Page 131 of Wonderstruck

I’m pretty sure he felt my heartbeats triple as Idropped his stare, taking a moment to try and rein them in. He didn’t need to mention which day, I knew what he meant. How could I forget one of the worst days of my life?

I held my breath tight, but no words came to me. Soinstead, I shrugged.But all Finn did was hold me tighter. Reassuring mewithout uttering a word.

“I’m not sure.” I eventually said to his chest,determined to keep my focus there, until I felt his hand slip under my chin and force my eyes on his.

He held me there as he spoke. “I knew it was you. Nomatter how much Daisy tried to convince me I was crazy, I knew.” A whisper of a smile graced his face. “And I don’t want to talk about why you were there, because I think I know and that’s not why I’m asking.”

I held my bottom lip, begging for the quivering tostop.But what was the point? I could only suppress thingsfor so long until they came bursting out at the worst times. I might as well have cried now, whilst I was safe. In his arms.I felt a tear slide down my cheek, warm and slow, butquick as anything Finn swatted it away, like he did last night.

“I only wanted to bring it up because I was going toask if you had any plans for Christmas.”

Oh.

I shrugged, wiping the wet corners of my eyes. “Ihadn’t really thought about it. I’d usually head to Dad’s but…”Breathe, Aurora.“This is my first Christmas alone.”

The thought hit me like a bullet train.I had no home to go to. No tree. No lights. No cookieson Christmas Eve.

I had nothing. No-one.

I’d had the beauty of Nantucket and caring for Cora tokeep me busy enough over Thanksgiving that I’d managed to avoid thinking about how irregular that all was. But with Christmas? With the rink being closed for the holidays?

I was alone.

Aunt Sandrine was always in some tropical climatebefore December could turn Paris grey, and seeing as though she’d barely reached out to me since the funeral I wasn’t exactly in the mood to reach out to her. I was sure that Cora would let me stay at her sister's again, but I’d already stayed over Thanksgiving and didn’t want to be a burden to them—

“You should come home with me. To Honeywood.”

Finn’s voice lifted me from my thoughts, our eyeslocked. “What?”

His smile warmed me. “Come back home with me, and Daisy. I’m sure she wouldn’t want you alone either. And it’s your home, Rory.”

I shook my head. “I couldn’t.”

“You could. And you should.” His hand held my head,pulling it to him to lay a kiss on my forehead, before resting his chin on me. “Tell me if I’m being to forward, but Daisy and I always lay some flowers on mom’s grave whenever were home, and over Thanksgiving, we somehow stumbled upon your parents’ plot.”

I tugged my head from under him.My parents’ plot.Iswallowed the lump in my throat. “How?”

“We bumped into Miss Patty.”

My head pulled back further. “You know Miss Patty?”

A sweet laugh blew from his nose. “It’s impossible togrow up in that town andnotknow her.” His hand slid to my back, his palms soothing the small of it. “She was laying flowers on your parents’ grave when we bumped into her,” he said, his voice gentle. “Their grave is only a few over from our mom’s.”

I felt my smile soften as I tilted my head, considering.Then, with the tiniest of shrugs, I said, “Maybe their ghosts are friends. Your mom’s and mine.”

Finn’s chest rumbled as he laughed. Like it was athought he’d had, but hadn’t expectedmeto say. “Did you seriously just say that?”

“What?” I said, throwing her hands up defensively,poking out of the covers just enough to feel the cold waiting for us once we decided to get up. “Just testing out humour as a coping mechanism. It works for you.”

He grinned, letting his head rest against theheadboard, but kept his eyes fixed on me. “Thoughts?”

My smile turned weary, and I shrugged. “Still toosoon, I think.”

But it was getting easier to think of her, think of them,without the crushing weight of knowing I’d never see them again.

I let my eyes go vacant as I remembered what he’doffered. I hadn’t spent a Christmas in Honeywood in years. And maybe it would be nice. Even though when I was there last I couldn’t wait to be back in the city, there was a part of me that missed it.Going with him meant being home for Christmas, inthe place I hadn’t called home in so long. Maybe it would be nice. Maybe… I needed this.

I blinked, sitting up and letting Finn’s stare hold mine asmy lips popped open. “I’ll only come if you promise me that you’re sure it’s okay.”

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