Page 47 of Tinsel in Telluride

As if she knows she’s been caught, she quickly backs her chair up and stands, darting from the room.

“Enzo, you’ve got Zach,” I say as I grab the jacket she left behind and follow my girl into the cold.

CHAPTER TWELVE

LEIGH

The wind nips through the tiny holes in my sweater, and I instantly regret my decisions as I stumble across the deck to the railing.

But I can’t go back in there.

My knuckles turn white as I grip the weathered wood, willing it to ground me in reality. I suck in another breath to force air into my lungs.

This is okay.

I’m okay.

I’m not losing him.

He’s just spending time with Luca.

I wanted this.

For Zach.

He needs this.

It’s just dinner.

But it’s more than that.

This isn’t a fucking play date.

This is real.

They are connecting. Making memories. They are forming a bond that rivals my own.

And that scares the living shit out of me.

Because what if Luca’s not his father?

What happens when he leaves?

When his family doesn’t want Zach because he’s my son too. The thief of Shady Grove.

I suck in another ragged breath—and exhale.

Over and over between choked sobs.

My lungs burn, but no matter how hard I try, I don’t feel like I’m getting enough air.

“Leigh.”

The disembodied voice is faint over the pounding of my heart in my ears.

“Leighton.”

Luca?

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