Page 58 of Festive Faking
Relief surged when I caught sight of her near the front; she was sharing a word with the minister.
Dipping my head, I spoke directly into Aspen’s ear. “I’ll be right back.”
I made it all of one step before she stopped me with a hand to my forearm. “Where are you going?”
Restroom, I mouthed, and she seemed to take my white lie at face value, turning back to the group.
Keeping one eye on Rose at the front, I worked my way toward her while sticking to the perimeter of the room, hoping to avoid being noticed by Aspen. Stopping a few feet from where she was gathering the discarded candles from the pews, I called out to her, mindful to keep my voice low. “Rose!”
Her head whipped up, and she stopped what she was doing to walk toward me with a warm smile. “Merry Christmas, Mac.”
“Merry Christmas.” I peeked over my shoulder quickly before asking, “Did you bring it?”
She took a moment to reach into her purse before pressing a familiar shape into my palm.
My fingers curled around it before tucking it into the pocket of my slacks. “I owe you one.”
Rose waved me off. “No, you don’t. That’s what we do down here; we help each other out.”
My chest tightened. This woman barely knew me, and she hadn’t hesitated when I’d called to ask for a favor while Aspen was in the shower. I was so used to quid pro quo that it almost knocked me on my ass to learn Rose had helped me out of the goodness of her heart.
After this experience, how was I expected to go back to the life I’d been living before? Surrounded by people who were only out for themselves, who would throw their own family under the bus if it meant survival or a leg up?
The thought of it had my throat closing up. That life was suffocating me, and I wanted out.
“Thank you, Rose,” I croaked out, voice hoarse.
She gripped my elbow, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Take care of her, you hear?”
With a heavy sigh, I replied honestly, “I’d love nothing more, but it’s up to her whether she’s willing to let me.”
Rose nodded like she understood. “I’ve known that girl since she was knee high. She might be stubborn, but she’s not foolish. Which is what she’d have to be to not see the good man standing before her.”
I dropped my gaze to the floor. It didn’t matter what Aspen and I had shared last night or today. There was still a chance she could walk away when we returned to LA. I wouldn’t blame her if she did. I wasn’t sure I could be the man she deserved if I had to go back to playing the part that was expected of me.
“Love is scary.”
My head whipped up at the words.
Rose’s eyes grew glassy, and her voice thickened. “It doesn’t come with a guarantee. Sometimes, it’s cut short, leaving you inso much pain that you’re left wondering if you were better off without it. But if you’re lucky, you have enough memories to remind you that it was worth it, and you’d do it all again, even if you knew how much it would hurt when it was gone.”
There was no question; Rose spoke from personal experience.
I’d often heard love described as a leap of faith—you jumped without knowledge of the outcome, praying for the best but knowing there was always a chance it would end in disaster.
The irony was that while Aspen had been busy guarding her heart, I’d had no hesitation in giving her mine.
Realization hit me hard that there wasn’t a choice. I was already falling for her. And it would leave me shattered if I didn’t get to keep her.
Determination pushed fear of losing her to the side. I became a man on a mission, the plan already forming in my mind.
Plain and simple, I wasn’t letting Aspen Sullivan go.
Chapter 23
Aspen
Mac had been quieton our drive home from church. He hadn’t been himself since he excused himself to use the restroom while we’d been talking to the Grants. I wondered if perhaps he wasn’t feeling well and was embarrassed to tell me. If that were the case, it wouldn’t stay secret for long with us sharing the tight confines of the cabin.
