Page 11 of Mountain Man's Christmas Gift
6
KEATON
Entering that banquet room felt like stepping into a different world.
The party was still going strong—maybe stronger than when we’d left. Someone had cranked up the music, and there were couples dancing in the center of the room. Buck had his arms around Sheraton, swaying to some slow Christmas song. Gunnar was spinning Ivy around, making her laugh. Even Hendrix was out there with his girlfriend Lainey, looking like he belonged.
Everyone looked so settled. So sure of their place in each other’s lives.
Camilla’s hand tensed in mine, and I glanced down to see her taking in the same scene. Her face had gone pale, and I could practically see the thoughts racing through her head.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said, but her voice sounded tight. “Just…a lot of happy couples.”
Before I could respond, Wade appeared at my elbow with a beer in his hand and a shit-eating grin on his face. “Well, well,” he said, looking between us. “Where have you two been? We were starting to think you’d gotten lost.”
“Just talking,” I said evenly.
“Talking.” Wade nodded. “Right. Is that what we’re calling it?”
Camilla stiffened beside me. Her hand started to slip from mine, but I tightened my grip.
“Wade,” I said, my voice carrying a warning.
“Relax, man. I’m just saying, you both look…” He gestured vaguely at us. “Rumpled.”
Heat crept up my neck, but not from embarrassment. From anger. Camilla was looking at the floor now, and she pulled back into herself.
“We’re fine,” I said. “Thanks for your concern.”
Wade held up his hands. “Hey, no judgment here. About time you found someone who could handle you.”
He took off, likely to run his mouth about how rough we looked, and I turned to Camilla. She still hadn’t lifted her eyes from the floor.
“Hey,” I said softly. “Look at me.”
She lifted her gaze, and what I saw there made my chest tight. Her eyes wouldn’t quite meet mine, and her lips pressed into a thin line
“This was a mistake,” she said quietly.
“What?”
“This whole thing. I don’t belong here, Keaton. Look around.” She gestured at the room full of couples, families, people who’d known each other for years. “Everyone knows everyone. They all have their place, their person. And I’m just…”
“You’re what?”
“The outsider who’s going back to her real life soon.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut, but not for the reason she probably thought. Not because I’d forgotten she had a life in Hartsville. Because I’d already decided that didn’t matter.
“Says who?”
She blinked. “What do you mean, says who? I have a job in Hartsville. An apartment. A life there. I was only here for the festival.”
“So?”
“So?” She stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “So I can’t just…abandon everything I’ve built because of one night.”
