Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70180 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70180 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
He winked at me. “Not this one.”
He popped open the bottle of champagne and handed it to me. It was as cold as it was outside and tasted smooth all the way down.
“That’s the good stuff.”
I offered it back to him, and he took a long sip himself. The last year had been … unprecedented. While it had been eighteen months since the wedding, we’d all been cooped up for a lot longer. I hadn’t even seen much of Ash all year. Truthfully, I hadn’t seen much of anyone.
He looked … good. Okay, I was lying. He looked amazing. Like he’d been working out. His shoulders were broader in his suit. His waist tapered to perfection. The sharp cut of his jaw was somehow even more defined. Like he’d lost some weight … or stopped drinking. Well, at least stopped drinking to excess constantly.
“You seem different,” I admitted.
“Aren’t we all?”
“True.” I took another sip from the bottle.
“How’s the shop?”
I shrugged. “Slow.”
“It’ll pick back up.”
I nodded. I sure fucking hoped so. I couldn’t keep living like this. Not with a small business in a tourist town with no tourists.
The silence stretched as we passed the bottle back and forth. But it was a comfortable silence. I didn’t feel like I had to say anything here with Ash. Not as he perused my father’s shelves while I lay back on the chaise. It was quiet and relaxed.
Ash moved away from the shelves and came to stand by my chaise. I passed him the bottle of champagne, which he took and set on a table.
He offered me his hand. “Dance with me.”
I put my hand in his and let him pull me up. It felt like ages since we’d danced.
“Proper waltz or nothing, Mr. Talmadge.”
He smiled at my behavior, and I saw the Ash I’d always known in that look. “As you wish.”
The Christmas music was barely loud enough to reach the library, and we twirled around anyway, occasionally bumping into a desk or a chair. We just laughed through it. And for a moment, I felt like we were kids again. Just acting up and being silly together. No expectations. None of the years of problems that we’d dealt with.
“I missed you,” Ash finally said when the dance ended.
“I missed you too.”
“We should start to see more of each other.”
“Is that allowed?” I teased.
“Lunch,” he suggested.
“I’d like that.”
It had been so long since things had felt normal. I liked that they were starting to feel that way with Ash again. He seemed to be on the up and up after what had happened. The world seemed to be going gradually back to how it used to be. Maybe it’d never be the same, but at least better than it had been.
Ash opened his mouth like he was going to say more, but loud noises from the living room stopped him. “What’s that?”
“I have no idea,” I said.
I pushed out of his arms and headed toward the door. I strode out into the hallway with Ash on my heels. The voices became clearer, and I broke into a smile.
“Surprise,” Derek said with a laugh.
Kathy gasped and said something that didn’t quite reach us. My dad’s own booming welcome was heard loud and clear.
“I didn’t think you were coming,” Kathy said with even more excitement.
It was Marley who responded, “We hitched a ride with Lila and Cole. Decided to surprise her mom too.”
Well, fuck. Lila and Cole. What terrible timing.
Ash skidded to a halt in the hallway just as I reached the entrance.
Marley caught sight of Ash, and color drained from her face.
“Ash,” Derek said. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“We didn’t know either,” Kathy said. She raised an eyebrow at me. “Well, come on in. You’re practically family.”
I took a deep breath before turning back to look at Ash. Whatever our conversation had been in the library, all of his ease had disappeared. I hadn’t exactly expected us to start dating or anything, but I’d thought maybe eighteen months was long enough that he’d be able to hear her name … or Cole’s name. But no …
It was still too soon. He’d gone years and years without ever seeing Lila and still chosen her. What was eighteen months in the grand scheme of things?
I didn’t expect him to want me. Not after everything. But I’d hoped for his sake that he’d let go.
“I’m actually going to head home. I just wanted to say merry Christmas,” he said, forcing a smile.
“You don’t have to leave,” I said quickly.
“Stay,” Derek encouraged. “It’s the holiday.”
Marley bit her lip and looked like she wanted to say more, but she didn’t. She had been there at the very beginning of Lila and Ash’s ill-fated relationship. She probably knew best that the whole thing was a lost cause.
“No, thank you, but I’m going to go. I’m sure my parents want to see me.” He nodded at us.