Page 41 of The Christmas Playbook
I glance over my shoulder, toward my cabin. The door is shut, but I imagine Mira is in there, waiting or stewing…
“Well, maybe you have a girl now,” Thorne says quietly.
“What?”
Thorne slaps my arm. “Go get the girl, asshole.”
I smile. Because you know what?Hell yeah.
I leave him standing there and jog the rest of the way. My boots make for clunky movement, but I bound up the porch and shove the door open.
She’s packing.
“You’re leaving?” I blurt out.
Mira looks up. Her eyes are red, tears still on her cheeks. She sniffles and wipes absently at her cheeks, nodding slowly. “No point in staying. My family will mock me for years to come for this shit. I’ll have a better Christmas at home.”
“No.”
She takes a breath. “No?”
“No.” I go to her and take her hands, helping her rise. “No, you’re not going. No, you’re not going to spend Christmas alone.No, your family will not mock you about this for years to come. Just…no.”
I take over wiping the tears from her cheeks and under her eyes. I tuck her blonde hair behind her ears, hating that she’s been suffering—even if it was just for a moment. A heartbeat of suffering is too much for my girl.
That’s right, I said it.
“This isn’t fake,” I declare.
Mira scoffs. “It’s been fake?—”
“We’ve lived under the pretense of it being fake to hide from the sexual tension,” I interrupt. “But we gotthatunder control yesterday, which means all that’s left is the relationship stuff.”
“The relationship stuff,” Mira repeats. “No, Rhys, I think you knocked your head on the trail or something. There’s no relationship, remember? We just jumped into bed together?—”
“Mira Winters.” I cup her cheek. “Respectfully, babe, shut up. I’m trying to tell you that the fake shit no longer applies to us. It was quick and unexpected, but I find myself head over heels for you. I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with you—if you’ll have me.”
Her mouth opens and closes. Her eyes are even more blue with the sheen of tears, which is ridiculous, but there it is.
Butterflies flutter in my chest. Damn,butterflies? I just admitted to love, and she’s crying again. I can’t quite tell if they’re good or bad tears. More spill down her cheeks, and I wipe them away. She’s not telling me to get lost, at any rate. That’s got to be a good sign.
The longer she remains quiet, though, the more nervous I feel.
“I’ve never felt like this about someone before,” I whisper. “Please say something.”
Her hand comes up and covers mine. “Yes. Yes, I feel it, too. You and me. The… the realness of it. I’m falling in love with you, too.”
“Thank God.”
Then, I do what I did from the beginning. I lean down and kiss her.
CHAPTER 18
MIRA
His mouth sootheseach of my wounds. I left him standing there in the resort restaurant with the shocked expressions on my family’s faces and immediately had the notion to get the hell out of dodge.
Only, Rhys came to my rescueagain.
