Page 46 of A Moon Lake Christmas Hero

“Yes.”

“It’s a really nice gesture but…”

“It’s unused and just sitting here empty; it’s really not?—”

“James.” She held up her hand, stopped me. “I know this is not…I don’t know… rational. But…”

I turned in my seat. Looked at her beautiful face. I knew her independence was important to her. But hell, how could I make her see that this was just a friendly gesture? “We can talk about rent. I know it’s big, and a bit out of town, but it’s really close to Alan and Jessie. You wouldn’t even need to drive. You can just cut across the fields and be there. I’ll get someone out here to plow a path for you?—”

“James.”

“I know, me being your landlord isn’t ideal either, but you could stay until you found something more suitable and?—”

“James, shut up.”

I stopped mid-sentence.

“It’s not the house,” she said, worrying her lower lip, making me want to kiss her.

“I know I told you I needed space, and you’ve given it to me. But…”

I nodded. At least I’d tried. But what was she hinting at? Hadn’t I given her enough space, held myself back enough? I knew I could be a demanding, overbearing bastard. But I had really taken a big step back.

But with everything she was saying now… I was waiting for the three words I dreaded most in the world.

I am leaving.

That was what she was saying, wasn’t it? She was leaving town altogether.

History repeating itself. Once again, I wasn’t good enough. Or too much.

The thought made my chest cave in and my breath stuck in my throat.

The short period of time we’d known each other had been enough to make me completely fall for her. Her easy laugh. The way she made me feel—horny and protective at the same time.

The way she fit into my life as if she was destined to be in it, and the way she made my days brighter by just showing up in my kitchen, happy to tackle the day.

And as if it wasn’t enough, the way she treated Abby and Marley. She was acting like a mother, without even realizing it. I loved the way she kissed Abby and Marley goodbye—little rituals they’d developed already, and the way she sat on the floor, completely immersed in whatever the girls wanted to play. Looking young and sexy as hell at the same time.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“James?”

“What?” I wheezed, turned back, and stared straight ahead out the windshield.

“I’m falling in love with you, and the girls, and if you still have feelings for me, I want us to…”

It took a couple of seconds for her words to sink in.

Those magic words. Those magic words that ended my agony and painted a brighter future than I’d dared to imagine.

I grabbed her, hauled her over onto my lap, and kissed her.

Was she kidding? If I still had feelings? Didn’t she know?

I pushed her back. “I love you. Irrationally, as it sounds, I loved you from the first moment I met you.”

Her smile was the sweetest smile I’d ever seen. It calmed that place inside of me that had been a constant niggling pain in my chest forever.

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