I laughed and shook my head. “See? I think you’re just angling for her.”
He shrugged. “There is a certain spark about her.”
“There is.” I nodded in agreement, catching the way he looked at me, and all I could think of was his kiss.
“So.” His voice quieted. “We can both agree that something otherworldly happened.”
“Definitely.” A chill cascaded over me, and I glanced around the café.
“We just can’t agree on what message was sent.” He rubbed his fingers along the day’s stubble along his chin and I caught myself fantasizing about feeling the whiskers against my skin.
“Right.” I nodded, whipping my thoughts back to angels and ghosts. “Maybe the message wasn’t even meant for us.”
“Has grandma been out dating a lot?” he teased.
I rolled my eyes and leaned closer to the table. “What do you want that message to be?”
“Don’t make dating complicated.” He sat back satisfied, and I laughed.
“Well, I think that’s a good life lesson all the way around.”
“Good.” He chuckled. “Now, what are we going to do after New Year’s Eve when you go back to Washington?”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly that.” A flicker of heat ran through his gaze and my stomach flip-flopped.
“Well, I imagine I drive away on New Year’s so I can—”
“You know what I mean.” Mischief rested behind his gaze. “I like you. You’re fun to be around, and I want to get to know you more.” He sat back triumphantly. “Now, how’s that for being blunt and to the point?”
“Grandma would be proud,” I teased, feeling my insides warm from the way he looked at me.
“Well?”
“I suppose we should do what normal people do—text, call, email . . .” I wasn’t sure what more he wanted me to say.
“I’m not all that into normal.” He straightened up, and my mind started spinning with where he was headed because I had absolutely no idea. “I want to visit you.”
“Already?” My brows shot up in surprise.
“Well, by the time New Year’s rolls around, it’ll be a week where we’ve gotten reacquainted. Do you really think that’s enough to keep this thing going? You’ll probably ride the ferry into the sunset and forget about me.”
“I doubt that,” I assured him.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what Lester and Wilma said.”
“Have they been visiting you at night too?” I smiled, still unwilling to completely deal with what we’d just encountered on Christmas Eve.
“No, not yet.” He threw a coy smile in my direction. “But I let you get away once because of my foolishness. I don’t want that to happen twice.”
My breath hitched in the back of my throat and my gaze fell to the tablecloth.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Colton asked.
“Nothing. I just don’t want to disappoint you.”
“Disappoint me?” He nearly choked the words out. “How in the world could you disappoint me? We’re still trying to get to know one another. There’s no way you could disappoint me.”
My heart squeezed as I looked at Colton McAlister. He seemed so genuine and so determined. I wanted to believe that it wasn’t just the holiday spirit that filled him a little too much with the idea of love, peace, and joy.
“Well? What do you say about that visit?” He sucked in a breath and waited for my response.
“I’d like that. A lot.” I grinned, unable to believe that even with our history, I couldn’t stop daydreaming about the possibilities. “I’d even pick you up from the airport, and let me tell you, with the ferry schedule, that’s saying something.”
“I’m honored.” He held his palm over his heart. “Have you told anyone about Wilma and Lester? Does your grandma know?”
“I didn’t want her to think she was getting senile, or worse yet, that we were.”
“Do you think we should?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I mean, the son had no idea that we’d run into his parents or that his parents had run into us.” I twisted my lips into a pout. “I don’t know what to think.”
“Maybe just our secret?”
“Maybe.” I nodded. “It’s kind of nice to share such a special one.”
“I have to tell you, I never in a million years would have thought I’d be spending my holidays with you, Gina. I assumed I’d never see you again. It’s been so long since you came back here.”
“It has.” I nodded, feeling him take my hand in his again. “Way too long.”
The server brought our check and Colton quickly paid. As we made our way out of the café and onto the outdoor patio, Colton looked up and smiled.
“What?” I asked, following his gaze.
“This has definitely been my year.” He stepped into me, circling his arms around my waist and causing my pulse to soar as I felt his hardness pressed up against me.
“Does it still count if it’s after Christmas?” I asked, nearly breathless.
“In my book, it does.”
I closed my eyes and felt his mouth touch down to mine. He tasted sweet, and all I could think about was wanting more.
He broke free and smiled as my eyes fluttered open and I centered myself.
Being in his arms was intoxicating and disorienting and oh, so wonderful.
“You’re really good at that,” I said, catching my breath.
“I was thinking the same thing about you.” He looped his arm around my waist and pulled me into him as we walked along the sidewalk to my car.
The thought of leaving him after only a lunch out literally made my chest ache a little because I knew this was one step closer to the end. Even though he made promises of visiting and probably had sincere intentions, I just couldn’t and wouldn’t let myself believe that seeing Colton McAlister over my holidays was anything more than a Christmas wish come true and nothing more.
Chapter Twelve
“Who needs champagne?” My mom twirled around in the kitchen holding a newly popped champagne bottle as several empty glasses came at her.
My dad wandered into the kitchen and his eyes lit up immediately at his wife.
“Perfect. Now just try not to drink it all up before midnight. We only have a case left.” She laughed as she poured the last drop into my grandma’s glass and set the empty bottle on the counter.
My dad snapped my mom with a kitchen towel and enchanted laughter filled the air.
“Happy New Year to you too!” She gave him a kiss and he beamed.
Several of my parents’ employees had happily wandered into the kitchen at the mention of champagne refills, and my heart squeezed with such holiday cheer that I had to dab my eyes. Every year, my parents threw a huge party, inviting friends, employees, customers, and family to celebrate the coming of the New Year, and every year for the last several, I’d missed it.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” my dad teased, popping a piece of prosciutto-wrapped melon in his mouth.
“Am not.” I smiled and took a sip of the bubbly. “I’m just happy to be home.”
“We wish you’d think about coming back for good, you know.” The familiar twinkle in his eye warmed me up. “We miss you. Don’t get me wrong, we like visiting the islands up north there but—”
I gave my dad a kiss on the cheek and laughed. “You never know where life can take a person.”
“Or who you’ll run into after all these years,” he said with a delighted chuckle, and I realized he’d had plenty of champagne and midnight was more than thirty minutes away.
“Where’s Ken?” My sister stormed into the kitchen with several children on her tail. “He promised me I wouldn’t be stuck watching . . .” She pointed at the under-five set behind her, and I hid a giggle.
I wouldn’t say my sister didn’t have the mothering instinct because I fully believed she would when—or if—she ever had her own children, but she really wasn�
�t a fan for the most part.
“He’s with Colton in the garage, staring at dad’s classic.” Dad had a classic 1972 Dodge Challenger that was his pride and joy. If even a speck of dust sprinkled the bright yellow paint job, dad nearly had a heart attack, so I could only imagine how excited he’d be if there were tiny little handprints all over it.
She rolled her eyes. “I should have known. We have less than thirty minutes until the clock strikes midnight, and—”
I walked over to my sister and held her in place, stopping her from uttering anything she might regret.
“Just go out there, be nice, and remind him that it’s close to the kissing hour.” I winked. “Got it?”
“He owes me,” she grumbled.
“No, their parents do.” I pointed at the rugrats and held in a laugh. They were running on empty. All she had to do was run them in circles for five minutes or so and they’d be out cold.
I turned around to see Grandma leaning against the counter and taking in everything about her family, a pleased expression settling on her face. She took another sip of champagne and let out a delighted sigh.
“How are you doing?” I asked her, walking over to stand next to her.
“Tired but happy.” She turned toward me and held my cheek. “You’re such a good girl. Both you and your sister.”
I smiled and chuckled. “Well, one of us might be more so than the other.”
“She does get a little feisty, that one, doesn’t she?”
“Ken has his hands full.”
“That he does.” She set her glass down and tilted her head. “You like him, don’t you?” There was a tenderness to her voice that touched me, and I couldn’t do anything but tell her the truth.
“I always have.” I bit my lip and glanced toward the garage, hoping that Cassie could wrangle both men inside. “But I always assumed it wasn’t meant to be. I assumed a lot of things that weren’t correct.”
“That happens sometimes.” She nodded. “Don’t let your past cloud what could be in the future. You never know where love might be lurking.”
My cheeks blushed and she smiled wider. “I see the way he looks at you. There’s something there, Gina. Don’t dismiss it quite so easily.”
“But he lives here and I live—”
“Have you ever heard of a moving van, or how about taking things one step at a time? Don’t stop it before it has a chance to start.”
I let out a happy groan of appreciation. “You’re not the only one who’s mentioned that.”
“Fifteen minutes and counting,” my mom hollered to the crowd as my father opened another bottle of champagne.
The door from the garage opened and in walked Colton, followed by Ken and Cassie and several of the shorties, who looked like they were about to fall over any second.
“I wondered if you’d show up before the important hour,” I chided as Colton wandered over, giving my grandma a quick hug and a kiss before sliding his arms around my waist.
“Any chance to kiss you and I’ll be there.”
My grandma chuckled and hiccupped before wandering away to the living room.
“What do you think about my dad’s ride?”
“Pretty epic.”
“It is.” I looked up into his eyes and my chest tightened, knowing this was the last night before leaving town.
“Have you given more thought to my offer?”
“The visit?” I asked.
“The particular dates I texted over.”
I couldn’t hide my smile. “They work perfectly, but are you sure you can come out that often?”
“It’s just twice in January and three times in February.” He swept a piece of hair from my face and my body trembled from his touch.
“I can’t wait.”
Yelps and cheers started coming from the living room and I glanced at the clock.
“Two minutes,” I whispered. “What is it about being in your presence? It’s like time stands still.”
He laughed and slid his hand into mine as we wandered into the living room where so many people had gathered to watch the countdown.
Colton glanced at the entry and pulled me away to the rather discreet area before pointing up where the bunch of mistletoe still hung.
“We can’t let this go by without proper use,” he said, bringing me into him.
“Works for me,” I breathed, feeling heat pooling low in my belly.
He slid his hand along my cheek as the crowd began the countdown, and I closed my eyes as his mouth met mine.
Colton tasted so good, so pure, as my lips parted and our kisses deepened. His hands moved along my spine just as midnight was called into the air, and I let out a little moan of anticipation. I wanted so much more from Colton, and from the way his body was pressed against mine, I knew he did too.
“Happy New Year,” I murmured between kisses as our lips slowly parted.
“Happy New Year, Gina. Thanks for letting me be a part of it.”
I nodded, biting my lip, and his gaze fell to my mouth. A wild intensity darted through his gaze and my belly tightened with desire.
“You want to pretend we’re in high school?” I whispered, looking over my shoulder.
“Like how?”
“Want to sneak up to my bedroom?”
“You said something about your dad and a shotgun?” he teased, but I grabbed his hand, pulling him up the stairs two at a time.
By the time we made it into my old bedroom, I couldn’t keep my hands off him and barely closed the door behind us.
He let out a little laugh and shook his head, turning back to the door.
“If you don’t mind.” He turned the lock and spun back around. “I’d like to leave here alive tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” I asked, feeling my heart pound in my chest.
I’d never felt this kind of desire before, and all it took was for Colton to take a step closer and I thought I was about to lose it.
“Are you sure you want this?” he asked, closing the gap between us.
“More than anything.” I began tugging his shirt away from his body, and he gave a low, deep chuckle that drove me even crazier for him. “But I promise I won’t read anything into—”
“Shh.” He pressed his forehead against mine and shook his head. “Don’t say that. You have every right to have expectations. I know I do.”
“What kind?” I whispered, feeling his hands slowly slide under the skirt of my dress, sending a thrill through me like never before.
“I’ve already got the plane reservations,” he breathed, skating his hand along my thigh. “I’m sure you can guess.”
My breath caught as his fingers ran along the lace of my panties, and I stepped backward, bringing him with me.
When I felt the bed behind me, he smiled and kissed me softly, slowly bringing my dress over my head and tossing it behind us.
I moved up on the bed, looping my arm around his neck and leaning him over me as he stripped his shirt off while I worked the button of his pants.
I was extremely aware of everything around us, his fingers sliding along my bare skin, the scent of his cologne, the raggedness of his breathing.
Colton caged me in as he continued to look into my eyes with such a heated and wild intensity my entire world stood still.
“I want this,” I breathed, pulling him on top of me, his mouth crashing to mine.
He caught my hands in his and slowly raised them above my head as his mouth worked slowly along my jawline to right behind my ear, sending a quiver through me before returning his mouth to mine.
He freed my hands, and I ran them along his bare skin, feeling the hardness under my fingertips as he nudged my legs with his knee. Everywhere his lips found left a warm mark that made my entire body heat with desire. He flicked his tongue across my nipples and my body responded with an unexpected moan.
“Gina,” he whispered, his voice filled with such powerful longing, and my body trembled in his embrace as I tigh
tened around him, getting lost in the world that we created.
Wave after wave of intense sensations rolled over me, and I begged for more, hardly recognizing my own voice with each plea.
A warm, seductive calm settled over me as Colton drew me into him.
The thought of waking up tomorrow knowing I was going to leave sent a deep sorrow through my bones. It wasn’t only Colton I was leaving. It was my family, my home.
Chapter Thirteen
“I can’t believe you actually did it,” Holly said, stepping into the house I shared with Colton. “I never thought you’d leave us.”
Holly was one of my best friends back in Washington. She lived on Fireweed Island, and her sister, Maddie, had unsuccessfully tried to set me up on a blind date. They had the best of intentions, but I was relieved I was no longer in the dating arena where Maddie could throw me to the gladiators and watch from the sidelines.
I gave Holly a quick hug and invited her inside and helped to roll her suitcase in behind her. Nick, her partner in crime, was still outside admiring the woodwork on the porch, and I held in a chuckle. Some things never changed and never should. He had a woodworking business on Fireweed Island and was the most talented designer I knew.
“I miss you guys more than you know,” I said, giving her another squeeze. “I didn’t realize how addicted I was to Maddie’s tea until I moved here.”
“We’ve noticed a lot of the orders seem to come to this address.” She smiled and looked around the two-story foyer.
It had been six months since I’d moved back to Colorado, and I knew being here was where I was meant to be. I’d sacrificed being away from my family for way too long, and I didn’t want to do it any longer.
Only two weeks after moving back, Grandma had a stroke. She fought to stay with us as long as she could, but in the end, she was called home to be with Grandpa. Just thinking about losing her brought tears to my eyes.
Colton had been there through the entire ordeal, from helping us with finding the proper medical care to bringing in outside doctors for second opinions. He’d been my rock, and I knew I never would have made it through everything without him. Wilma and Lester were right. Love didn’t have to be complex. It just needed to be there.
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