Page 95 of Betrayed in the Dark
And as much as I should stop this, knowing it will only give me a taste of a life I can never have with him, I can’t. Because my heart has only ever beaten for one man in my life. And for the next few days only, I want to pretend that I can have him for the rest of my life.
“Eww. Aunt Audrey! Eli’s kissing a girl!”
Eli and I quickly separate, both of us panting heavily as we turn to see Ava standing in the now-open doorway, her face twisted in disgust.
“Bloody hell, Ava.” Eli’s lips curve into a smirk, a small laugh escaping between his teeth.
“You need to put a pound in the swear jar,” she tells him.
A woman with shoulder-length brown hair appears in the doorway behind Ava, wearing a warm smile. “What’s all the commotion? It’s Christmas—Oh.” Her eyes flit between me and Eli. “Excuse me. I didn’t know Eli had company.”
“Mom.” Eli clears his throat, brushing back his hair before looking at me. A soft shade of pink creeps up his neck, and I have to bite down on my lip to keep from laughing. “This is Madeleine Alarie.”
I extend my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Lyon.”
She takes my hand in hers, her smile widening. “It’s lovely to meet you. Please, call me Audrey.”
I smile back, suddenly feeling self-conscious. It’s a sensation I’m not used to, but this is Eli’s mom—a woman whose approval actually matters to me.
“Well, we’ll give you two some privacy,” she says. “But please come in and join us when you’re ready. We have plenty of food.”
“Oh.” I look at Eli and then back at his mom. “I don’t want to impose. I was just stopping by—”
“Stopping by from New York?” Eli quips.
I tuck my hair behind my ear. “Well, when you put it like that…”
“I insist,” Audrey says, taking Ava by the shoulders and directing her into the house.
“You’re just going to let them stand out there and kiss?” Ava asks incredulously before the door shuts behind her.
We both laugh, and I can’t help but look up at the sky, snowflakes floating around us.
For the first time in a while, I feel weightless.
Eli’s arms wrap around me, and I look into his eyes.
“Happy Christmas, Madeleine.”
“Happy Christmas, Eli.”
“You must be exhausted,” he notes with worry. “Want to rest first?”
I shake my head. “I’m good. I slept a little on the flight over.”
He sighs. “I hope you know what you’re in for. My dad was a general for most of his life and is going to interrogate the hell out of you, wanting to know everything about you.”
I chuckle. “Bring it on.”
He takes my hand and suddenly glances down, noticing the absence of a ring.
He doesn’t say anything.
He doesn’t remark on its whereabouts.
Instead, he merely intertwines our fingers, presses a kiss to my temple, and then leads me into his home.
Chapter twenty
