Page 46 of Tis The Season for Secrets
“She was reading at the bar, and I couldn’t stay away,” he admitted, squeezing her leg under the table. Juliet gripped his hand to steady her heartbeat, cheeks heating at how easy it was for him to play the part of devoted boyfriend. “We’ve been together pretty much ever since.”
“Cheers to the happy couple.” Mason raised his glass, and the table cheered.
Will masterfully swerved the conversation. “Speaking of happy couples, I believe you had a rather important question to ask me? Something about being best man?”
Mason glared at Kevin, and if the others hadn’t been there, Juliet would’ve kissed the life out of Will for getting the spotlight off them.
When everyone was stuffedto the brim, Will and Mason cleared the table while Mrs Klaus insisted the guests stay the night. Will and Juliet tried to refuse, but the gentle woman wouldn’t hear it. Juliet worried Beth would be upset about her disappearing so soon after arriving. Diana probably figured she and Will were getting to know each other as her dad wanted, but she hoped she wouldn’t be too worried.
Will stayed and talked with Mason while Lyla showed her to a guest bedroom which was thankfully separated from the main house. The dark green wallpaper and plush cream carpet went beautifully with the dark wood of the four-poster bed, and the dark sheets looked like an abyss Juliet couldn’t wait to climb into. Given the time difference, and after so much food and anxiety, she wanted to crash. She wanted to ask Lyla some questions; being from the Outside, she had to understand how Juliet was feeling. But as the adrenaline wore off, she didn’t have the energy to tackle any more revelations.
Giving her some much-needed space, Lyla assured her everything was going to be fine before disappearing down the hall with Kevin to talk about the new game he was designing.
Juliet wanted to climb under the covers, but she went to the sliding glass door on the far side of the bed and looked up at the bright stars, unfiltered by light pollution. From this height, she could see what Will meant about Yule being protected by the snow-covered mountains. They wrapped around the village like a basin. How they made it invisible to the rest of the world was still a puzzle, but she presumed it was some kind of magic.
The door clicked behind her, and she turned right into Will’s chest. Losing any remaining shred of willpower, Juliet rested her forehead against his chest.
His hands sank into her hair as he rested his chin on the top of her head, each letting the other take a minute to breathe. The world had never seemed so quiet or still, and the moment was complete when he dipped his head to kiss her as though his life depended on it. The sweet, minty taste of dessert lingered on his lips, enticing her further.
“I’m sorry for coming here,” she breathed as she clung to him. “I didn’t know how to get to you.”
“Please don’t apologise. I should’ve been more careful,” he said between kisses, each taking her breath away. It didn’t seem to matter any more who was right or wrong.
Juliet broke away from him, trying to get her thoughts straight. “I talked to Kevin, about what happened to the Frost family and the danger of guardians falling for their charges.”
Will sat calmly on the edge of the bed.
“I know you said you owed my mom, but somehow, I think this situation is worse than us just falling for each other. You helped steal the chest and you’ve lied for me,” she said, wishing she had the strength to leave him, go home and never look back to protect him from the consequences of their actions. Then again, they’d come so far. She dropped down beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. “I feel like I’m being torn in two.”
“Please stop feeling so guilty.” Will took her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I decided to help Eloise. I found you, and I approached you because I wanted to. The guilt in your voice is breaking my heart. None of this is your fault. Regardless of the rules, it’s my job to protect and help those who need it.”
“But you’re breaking the laws of Yule for me,” she sniffled.
To her confusion, he smiled. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve broken the law, and it won’t be the last,” he reassured her. “My company on the Outside helps those who leave Yule. We help them settle in and stay out of trouble. We forge documents, find them employment, things like that. I break laws every day for those who need it, so please don’t for one second feel guilty about this. Meeting you was worth any consequence I may face.”
“I feel like you’re leaving something out,” Juliet said, thinking about how she’d seen him at the dinner table with the Klauses. “I don’t believe you’d risk hurting people you consider family just because you owed my mom a favour.” Hoping he would tell the whole truth, she moved to the centre of the bed, waiting for him to speak whenever he was ready.
He turned to face her. “Growing up, my parents spent most of their time in the sleigh’s engineering department. My sister was the golden child, and my only talent was getting into trouble.”
“How much trouble can one get into here?” Juliet asked, wondering what he counted as ‘trouble’ in this winter wonderland.
He fidgeted with his watch. Clearly a lot.
“Let’s just say it involved reindeer racing and too much ginger beer.”
Juliet tried not to laugh. “What, did you get a sugar rush?”
Will grimaced. “In Yule, ginger beer is alcoholic.”
“Oh.” Whatever reindeer racing was, doing it drunk sounded dangerous.
“I was acting out, and bringing my friends along for the ride. The Klaus family tried to straighten me out, but I couldn’t find my place in Yule as easily as others seemed to. After a particularly bad racing accident, Mason and I ended up in Yule’s emergency room. Mr Klaus, Mason’s dad, managed to get the council to show us leniency; we were only sixteen. Still, my parents wanted me out of the house. They didn’t want me to be a bad influence on my sister. Anyway, Eloise, your mum, helped get me into the guardian program. She took a chance on me when everyone else was willing to give up.”
“I’m sure she helped you because she wanted to. You should’ve considered any debt paid by your success alone. You’ve done so much for her– for me.” Juliet inched closer to him, taking his hand in hers. “You could lose your job if they find out who I am, be banished, and what about your family and the Klauses?”
“I love that you’re trying to protect me, but I’m not letting you go through this alone,” he said, taking her in his arms. “They’ll find out in time that everything I did was worth having you in my life.”
She tried to pull away from him so that he would take her seriously. “What if I could hear all this from Eloise? She’s in Yule; she’s right here. I could meet her, and put an end to all this.” She should’ve been annoyed, but she only felt relief when he refused to let her go.
