Page 24 of Stranded in A Small Town Christmas
Chapter Sixteen
Donovan
* * *
I wake up alone.
I don’t like entanglements and distractions, so there have been very few mornings in my adult life I haven’t woken up alone, but it hits differently today. All I want to do right now is roll over and bury my face in Natalie’s hair while my hand skims up her naked side to cup her breast.
But she’s not here and that line of thought is only going to make this morning more painful—emotionally and physically—so I take a fast and freezing shower before dressing in the suit I was wearing the day I got here. Stella had thrown the shirt and undergarments in the wash for me the day after I arrived, and I steamed the coat and pants in the shower. I don’t look my best, but I’m a little more myself.
I’m not sure what to do with the clothing I’ve worn. I’d been tossing it in the basket each night, but I hate leaving dirty laundry. It would feel strange to haul it on a private plane in a garbage bag, though. I decide to leave it, knowing they’ll wash it when they do the bedding, and probably put it back in the attic.
I realize I slept in a lot later than usual, so there’s nobody in the dining room. I’m not sure there’s anybody in the house at all, but then I walk into the kitchen and find Natalie sitting at the island.
She smiles when she sees me, her cheeks flushing slightly. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”
“Good morning.” I go straight to the coffeepot. “Did I actually sleep through Mel and Elsie getting up?”
“You did. I was giving you another ten minutes or so and then I was going to do a wellness check.”
I sit at the island and sip the coffee, trying to wake up. I don’t know exactly what time Mom and Judy will be here, but I know when their chartered flight is scheduled to leave Manchester, so I know they’ll be here sooner than I’d like.
I hadn’t meant to sleep away so much of the little time I have left with Natalie.
“Where is everybody?” I ask because I really don’t hear anybody else in the house.
“My parents are out in the barn, breaking down the float. And Lyla had to bring the girls to her former mother-in-law’s house for their visitation. Then she was going to go help Erin break down the library float. Using books sounds like a good idea until you have to put them all back.”
We’re essentially alone, but she’s given no indication I should put down my coffee cup and kiss her instead. She hasn’t even moved her stool closer to mine.
“I see you’re back in the suit,” she says, and I don’t think I’m imagining the hint of sadness in her voice. “You must be eager to get back to your regularly scheduled life.”
I shake my head because she’s wrong about that. I’m not eager to get back to my regular life. It’s too hard to imagine what it will look like without Natalie in it, and it hurts to try.
I don’t want to go.
Actually, it’s not the going—I’m ready to get back to the city. It’s having to leave Natalie that’s the problem. I’m not ready to leave her behind.
“Come with me.” I don’t mean to say the words out loud, but I don’t regret them.
For a few seconds, my mind offers up images of Natalie throwing herself into my arms. Her in my penthouse apartment. Her naked in front of the Christmas tree she talks me into buying and decorating last minute.
She doesn’t throw herself into my arms, though. She frowns. “To the airport?”
“What?”
“You want me to go with you to the airport?”
“No.” It takes my brain a few seconds to catch up. “I mean, I want you to come to the airport with me, yes. And then I want you to get on the plane with me. I want you to come home with me for the holidays.”
Her eyes widen as her breath catches, and the way her face lights up tells me I must have been a very good boy this year because I’m about to get the only thing I want for Christmas.
Then the light dims as she takes a deep breath. “Donovan, I…”
I don’t want her to finish that sentence, but I can’t speak. I can feel years of conditioning straightening my spine and controlling my expression, and I can’t stop it.
“I can’t just leave,” she says.
