Page 65 of Christmas at Valentine Inn

I lay there for a good hour, wrestling with myself, though I was exhausted and needed to sleep. There was too much work to be done for me not to get at least a few hours of shut-eye.

Well after Charlotte had drifted off into a peaceful slumber, my phone buzzed on the nightstand where it was charging. I sat up and quickly grabbed it to find a text from Patrick. I was more than surprised, considering it was past midnight.

Patrick:I hope I didn’t wake you, but I couldn’t sleep for thinking of you. I fear I scared you tonight with my feelings for you on full display. You were quiet on the way home. And I know how you get in the dark.

I couldn’t believe he remembered that conversation. How I’d begged him to leave a light on so many years ago. He had no idea how much it meant to me that he hadn’t made fun of me. No, he’d just held me tighter, keeping me safe from my thoughts.

Patrick:What can I do to calm your fears? I’m here for you, Isabelle, in the light and the dark. What we have is real. No one can take that away from us. Not Jared or Nina. I have waited for you for twenty years. I will wait for you forever if I have to. Good night, darling.

I silently wiped the moisture from my eyes. His words were like a balm to my soul, making me feel as warm as the sun’s rays. For him to know me so well after such a short period of time was incredible to me. After fifteen years of marriage, Jared would have never read me so well. My night light actually annoyed him. Even my need to be held at night, he rarely managed to fulfill.

Me:You don’t know what this message means to me. What you mean to me. I promise one day to tell you. I still fear the dark and all the unknowns. But I’m trying to believe. Please don’t give up on me.

It was as vulnerable as I had ever been with anyone.

Patrick:If you need me to, I will hold you in the dark every night until your fears melt away. I believe in you. In us. I will never make the mistake again of giving up. Say the word and I will come get you right now. Do you mind sleeping on a pullout bed?

I held in my laugh. I knew he had given his children the bedrooms. He’s a good dad. A good man. I longed to be in his arms, but ...

Me:As tempting as that is, it sounds like a dangerous proposition.

A fantastic one, but nonetheless fraught with glorious peril.

Patrick:I swear I will be a complete gentleman.

Me:I believe you, but I cannot promise I will be a lady.

I didn’t need to scar his children. Besides, I needed time before we took that step. And, you know, privacy.

Patrick:You undo me, Isabelle. Now I definitely won’t be able to sleep.

Me:Sorry.

Patrick:Don’t apologize. I love nothing more than being kept awake thinking of you.

Oh, wow. Was he good at this. We are talking pro-level boyfriend.

Me:I’ll be thinking of you, too. Thank you for helping me feel the light in the darkness.

Patrick:I’m here for you anytime, day or night. Rest well, darling.

I snuggled back under the covers, feeling a sense of light washing over me. I was pretty sure Patrick was in love with me. How could that be? I wasn’t sure. But I was going to find out and have myself a merry little Christmas.

“ARE YOU OKAY THERE?” PATRICKparked the car at the scenic overlook covered in monstrous amounts of snow from the trucks clearing the narrow, windy road.

“Uh-huh,” I eked out.

He took my hands, which I’d been wringing together the whole drive. “We didn’t slide once, and the weather isn’t calling for any new snow today.”

“I know,” I breathed out like a chicken. Believe me, if it was supposed to snow, I would have told Drake he could pay to airlift my parents in. “I’m also scared of what my mother might say and do today.”

Patrick and Bridgette, who was sitting in the back seat, both laughed. I had tried to warn them about Sexy Mimi, but they still wanted to meet her and my dad, who thankfully just went by Rick and refused to get on social media.

“I can handle it. I promise.” Patrick squeezed my hands. “Let’s get out and take a look at the view.”

“Okay,” I agreed, though I wasn’t fond of heights or the bone-chilling cold. But I was fond of Patrick and Bridgette. Plus, Patrick had been telling Bridgette all about the breathtaking views from the pass’s summit.

Patrick hopped out and opened Bridgette’s door on his side before running around to open mine. He was adorable. More like insanely gorgeous. How did men do that? He’d only gotten sexier in the last twenty years. The flecks of gray in his hair and stubble were perfection. Meanwhile, I was visiting my hairdresser every six weeks and begging her not to tell me how much gray she saw. Not to mention the push-up bras that were getting more and more of a workout.

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