Page 107 of Stay this Christmas
“Well, it was supposed to just be a few things to shake up my life a little. To rattle me out of my rut. Just some temporary fun, you know?”
My sad balloon of a heart collapsed. Just some temporary fun. I wasn’t what she wanted, then. I loved her, couldn’t imagine going another day without her, but I was just a way to shake up her life.
“Only, I think I found something permanent.” She twisted her mouth, and I might have caught a hint of nervousness in her eyes. “I’m just as bad as Eden, June, and Eliza. I went and fell madly in love with you.”
My little balloon heart re-inflated, pressing against my ribcage until it hurt.Madly in love with you.Best words ever.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you last night. I was focused on the wrong things.”
“I can relate.”
She inched closer to me, and still, I fought the urge to grab her and never let go.
“I’m going to talk to Olivia. If she can’t deliver the hours we’d originally agreed on, I’ll just have to find something else.”
“I never wanted you to quit your job, Harper. I just wanted you to take time for yourself, too.”
“I know.” She took another step closer. “And I don’t want you to work for your dad. I want you to have a job you love. Even if you’re gone sometimes, it’s okay, as long as you come home to me in the end.”
Truly, I was madly, deeply, desperately in love with this woman. I hadn’t told her nearly often enough. “I love you.”
“I know.”
“A Star Wars reference? Really?”
“It fit.” She put a hand in her sweatshirt pocket. “We didn’t finish my list, you know.”
Pulling out a sprig of mistletoe, she raised it over her head. “I still need to kiss someone.”
My heart pounded out an urgent staccato, desperate to get her in my arms. Finally closing the distance between us, I pulled her to me. “How about the man who is crazy in love with you?”
“The one I’m absolutely nuts for? Yeah, it should be him.”
“Later, can we upgrade to naked Twister?”
Her smile turned naughty. “Yes, please.”
I kissed her, pouring all my adoration for this woman into every touch and caress. Her hands came to the back of my neck, stroking through my hair until my stomach clenched. I relished her, tilting her chin just right as I drank her in. A perfect start to a lifetime of kisses.
Holding her head in my hands, I pressed my forehead to hers. “I know now it’s cliché, but it’s always been you, Harper. There’s never been anyone else for me.”
“No one else ever stood a chance with—” She drew back, eyes aghast. “Wait, how do you know it’s a cliché? Have you been reading up on romances?”
I glanced to the side, guilty as charged. “I might have skimmed a few.”
“A few?”
“Several.”
“I’m going to need details.”
“So bossy.” I pulled her back to me until my lips brushed hers. I found the little shiver that rocked through her deeply satisfying. “You only need to know that second chance romance is my most favorite trope.”
“Mine, too.”
THIRTY-FOUR
harper
