Page 67 of Festive Faking
Her hand trembled when she plucked the white horse from my hand. “But—” She paused, and I could practically hear the gears turning in her head. “It belongs here. On the tree on Main Street.”
“Now, it belongs toyou. You can still place it on the tree when you come home if you wish, but I’ve arranged for it to always be returned after the holiday.”
“Mac,” she breathed out. “This is—This is really thoughtful. Thank you.”
Smiling at the girl who had stolen my heart, I brushed my lips against hers. “You are so very welcome.”
We pulled back, and the tender moment was shattered when panic stole over her features, causing instant alarm to rise up my throat which threatened to choke me.
“What’s wrong?”
A blush crept up her neck and onto her cheeks as her eyes dropped to her lap and her voice grew small. “I, um . . . I left your gift back in LA.”
We both knew that was a lie, but she was mindful of our audience having no clue that we weren’t a couple before this week. Hell, I wasn’t sure we were now. We hadn’t exactly had that conversation, and while she might be inexperienced, Aspen wasn’t naïve enough to believe that sex equated to a relationship.
Hiding my feelings for her had gone out the window days ago, so I decided now was as good a time as any to cement the depth of them and eliminate any doubt as to where I stood when it came to us.
Cupping her face with both hands, I poured my heart out. “Aspen,youare the gift.”
Her lips parted, and a rush of air escaped.
I kept going. “You changed my life in a way I never saw coming. I don’t want to go back to being the man I was before you tore down my walls, brick by brick, and saw value in the person I hid behind them. You’re the only one I feel comfortable being my true self with, and I can trust that you’ll continue to keep me grounded.”
Those twin blue gems glistened as they filled with unshed tears. When one leaked out, carving a path over her soft cheek, I quickly wiped it away with my thumb.
Pressing my forehead to hers, I whispered, “Thank you for opening my eyes to the possibilities this world has to offer a guy who didn’t get a choice in being born a ‘spoiled rich kid’.”
She threw her arms around my neck, hugging me tight. Even though the words were muffled in the fabric of my shirt, I heardwhen she said, “I wish more people could see you the way I get to, Mac.”
If the pieces fell into place the way I hoped they would, maybe she would get her wish someday. For now, I was content to hold her, knowing she was the only one who knew the real me—more than that, she liked the real me.
Stroking down the length of her red waves soothed my soul. She brought me peace, and though I’d tried, words would never be enough to express my extreme gratitude for her compassion as I discovered my worth.
A soft sigh stole my attention away from the woman in my arms, and I shifted my gaze to find Daisy with both hands clutched to her chest, her own blue eyes glassy when they met mine. Jett offered me a quiet nod of approval, and Tripp looked like a tortured soul, no doubt thinking about the million what-ifs when it came to his best friend, Penny, and their platonic relationship he wished was more. Meemaw tossed me a wink like we were in on a secret.
These people had only been in my life a week, and they already felt like family. Without question, they’d taken me in as one of their own, and like with Aspen and this town, I didn’t want to give them up.
This was where I belonged.
Chapter 26
Aspen
I woke up fromthe best Christmas I could remember alone.
Rolling over, I frowned when paper crinkled beneath my cheek as I reached for a missing Mac. Blinking a few times to clear my sleep-blurred vision, I read over the note he’d left me.
Had to run a few errands. Be back in a couple of hours.
That didn’t make any sense. What kind of errands did he need to run? We were leaving this afternoon.
Reality slammed into me hard. We were going back to LA today.
A lead weight settled in my gut at the thought.
Mac might’ve turned a corner during our week in Rust Canyon, but I wasn’t convinced he wouldn’t slide back into his cocky playboy persona the minute we landed and the pressuregrew too great to maintain the version of himself that everyone expected.
It would kill me to watch that happen, knowing the truly incredible man he hid behind the mask—the man I’d fallen in love with.
