"Say what?"
Her voice softened. "I really miss you and, well… I just wish I hadn't caught you on the rebound."
I wasn't following. "The rebound?"
"Yeah. I just mean, I know you and Natalia just broke up, so you're probably not looking for anything serious…" Her words trailed off as she turned to stare at the Christmas tree, the one we'd put up together not too long ago. She cocked her head to the side and asked, "Hey, how come your lights are off?"
"You mean the Christmas lights?" I gave a half-hearted smile "Maybe I wasn't feeling Christmassy."
"Yeah, I know the feeling." She glanced toward the front door. "So anyway, that's the story. And now, you can kick me out if you want." She gave a trembling laugh. "I'll go peacefully, I promise, unless..." Hope filled her eyes. "You'd rather I stick around?"
Chapter 50
Harper
I held my breath and waited. In my effort to turn over a new leaf, I'd really put myself out there. And now, as I waited for Bryce to either kick me out or invite me to stick around, I told myself that I wouldn't regret it either way.
If nothing else, at least I'd tried.
I kept my gaze trained on his, wanting and willing him to give us another chance. Desperately, I tried to read his face. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning either.
But then, he got to his feet.
As he did, my stomach sank. If he was planning to usher me to the door, it was totally unnecessary. I'd promised to go peacefully, and I would, even if I didn't want to.
But when I made a move to stand, he said, "Hold up."
My breath caught as I sank back onto the couch. "For what?"
"Just give me a minute, alright?"
When I gave a silent nod, he turned and headed toward the Christmas tree. I watched with unnatural fascination as he reached down and plugged in the cord, making the tree twinkle with festive lights.
That done, he turned to me and said, "There's something I should've told you earlier."
My heart was hammering now. "Oh, yeah. What's that?"
He smiled. It was a tender smile filled with all kinds of promise. "Merry Christmas."
My face split into a smile of its own. "Merry Christmas."
He chuckled. "What, no question mark?"
I gave a decisive shake of my head. "No question markhere."
His gaze warmed in the twinkling light. "Good."
When he joined me on the couch, I felt like I would burst with happiness. Sure, maybe things weren't completely settled. Maybe we weren't even back together.
But for now, all I wanted was to lean into him and savor the moment for whatever it was. So that's what I did even as he pulled me close and nestled me tighter against his side.
In a teasing tone, he asked, "So, who got the other apology?"
"My cousin," I said. "The guy she's dating – it turns out he's really terrific." I pulled back to look at Bryce. "But guess whoIprefer."
He smiled. "You'd better say me."
I gave him a playful poke to the chest. "Who else would I say? I mean, you've put up withme, haven't you?"
