Page 36 of A Little Christmas: Rivi
I glanced up. “Thank you.”
“Are you all right? You must be freezing, honey.”
“Please don't call me that,” I whispered. “Uncle Trent doesn't I want us to be that kind of friendly.”
“I know. But we had a talk. Can I tell you about it?”
“I don't want to be any trouble,” I quickly interjected.
“You're not. But Trent understands that he's been a bit overprotective. It's his nature. He really loves you and cares about you and what happens in your life.”
“Did he say that?”
“Pretty much.”
“I don't want to get in the way of your friendship with him.” I put my fingers to my mouth to hold back my emotion.
“If anything like that was happening, it was all on me. You don't need to worry about that. I should have talked with him sooner.”
“I didn't think we were doing anything weird. Why was he that way?”
“I told you not to worry. It's on me.” Briar shrugged. “I took a liking to you. A strong liking.”
“Strong? More than just regular ‘liking’ someone?”
“Yes. He saw that. He wasn't wrong in his assumptions.”
I swung my legs over the bench and Briar set my game box next to me, then sat.
“I like you, too.” I could barely find my voice. “I didn't even think about it too much, really, it just felt natural. And you're so big and tall. It's sort of amazing, I guess?”
Briar laughed. “I'll take that as a compliment.”
I shivered all over, partially from the cold but also from realizing I was sitting next to a man that I actually wanted in my life. The shiver turned into a shake that rattled my teeth.
“You're freezing,” Briar observed.
An arm came around my shoulders. For a moment, I stiffened, thinking of Uncle Trent. But then I realized we were in the cold dark alone together and no one was here to see us. I could be honest. I could let him keep his arm around me and sink into that warmth so easily.
The box was between us, but I still felt close to him. I wanted more.
“I’m a little cold, I guess.”
“How about we go into a warmer area of the house?”
I noticed he was careful in his wording. He didn't say we should go upstairs. Just somewhere else. I didn't want to move fast and was grateful he seemed to understand that. Was it just me being a little? Or was it my age? But it didn't matter. Either way, I was beginning to trust.
As he stood, he helped me up. Then he took the box under one arm while keeping his other arm around my shoulders and steered us both back down the hall toward the main part of the house.
He led me to the giant living room where a fire was going even though no one was around. I immediately approached the warm hearth. Before I knew it, we were both sitting on the fuzzy rug facing the fire. I was disappointed that Briar's arm had fallen away from me, but he was still very close, our knees almost touching.
“May I ask what made you go down to the end of that hall and take a nap on that cold lonely couch?”
“I don't know. I didn't want to go back to my room. It was somewhere different that I'd never been before even when I was here as a kid.”
“Plus, you were upset, right?”
I nodded. Instinctively, I hugged my hands to my chest only to realize my Santa doll was missing.
