Page 78

It wasn’t that I wanted to kiss and tell, whatever that meant. I didn’t know what to do. How to proceed. I needed help, and now, I guess I was someone who asked for it.

Reese:Have you heard from Mom and Dad?

Oh my god, I’d completely forgotten about my parents. They were supposed to arrive today. I scrolled back through my phone, ignoring, for once, the messages from Bella Eats readers, who were still—still—curious about where that mysterious man was and why he hadn’t been making cookies with us last week.

Mom had called at six this morning—I’d slept right through it.

I thought back to last night, to the hours of waking up, making love, falling asleep, and doing it again. But we were asleep by six. Thank god.

I called Mom back, but it rang until it went to voicemail. Nervously, I put the phone down, lifting up the blinds. Snow blanketed everything. There had to be at least two feet of it.

Will’s car was buried. He’d be stuck here. Suddenly I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

Just then there was a bang behind me, followed by a cry of “Mommy!”

“Macy!” I said, laughing. “You know you’re supposed to knock on doors before you come in.”

Macy ran up to me, throwing her arms around my leg. “Will came over last night!” Macy said as if bringing me the news. I picked her up and rested her on my hip, nuzzling her cheek. Even at six, she still felt like a baby to me. At least there was no confusion here.

“Is that right?” I asked.

I wondered how her child’s brain was computing this. How Emma’s was. Emma, I knew, would have questions. Though it wasn’t likely she’d understand the full implications of a man spending the night.

As if summoned, Will filled the doorframe. I couldn’t help it, my stomach jumped at the sight of him. He was fully dressed, and besides his mussed hair and growth of stubble on his chin, he looked extremely put-together.

I lowered Macy to the ground. “Macy can you… go find your sister? Tell her if you guys play for a bit now, I’ll take you outside to build a snowman after breakfast.”

Macy squeezed past him and ran down the hall.

“Morning,” he said.

“Hi,” I replied. Without warning, more flashes of last night hit me rapid-fire: Will’s lips on mine. His face on the pillow, between my legs. The way he’d brought me over the edge the moment he’d entered me. The care he took to make sure I was okay before.

The warmth wobbled. I wasn’t supposed to feel this way.

Will walked toward me and handed me a mug of coffee I hadn’t realized he was holding.

“Thought you might need this,” he said. Having him up close made my skin feel like it was burning. As if there was a charge coming off him my body was meeting.

I took it, gratefully holding it in front of my face as if that could offer a barrier between us. “Thank you,” I said, taking a tiny step away from him. I couldn’t think straight this close to him.

I’m going to make you come again.

Oh god.

Will’s eyes stayed on me, even as I looked away. I could feel them, burning holes through me. But I couldn’t meet his gaze.

“So,” I said. “It snowed last night.”

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “Fine.” It was then I realized there was an awkwardness to him. A stiffness.

“You regret what happened,” he said, his voice tight.

“No,” I said too fast.“I’m just… I didn’t expect it. I didn’t plan it.”

“I asked you if it was okay,” he said, his jaw working. “Fuck,” he said to himself, looking down. He raised a hand up against the window frame, gripping it as if needing the strength. “I knew this was a bad idea.”