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It’s as if he still believes he has a chance with her. My words barely affected him.Maybe he would absorb them a little more if they were delivered by my fists.Thankfully, he knows enough to return to his room for now.
The others begin to clear the table. Finn says to Lucy and I, “You both should take a couple of minutes.”
Hannah follows his lead, trying to extinguish the awkwardness lingering in the air. “Let us take care of the cleanup. The two of you cooked an extraordinary breakfast.”
Grateful for the opportunity, I walk with Lucy’s hand in mine to the living room and pull her down onto the sofa next to me. She curls up against my side as my arm finds its place around her. “Thank you,” she whispers.
Before I can worry if I handled that in the way she wanted, she rewards me by snuggling against me. I’ll never be able to enjoy sitting in this spot again unless I have herin my arms, just as she is now. “He’s exhausting,” I say to her with a low laugh.
“I told you.” Her body relaxes against mine. I wonder if she is aware of the physical cues her body is giving me. Each one increases my hope that she wants this thing building between us.
We sit like this for what must be an hour, quietly coming down from the theatrical performance we were just pulled into.
In a quick text to Oliver and Finn, I ask them to meet with me in my office. I learned years ago not to go around knocking on doors. We are all adults, and privacy is important when multiple couples are under one roof. We have a few items to go over for New Year’s Eve, and I’m sure they will want an explanation about Lucy.
“Close the door, will you, Finn?” I ask, sitting on the edge of my desk. The boys sit beside each other on the large windowsill.
With a deep breath, I go into the fabricated story Lucy and I agreed on last night about our courtship. “I’m sorry I didn’t say more about Lucy and me earlier. It’s just we weren’t sure where it was going and wanted to wait before telling everyone which would bring added pressures.”
“Yes, I suppose that makes sense.” Finn squints his eyes and tilts his head.
“Well, whatever it took, Pop. I’m just happy you got here.” Oliver smiles. I give him a questioning look, and he continues. “It was a little obvious.”
“What was obvious?” I ask.
Finn chimes in, “That you’ve been obsessed with her since you met her.”
Oliver continues, “You can’t keep your eyes off of her. Everyone’s noticed.”
“Then what was the point of the speech you gave me yesterday, Oliver? About how I better not be leading her on and how you think it’s one-sided?”
Oliver laughs, “I was trying to make you jealous, hoping to push you to finally make a move.”
Finn continues, “But it appears you already made your moves…” and then he winks.
“Yes, well, I think that’s about the extent I’d like to discuss Lucy,” I tell him. “What should we do with her ex while we wait for the snow to settle?” I ask.
Oliver speaks up, “Aside from his history with Lucy, he seems like an all-right guy.”
“We were planning to take a walk in the snow today, maybe make some snowmen. I can invite him out with us.” Finn suggests, “Mia, like every year, put off wrapping the gifts for her family until today, and Hannah offered to help. That would leave time for you and Lucy to have by yourselves.”
“What is the plan for John’s departure? Do you need us to take him back to London?” Oliver asks.
“No, Lucy plans to take him as soon as the weather breaks. I offered to get them a car service. It might be Christmas Eve by the time the roads are cleared. She insists I stay here with you. She plans to return the same night.” Even as I say it with confidence, my stomach still tightens. I’m not comfortable with this plan, but Lucy hasasked me to trust her. He’s taken up space in her life for too long—she needs to close this door. She’s been right about him so far.
Thirty
HENRY
When the boysand I finish up in my office, they ask about lunch. Thankfully, I had the house stocked before the snow started. We head to the kitchen, and I pull a deli tray out of the refrigerator. Over the years, I’ve perfected the meal schedule during their holiday visit. Putting the most effort into fun breakfasts and delicious dinners, I keep lunches as simple as possible.
Later in the afternoon, I find Lucy in my office, sitting on the windowsill with a book open on her lap. Grabbing a book for myself, I sit across from her. While she is lost in the created world, I take this moment to admire the view before me. Lucy looks so at home here. It’s as if she picked this house herself. She only looks up at me when it’s clear she finished her page.
“How are you doing, my dear?” I ask.
“Better now. I thought it would feel different after telling everyone that we are in a relationship. I assumed they’d have questions and want to be more involved. Yet, so far, Hannah and Mia are acting like it’s not a big deal.Which is very unlike Mia.” She worries her brow and looks down at her closed book. “Do you think they don’t believe us?”
“No, I think it’s quite the opposite, actually.” I try to reassure her as I move closer to her, leaving only an arm’s length between us. “When I spoke with Finn and Oliver, they said they were expecting it. I believe they used the words ‘It was obvious’ in regards to our feelings for each other.”
