AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You were there for the funeral. Besides, no one wanted you to quit school.” Aiden reached over and touched my hand. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You were grieving, and there’s no wrong way to do that.”
“If you say so,” I conceded knowing my family had said same something similar.
Aiden raised a brow as he turned onto the farm’s lane, drove past the white farmhouse.
“I love these lights,” I said as I admired the poles on the side of the road where strings of lights hung.
“Heath said they put them up after their father’s death because their mom was walking the grounds late at night.”
“Wow. That’s just—”
“Beautiful?” Aiden asked as he parked behind a line of trucks all pulled off to the side of the road.
I looked at the lights, then at him. “Yeah.”
“You ready to see the lights?”
“Let’s do it,” I said as we opened the doors and got out. Aiden met me at the hood and held his hand out to me. “I don’t want you to fall. The terrain is uneven.”
“Are you sure?” I asked him, wondering what the Monroes would think to see us holding hands.
“Heath and Marley know about our history, and who cares about the rest?”
The Monroes weren’t our family. It was just Marley and mine I was concerned about. “True.”
For one night, I could enjoy the feel of his hand in mine. I could pretend that we were more than we were. That we were dating each other and didn’t need to keep it a secret.
When I rested my hand in his, he squeezed it briefly before we started walking. It was dark out so we could see the glow of lights up ahead.
“Talon built the lights. He designs light fixtures, and he’s been featured in various magazines. We’ve been in talks with him to design something for the basement.”
“Marley said not to worry about the lights. That he would make something that would fit the space.”
“His work is impressive and unique. I’m excited to see what he comes up with.”
“Me too.” The renovation would go on when I moved back to the city. The thought made my heart jump. I didn’t like the idea of not knowing what was going on here, not being involved in the final decisions, the decor, and eventually the grand opening. The project had become important to me. It felt like I was a part of something bigger than anything I’d ever done before.
When we reached the crowd of people, Marley and Heath broke away from the group and moved toward us. Aiden dropped my hand, and I tried not to let that hurt.
“You came,” Marley said as she pulled me into a hug.
Marley was great at making me feel like I belonged. “I can’t wait to see the lights. I don’t get much time to do holiday things in the city.”
“Well, you can’t avoid them here. You’re surrounded by Christmas.”
Heath clapped Aiden on the back. “Thanks for coming.”
Aiden nodded, and we moved forward with the rest of the group. If anyone thought it was weird I was here, they didn’t mention it. But then again, I was staying at the inn. It made sense for Aiden to invite me. Especially since we worked together.
I had the whole explanation in my head in case anyone asked about me, but it wasn’t necessary. Heath introduced me to his brothers—who I knew vaguely from school—their significant others, and their nieces, Addy and Ember. Lori rode in a golf cart with Talon and Holly.
Occasionally, Talon would pause and tell us a story about why he came up with the design or what he was thinking when he made one thing or the other. The display was separated into different categories, like holiday scenes and nursery rhymes. It was interesting to hear how his mind worked as an artist.
It felt similar to what we’d done with the renovation. We were inspired by something or the other. For me, it was nostalgia. I could remember going to the movie theater with Aiden and cuddling in the back to watch whatever was playing. There, we didn’t have to hide. Even though that’s exactly what we were doing.
Aiden didn’t hold my hand again, but he stayed close, occasionally touching my elbow or my lower back. His proximity had all my nerves on edge. I wanted him to touch me, to kiss me. Being this close to him wasn’t a good idea, and I was about to be snowed in with him at the inn with no other guests.
“Are you okay?” Aiden leaned in close to ask.
