Page 69 of Bad Boy Bachelor Christmas
“Don’t start with me, Justin. I’ve made up my mind. I know it’s the right thing to do. It might hurt her in the short term, but in the long term, it’s what’s best for her.”
He shook his head. “And what about you?”
“What about me?”
“When are you going to start thinking about doing what’s best for you? You can hide behind your righteous self-sacrificing ways all you want, but I know you, North. Things just got real, and you’re taking the easy way out.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Says the guy who’s fallen in love and is willing to let it all go because hethinkshe knows what’s right.”
“And you know better?” I asked sharply, silencing him with my stare. “You’re chronically single, and the only girl you’ve ever pursued is Cami, who has made it clear to you a thousand times over that she’s not, and never will be, interested. I hardly think you’re the person to give me advice on love, Justin.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Spicy.”
Rolling my eyes, I turned and stared into the crackling flames of the fireplace. I felt the darkness closing back in around me like someone had drawn curtains around my heart, where Winter had pulled them back and let the sun thaw me out.
Justin shifted in his chair. “I hope you let her down easy.”
“I will.”
“After her party?”
I shook my head. “No. Tonight. I won’t string her along anymore.”
Justin studied me but held his tongue. I was sure he was feeling a great deal of things, too. Winter had touched more hearts than just mine. And like me, he probably wanted to keep her around for his own gain. She’d been good for me, for him, for Cami—for everyone she came into contact with.
But we had to stop holding on to her. She was meant to touch more people than just the souls in Maple Hill.
* * *
Later that night, long after the clouds had cleared and the almost-full moon appeared, I made my way to Winter’s cabin. I took the long route, stopping to check on all my traps on my way. I told myself I was doing it for the animals, but deep down, I suspected I was just delaying the inevitable.
While I wandered the grounds, checking trap after trap, I wondered what she was up to right now.
Having a bath, perhaps?
She did love that little ritual of hers. Maybe she’d be wrapped up in a robe with wet hair when I arrived. Or maybe she’d be curled up in a corner of her sofa with a book on her lap. Always a romance book, I’d noticed. Or perhaps she’d be on the phone with her folks. They’d been playing a bit of phone tag the last few days trying to get in touch, and I knew she missed them. With a night to herself, she might have finally made things work, and knowing her, she’d talk to them for hours.
They were lucky to have a daughter like her.
Sometimes, on my loneliest nights after losing Veronica, I’d wished we had children of our own so I wouldn’t be so dismally alone. I could look into their eyes and see their mother staring back at me. I could hold them close and promise them all the things Veronica and I had dreamed up for our future family, and I could follow through. They’d have held me accountable. They’d have forced me to keep the curtains open.
But no.
There were no kids.
No family.
Nobody.
Just me and a big house full of old memories that were drifting further and further away.
Around a bend, I happened upon a trap that wasn’t empty like all the others. A coyote lay in the snow, her foot snared and straight out in front of her. She wasn’t wounded, just stuck, and she licked anxiously at the cord around her paw. When she saw me she froze, and a low, guttural growl came out of her.
I stopped and held up both hands. “Let’s get you out of there.”
The snare attached to the rest of the trap about fifteen feet away, putting safe distance between me and the wild animal. Her eyes tracked me as I went to the snare, gripped the cord, and set the release. The snare came free with a soft click, releasing her paw, and she leapt up and scurried a few feet away before stopping.
