Page 33 of Chilled and Thrilled

“Yup,” she scoffs bitterly. “She denies everything, of course, but she can’t explain how pictures of her boobs ended up in that girl’s DMs. It’s over. I’m getting on the first flight home once the storm is clear.”

Privately, I think she dodged a bullet. Every interaction I’ve had with my daughter’s now ex-girlfriend over the last few years solidified the impression she was a spoiled, entitled rich kid whose primary concern was where she’ll spend her next vacation. By contrast, my daughter is diligent and hardworking, determined to make her own way in the world without help from me or her mother. I’m sorry she hurt her and that it ended this way, but I’m not sorry to see the back of Riley.

Through the phone, I hear the indistinct rumble of a deep male voice, and I frown. “Who’s there with you?”

Another pause. “Oh! Um. All the hotels were booked for the holiday, so Riley’s dad took me in.” There’s something in her voice I’m not sure I’ve heard there before, and I’m instantly on alert.

“Are you comfortable with that? I can?—”

“Yes!” Honor rushes to assure me. “Oh my gosh, yes. He’sbeen great. I just feel bad for ruining his Christmas with all this.”

The man’s voice sounds again, though I can’t make out what he’s saying, and Honor sighs. “How’s everything there? I hope you’re not too lonely without us.”

“I’m not,” I assure her distractedly, thinking of Sophie sleeping in my bed, just upstairs. “Want me to ruin her life? I’m sure I can pay people to do that.”

My daughter lets out a reluctant giggle. “No. It sucks, but to be honest, I think it’s been over for a while. We never really made each other happy, but I might have a bit of a hard time quitting.”

I bite back a smile, remembering the summer she sent a letter every single day to her favorite boy band until they responded. “Yeah, you might. Don’t let one mistake make you feel like that’s a bad thing, though.”

A sniff greets my words. “I won’t. Thanks, Dad.”

“Have you told Sophie and your sister what happened?” It would really help my current position if I wasn’t forced to keep something this big from Sophie. It’s not my place to tell her, though, and that’s a line I won’t cross, especially with Honor still oblivious to our new relationship.

“No. Don’t say anything to Leni. It’s Christmas Eve, they don’t need to be caught up in all my drama. Besides, neither of them were big on Riley, and I don’t have the stomach for an I told you so right now.”

Outside the house, the wind picks up, creating dunes of snow across the backyard. With difficulty, I swallow. “I don’t think either of them would do that.”

“No,” agrees Honor with a weary sigh. “They’d be all supportive and sweet, but I would know they were secretly happy. I’ll tell them, I swear, I just want to sit with it for a few days. Once we’re through the holiday I’ll come home to face the music.”

“I understand,” I tell her, and I do. It puts me in a difficult position, but I won’t betray my daughter’s trust any more than I already have. With any luck, Sophie and I will have come to an understanding by then, and she’ll have stopped looking for reasons to end this before it’s really begun. “Call me in the morning?”

“Of course.”

We say goodbye, and I let the hand holding my phone fall back to my side, uneasiness brewing. There is already so much shit against Sophie and I, but the largest obstacle is her fear of losing Honor. Now, I understand why. Her own family didn’t love her for who she was, it’s natural she would cling to the first person who did.

If the last day has taught me anything, though, it’s that I’m not willing to walk away from this. Making sure Sophie never feels that kind of rejection again just became my life’s work, and it’s beyond frustrating how much of this situation is out of my control. For now, all I can do is show her how much she means to me.

Troubled, I stare out at the deepening snow for a while longer, lost in thought, before turning back toward the stairs. Sophie is where I left her, but when I pull off my shirt and get into bed, she mumbles indistinctly, turning into my embrace.

I kiss her hair, and warmth spreads through me at the sound of her happy sigh. “You smell like my boss,” she mumbles without opening her eyes, fingers playing absently with the hair on my chest.

Chuckling, I press my lips to her temple as I allow the comfort of holding her to chase away my worries of a few moments ago. “Have you been smelling your boss? I thought he had a fondness for that garlic dish.”

“He has a supersonic toothbrush in his office, so it’s fine.”

I stare at the wall behind her, my cheeks aching from howmuch she’s had me smiling. “Will you ever get bored of teasing me?”

Sophie stretches luxuriously, cracking open one eye with a lazy smile. “Probably not. Does it bother you?”

I snort, brushing strands of caramel hair off her face so I can see her properly. “If it bothered me, I don’t think we would be here right now, sweetheart.”

This must be the correct answer, because her smile widens, and she looks so beautiful in the wintery light, framed by tangled curls and my white sheets… I’m not sure my breath has ever been taken away just by looking at someone before, but it is now.

“I like the way you give me shit.” I catch her hand with mine and lift it to brush my lips over the inside of her wrist, the shadow of a kiss. “But we’ll need to work on you using it as a defense mechanism.”

Sophie groans. “Damn. I do that, don’t I?”

“Yes.” Another soft kiss, and I let her hand fall back to my chest. “You don’t need to with me. I want your smiles and your tears. Do you understand?”

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