Page 63 of Santa Maybe
She ticked off the items on her fingers. “First, I asked you for a kiss. Then, I asked you to take me to bed. And then, I said I was in love with you. For someone who always tries to follow the rules, I’ve been failing miserably.”
“In all fairness, I wanted the first two as much as you did.”
“But not the third, right? That’s where I screwed up.” As her eyes misted over, she blinked quickly, willing the tears away. This time, she wasn’t going to cry.
“You didn’t screw up. I did. Because everything that you’re feeling? I’m feeling it, too.”
She froze up, scarcely daring to breathe. “Then why did you apologize?”
“For being a coward. Even though I wanted the same thing you did, I couldn’t take that leap. Trusting someone with my whole heart—even someone as wonderful as you—seemed like too much of a risk.”
Rosie wanted to believe him, but she wasn’t quite convinced. Two nights ago, he’d acted like he didn’t want more. That wasn’t something she could easily forget. “I don’t know, Drew. I get that you’re trying to make a grand gesture, dressing up like Santa. And on Christmas Eve, no less. But I don’t want the fantasy. I want the real you.”
To her surprise, he took off his beard and boots and started unbuttoning his Santa coat.
“Wh…what are you doing?” she said. “I told you we can’t have sex here. Even if we did, it wouldn’t change anything.”
He gave her an impish smile. “I’m not propositioning you. Even if it was fun indulging in a little role-play, I don’t want to hide behind the suit anymore. This is me, for better or worse.” With that, he took off his Santa coat and pants, revealing a Northlife T-shirt and a pair of bike shorts.
She let out her breath in a whoosh. Having him naked would have been far too distracting. But seeing him like this, stripped of his costume with his true self fully exposed to her, thawed the ice around her heart.
“I don’t understand. At Evelyn’s wedding, you let me walk away. What made you change your mind?”
“I never should have let you go. That night, I barely slept because I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I didn’t want to lose you, but I wasn’t sure what to do. Then, today, I talked it out with Hannah.”
“You mean Hannah from the gym?” Tonight was getting stranger and stranger. “Isn’t she, like, eighty years old?”
“Seventy-eight. But she’s a fount of wisdom. She made me realize how much I was missing out by not giving us a chance.” He stepped closer and stroked her cheek. “Ever since we started pretending to date, I’ve been so happy with you. I’d like to keep going, but I want it to be real. I’m in love with you, Rosie.”
These were the words she’d been aching to hear. Even so, she couldn’t quite believe this was what he wanted. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. But I wasn’t ready to face my feelings until you were brave enough to confess yours. And honestly, the only reason I wanted to extend the pretense until Valentine’s Day was to spend more time with you.”
“Now you can. You’ve got me for as long as you want.”
“I want all of it, Rosie. I wantyou.”
And just like that, the last of her walls came tumbling down. After hearing his heartfelt confession, she couldn’t keep him out. Nor did she want to.
She pulled him closer until he was pressed against her. Her whole body was alive, electric with the thrill of wanting him. Wanting to taste and touch and feel him without the fear she’d be rejected again. When his hands gripped her ass, it was all she could do not to scoot onto her desk and demand he take her right now, paperwork be damned.
He pulled away with a gleam in his eye. “Didn’t you say this room has a security camera?”
She laughed. “You’re right. But I’m tempted to plaster some tape over it.”
“If I come back to your apartment tonight, then I can make it up to you.” He paused. “Or, if you don’t want to miss out on midnight mass with your family, we could do that first. I packed a button-down and a pair of khakis in my duffel bag, and I’d just need to grab it from my car.”
“I’m supposed to be at the front desk until twelve, which means midnight mass is out of the question. If you don’t get to St. Andrew’s at least an hour before the service starts, there’s no chance you’ll find an empty pew.” Though her family wasn’t known for their promptness, this was one occasion when they never showed up late.
“What about after? Do you want to go to your parents’ house for hot chocolate?”
As much as she loved the idea of including him in one of her favorite family traditions, she was running out of steam. The thought of snuggling in bed with him held far more appeal. “After eight hours on my feet, I’d rather go back to my place and crash out. If you don’t mind waiting, I’d love to have you join me.”
“Perfect, because there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
Twenty-Seven
For the next few hours,Drew kept Rosie and Charlie company on Christmas Eve. Since his workout attire was a little too informal for helping them at the front desk, he fetched his gym bag and changed. Inspired by the Christmas music playing through the speakers, he busted out his favorite dance moves in the lobby. Both women joined in, making it feel like a party.
