in anticipation before he turned and ducked into the shop. He caught her hands, pulling her up from the table.

"Are you insane?" she said, laughing. "I just watched you peg Pete in the face!"

"You'll be on my team and I would never do that to you. Pete was asking for it. He always is. And come to think of it, Stephen is too."

He tugged on her hands and she trailed after him. As soon as she stepped out the door, she saw Pete poke his head out from behind his fortress.

"Crissy!" he said, raising a hand in greeting. "Quinn, calling on reinforcements I see. You're desperate now."

"Suck it up, Pete," Quinn called back. "And if you hit her with one of those bruisers you hit me with earlier, I'll kill you."

"No fair!"

Quinn scooped up two enormous handfuls of snow and handed one to her. She packed it into a tight ball and peeked out from behind him. He sent his own ball sailing through the air but it missed Pete by a mile. Pete jumped out from behind his fortress, waving his ass in the air.

"Missed me, old man!" he chortled. "Can't aim to save your life!"

Crissy peered out from behind Quinn's shoulder. "Can I get him?" she whispered.

"Oh god, yes please," he replied.

Crissy hefted the snowball in her hand, darted out from behind Quinn and sent the snowball flying. It caught Pete on the ass and he yelped, spun around. Quinn doubled over, laughing. Crissy raised her arms in the air, victorious. Pete feigned indignance.

"You got your girlfriend to do your dirty work for you!?" he yelled. "Shameless, Q, absolutely shameless."

Quinn wheezed, still laughing. Until Stephen came around the corner, arms loaded with snowballs, rapid firing one after another. Crissy shrieked and ducked behind Quinn again, huddling in the entrance of the coffee shop. Quinn caught a handful of snow and started firing back, sending Stephen running for cover.

Pete started up a cross fire that forced Quinn and Crissy away from the shop, crouched behind Quinn's truck parked on the corner. Crissy was breathless with laughter as she started forming an arsenal of snowballs. When Quinn reached down for more snow, she pressed two ready made snowballs into his hands. He grinned at her, kissed her lightly before he stood and sent the balls flying into the mayhem in the middle of the street.

Taunts and laughter filled the air, accompanied by the soft wet sounds of snow landing on people, cars, and buildings.

Suddenly, silence. Faint whisperings could be heard on the other side of the street.

"Truce?" Pete called. "I'm getting hungry over here. Takes a lot of work to kick your butt, Q."

Crissy glanced at Quinn but he shook his head.

"Trap," he whispered. "All right, Pete, come on out then."

Pete cackled. "You must think I'm all sorts of stupid, dude. I know you. You play dirty. So does your girlfriend, as it turns out."

Quinn grinned at her. "Damn right she does. That's my girl."

Crissy handed him more snowballs and she picked up her own. "Ready when you are," she said.

At the same time he gave her the signal to fire, she turned and stood. A snowball, packed hard as ice, careened towards her and hit her in the face. A burst of pain blossomed over her left eye.

"Shit," she hissed, dropping back behind the truck again.

"Crissy?" Quinn said, glancing at her, concerned.

She waved him off and turned away, gently touching the tender skin around her eye. Quinn's hand came to rest on the back of her neck and he turned her to face him.

"Crissy, what...?" He broke off when he saw her face. Her eye was angry red and already starting to swell but as far as she could tell, there wasn't any blood.

Pete came skidding around the corner, arm cocked back, ready to strike. Quinn whirled on him, tension seething from his muscles. Crissy caught his arm.

"He didn't mean it, Quinn," she said. "It was an accident. Just a little rough housing. I don't mind."

But Quinn either wasn't listening or he didn't hear her, too focused on Pete.

"What the hell did I tell you, Pete?" he snapped. "Don't pack those things so tight and stop putting ice in them, for Christ's sake."

Pete's gaze darted past Quinn's shoulder and he saw Crissy's face.

"Oh shit," he said. "I'm...Crissy, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Pete," she said. "I deserved the comeback."

Pete dropped his snowballs. "Not like that you didn't," he said. "Let me run into the station, get you an ice pack for that eye."

"Absolutely not," Crissy said. "Finish your game. I'll sit out for a while."

Quinn took her hand and tucked it into his elbow, using his body to shield her from any more errant snowballs as they walked back to the coffee shop. He guided her back to the table she had occupied earlier.

"I am so sorry," he said, cupping her face in one hand and smoothing his thumb over her cheek. "The guys don't know when to stop sometimes."

"I've been in snowball fights before," she said. "I knew what I was getting into."

Quinn still didn't look convinced but at least he stopped apologizing. "I'll get you some ice for that," he said.

"Top drawer of the freezer," she said.

Quinn disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a hand towel filled with ice. He brushed her hair aside, tucked it behind her ear, and pressed the ice to her face. As she accepted it, he slid into the booth next to her, draping his arm over the bench behind her and she leaned into him.

They sat there for several long moments in silence, listening to the shrieking laughter of the snowball fight as it finally started to wind down.

"Can I ask you something?" Quinn said, his voice deep and soft and thoughtful.

Crissy reached out and let her fingers trail over his hand, up his arm. "Of course."

"I don't mean any offense when I say this but...why do you work here? In this greasy little coffee shop in the middle of this tiny town?"

Quinn turned his hand palm up on the table. Crissy flattened her hand against his, matching him palm for palm, his fingertips stretching well past hers.

"I like it," she said. "I've been working here since I was sixteen. It feels like home. Everyone is nice and they've sort of become family now."

"But you're so good, Crissy. You could be anywhere in the world. And you chose here?"

Crissy didn't reply at first. Breckenridge had been her home away from home when she was growing up, visiting Amy when life with her family got to be too overwhelming. She knew every street, every dip of the mountains, and almost everyone who came into the shop for coffee and a fresh hot pastry. Amy lived here, not her family. And that, she supposed, was why she had settled here, dug in roots and stayed.

She nudged him. "Let me out. I need to get something. I'll be right back."

Quinn slid out of the booth, pulling her to her feet. She climbed the stairs to her apartment, dug around under her bed and fished out her scrapbook. A thin layer of dust had settled over the cover and she wiped it off. She hadn't been paying it much attention over these last few months, ever since she started seeing Quinn.

Crissy returned to the booth. She set the scrapbook on the table as Quinn took her hand and she slid in next to him, nestled in against his side.

"This is why I work here," she said, placing her hand on the cover. "This is my life. My dreams. My hopes."

Quinn placed his hand on the cover beside hers. Slowly, reverently, he peeled the first pages back, running his fingers over each picture, each recipe, each doodled note trailing along the margins.

"I've never shown it to anyone," she whispered, so quietly it was more to herself than to Quinn. But he heard it and his hand came to rest on her shoulder.

"Not even Amy?"

Crissy shook her head. "She knows about some of it but I've never let her look through it."

Quinn nodded as he worked his way through the scrapbook, lingering on the pages that were filled to overflowing with recipes and pictures.

"Ever since I can remember," she continued, "I've wanted to open my own bakery."

She pointed to a page filled with interior designs, pink and cream and robin's egg blue, with glass display cases full of golden pastries.

"My mom and my sister thought it was a waste of time. They still think that. They said I would never make it and that I should become a lawyer like them. So I started working here because Mr. Scott liked what I could do and he promised that I could keep the shop after I'd worked for him for a few years. It'll take a few more years before I have enough saved up to renovate it the way I want to though."

"It's not a waste of time," Quinn said.

Crissy let out a very small breath of relief. Quinn kissed the top of her head and she smiled, leaning into the warmth of his chest.

"Thank you," she said. "For saying that."

"I'm not just saying it to just say it. You could definitely have this in your future. You know, I have a little saved up..."

"No," she cut in immediately. She pulled back to look him in the eye. "I mean, I appreciate the offer but I want to do this on my own. Amy will be the joint owner because we've been working together for a long time, otherwise I'd be doing this completely on my own. She always encouraged me to do this and no matter how much my family disapproved of this idea, she told me to hold onto it and never let it go. But otherwise, I need to do this on my own."

Quinn brushed his thumb over her chin. "If you're sure," he said. "I didn't mean to overstep any boundaries."