Page 124 of Run, Run Rudolph
Chapter 36
~ Tamara ~
When we broke apart, Haden’s hands were still bracing my face, and his lips were curved into a rare half smile. Then it faded and his eyes fogged with confusion.
“Why am I having trouble remembering?” he asked.
“Because…” I sucked in a deep breath, unsure of what he could remember, and worried that telling him the full truth would be a breach of my banishment from the magical world. Revealing everything could also set him back, rather than bring the rest of his memories forward.
I decided to risk it all, like a Vegas gambler riding on a high. Go big or go home.
“Because of Mrs. Claus.”
He looked to the side, focusing on something in the distance. Paperwork that needed to be done? An uncapped bottle of antiseptic? Or was he recalling everything?
And did it matter if he remembered everything? He remembered me, and us.
His gaze cut back to me. His voice was low when he continued, as if he feared I might be the one to label him as crazy, “So, all of that was real?”
I nodded.
“And you remember everything from last night?” he asked.
“I think so.”
“We kissed.”
“Several times,” I confirmed.
I liked that he circled back to that again. I also wanted him to announce that we’d fallen in love, too. But maybe it was a bit early for those sorts of proclamations.
His thumb brushed my cheek. There was a lightness in his eyes now, as though he’d finally received something he’d been wishing for. “We like each other.”
“Yes.”
“A lot.” I could see into his soul, and I wanted to dance and sing. I was the luckiest woman in the world. I pulled Haden into a tighter hug, listening to his heart, then lifting my face for another kiss.
His voice dropped, filled with mischief. “Are we a couple?”
I tempered myself. I wanted to pick up where we’d left off at high speed, but I also didn’t want to scare him away.
Was this how spouses felt when their true love got amnesia, and didn’t remember who they were and what they meant to each other?
“Would you like to be?” I asked.
His head angled, focusing on my mouth before lifting it to meet my eyes. I had to look away. His focus was so intense, so unreadable. “What would you like, TM?”
TM.
He’d called me that last night.
Haden could have any woman he chose. Would he choose me again in the light of day, now that we didn’t have magic swirling around us, making everything more exciting? Did he want the quiet version of me, who loved curling up with a book or movie or saddling up a horse for a long ride through the bush?
“What would you like?” I whispered, my voice wobbling. I wanted to lock eyes and let him see how much I wanted this. But I was scared to show him how much it meant to me, and how frightened I was of losing him.
I wanted us to be a choice—his choice. No chance of magic.
His thumb traced the big knuckle of my pointer finger, slow and gentle.
