Page 26 of A Very Merry Mistake

He chuckles. “I’ll keep that joke to myself. But I could help. I’ve been told I’ve got magic fingers.”

The butterflies return as I think about everything that can possibly mean. “It’s okay. I woke you. You should probably get back to sleep.”

He nods and leads the way to his bedroom. Before walking inside, he turns and looks at me over his shoulder. “You comin’? I mean, if your boyfriend would be upset, I understand your reasonin’.”

“No boyfriend,” I confirm. My voice isn’t much louder than a whisper, but he hears me.

As Jake stares at me, I know I have a choice to make. I can return to the couch where my mind will wander alone, or I can follow Jake. I hear my internal monologue that wants to take chances, and it urges me to step out of the perfect box I keep myself tucked away in.

When I step toward him, a smirk plays on his lips.

I pass him, inhaling his scent again, and stand next to the side of the bed that’s still made.

“Once I’m asleep, I don’t move much. So you’ll have most of the space to yourself. I hang out near the edge with Tinsel.” He returns the gun to the safe and then adds more logs into the fireplace.

“Okay.” Though I wouldn’t mind him being close. And right now, he looks like he could use the warmth.

The burning wood pops, and his cat is where she was when I left. Jake removes the black-framed glasses from his face and sets them on the dresser before crawling around her. He successfully leaves her undisturbed. Once he’s settled, he looks over at me and pats the empty side of the mattress. I lift the fluffy white comforter and slide into red silk sheets that feel cool against my body.

“Good night, CeCe,” he says, then he rolls on his side, with his back facing me.

For a few minutes, I stare at the tall ceilings in his room, noticing how the beams cast shadows from the moonlight. My eyes grow heavy as I replay everything that happened today. Just as I fall asleep, laughter escapes me, and I wake myself. I feel the mattress move, and I glance over at him.

“What’s funny?” he asks. His voice is velvety smooth.

I close my eyes, hoping I can quickly drift off. “Nothing. Today has been one of the weirdest days of my life.”

“Welcome to Merryville.” I can hear the smile in his words.

“And what a welcome it’s been,” I say, sucking in a deep breath and relaxing into the soft bed and pillow. I feel like I’m lying on clouds, knowing I made the right decision to follow him. It’s a thousand times more comfortable than his couch.

As I drift off, I won’t be surprised if I dream about ghosts of Christmas past and sugarplums—or Jake’s lips and hands on my body.

* * *

The early morning sunrise wakes me. My arm is wrapped over Jake, and my chest is pressed against his bare back. Even though he didn’t move an inch, I found my way across the mattress to him. He’s warm. He’s comfortable.

We’re spooning, and he’s holding me hostage because my arm is under him. He thought I was joking last night when I warned him. Well, I wasn’t. I’ve always been a snuggler; I just don’t have anyone to snuggle. While he shouldn’t be surprised, I somewhat am.

I squeeze my eyes shut and slowly try to pull my arm out from under his without waking him. Just when I think I’ve escaped his warmth, he speaks up.

“Mornin’.”

The gravel of his tone. The twang in his words. I’m doomed.

“Good morning,” I say in a whisper, frozen for a brief moment.

“I didn’t know you talked in your sleep,” he mutters as I slide out from his smooth sheets and find my way into the bathroom, wishing I would disappear.

Mortified. It’s the only thing that can describe how I feel.

No telling what I’ve said.

There’s been so much on my mind.

And last night, before I went to bed, I was thinking about him and this town and my messy life. I can’t even look myself in the mirror as I pass it.

Sleep talking is how my sister discovered I was dating someone I shouldn’t have been with.

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