Looking down, her cheeks flame, turning a brilliant shade of pink.
“Thank you so much,” Elizabeth breathes, still averting her eyes. “I should get going.”
Clearing my throat, I nod. There’s a part of me that’s disappointed that she doesn’t seem to want to stay. There’s an even bigger part of me that wants to ask her to.
“All right then,” I say instead, swallowing down the desperate plea that wants to come out instead. I barely recognize myself right now. “Well, it was nice to meet you, letter for a name.”
Look at me. Please, look at me.
For a moment I wonder if I said the words aloud, because she does, and we share a smile. Hesitantly, she starts to back away.
“It was nice to meet you too, last name for a first name.”
Watching her go, I let my eyes rove over her body, and quickly realize she’s about to trip again.
“Elizabeth! Careful!” I hiss, startling her into looking down where my gaze is cast. Her eyes widen as she realizes her mistake.
“Oh, my gosh.” She slaps her forehead. “Thank you. It was nice to meet you!” she says in one breath, then turns around, giving me her back.
I watch her go, shouting out to her in my mind to turn back around, to look at me one last time, to come back and hang out with me on this cold December night.
Desperate fool, she doesn’t even know you. You don’t even know her.
But I want to. So badly, every bone in my body aches to be near her and I have no goddamn clue why.
My heart stutters when she glances back for a split second before she walks out of the tent and back into the snowfall.
Sitting on top of the picnic table, I stare out into the dark, long past when she’s out of sight. What are the odds that the one woman I’ve found myself attracted to in months happens to be passing through like a ship in the night?
She’ll haunt my dreams until she’s nothing more than a distant memory. A Christmas wish that didn’t come true.
And a woman like that, I doubt I’ll ever forget.
Chapter Eleven
“Sweetheart, are you okay? You had us worried sick. You shouldn’t be out in this weather!” Lincoln‘s mom rushes to the door the moment I push it open, wrapping me in a tight hug the second she sees me.
“I’m okay! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be gone so long.” I hug her back, but don’t tell her about my walk to the Christmas tree farm.
Lincoln comes through the kitchen alcove and pulls me from his mother's arms and into a hug of his own. Pressing his lips against my hair, he says loud enough for his mom to hear, “You had us worried,” then he drops his voice, “I thought we had overwhelmed you, I know you were a little uncomfortable a couple times tonight, and I’m sorry for that. I’ll admit the ruse has me feeling guilty too. I almost came clean while you were gone.”
Looking up at him, I wrap my arms around his waist, burying my nose into his sweater. Right now, he feels like an old friend rather than a practical stranger.
“Not at all. You and I are in this together. I guess you can call us besties now,” I say, keeping my voice low so only he hears. Smiling at him, he looks at me and returns the gesture.
Part of me wishes I felt something deeper for him. My mind flashes with the image of Miller, and I’m surprised he’s already infiltrated my thoughts. I had a feeling he would—I just thought it would be later, when I was alone in the dark, if you know what I mean.
Rubbing my arms, Lincoln declares, “Come on. You’re freezing.”
Not giving me time to take my snow gear off, Lincoln leads me into the living room, and we sit on the couch together around the fire.
“Up for another game?” Tim asks, tipping his head toward the stack of board games sitting on the coffee table.
I glance at my watch. “I’d love to, but just one. I think I want to get on the road within the next thirty minutes or so. It’ll probably take me close to an hour and a half, if not a little longer, to get home. I don’t want to rush it in these conditions, and I hurt my ankle on my walk, so I don’t want to overdo it.”
“You hurt your ankle?” Lincoln asks immediately. “Are you alright? Let me see it.”
“I’m fine, I just rolled it. I sat for a few minutes to let it rest before I headed back.”
