Page 92 of The Christmas Trap

“Oh, don’t worry about it at all. I’m glad I was close by and could comfort her.”

“Why are you crying?” Matty sniffs. “You’re such a baby.”

“I’m not a baby.” Serene’s chin trembles. “I’m crying because I fell.”

“But you’re not hurt,” Matty points out.

She sniffles. “Well…" For a few seconds, she looks confused. "I thought I was.”

“But you're not. So come and play.” Matty holds out his hand.

Serene looks at Priscilla.

“You can play, but please, no more running,” Priscilla admonishes.

"I won't." Serene flashes us a smile, places her hand in Matty’s, and the two skip off.

“If only we adults were as resilient, eh?” Priscilla rises to her feet.

So do I. Some of the tension from my shoulders fades.

Around me, the group resumes chatting with each other. Raya gestures at something while talking with Skylar.

My mother turns back to her conversation with Imelda and June.

That’s when the door is pushed open, and Brody walks in.

Oh, thank God. My first instinct is to rush to him. But on the heelsof that is confusion. Why did he leave me like that? And right after the wedding ceremony.

He stalks toward me with that lithe grace of his which I’ve always found so very unusual for a man his size.

He comes to a stop about a foot in front of me. I realize he’s keeping enough space between us, so I don’t have to crane my head to see his face. Somehow, his consideration only pisses me off further. If he were really being considerate, he wouldn’t have left me and walked out without an explanation.

In the silence that follows, he says, without looking away from me. "Imelda, Arthur’s waiting for you at the balcony on the second floor. As for the rest of you, could I ask you to leave so I can talk to my wife?"

Instantly, the crowd begins to move. Imelda walks toward the door with Tiny in tow. The mutt pauses to butt his head against my arm. I scratch behind his ear and half smile. "Good boy."

He makes a purring sound at the back of his throat and allows Imelda to lead him out. Behind me, there’s the sound of clinking as the group set down glasses. There’s a rustle of fabric as they begin to move. I hear someone call Matty’s name, probably Sinclair.

Harper hands me a glass of water on the way out. I nod my thanks, and she gives me a small smile.

Within seconds, they’ve left. The door shuts softly behind them.

Some of the tension seems to leave Brody’s shoulders.

“Are you okay?” I take a sip of the water, then walk back to the bar counter and set the glass aside.

“I will be.” He closes the distance to me. "I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to leave you the way I did."

I raise one eyebrow, but stay silent.

"I never meant to embarrass you like that in front of our families. I’ll never forgive myself for doing that. I needed to get my thoughts in order and couldn’t do that, not when I was so close to you."

"You didn’t want to be close to me?" I tip up my chin in his direction.

What I see in his eyes makes me falter. There’s true apology and regret, and it’s underlined by something soft and sharp at the sametime. Something which feels like a combination of lust and an emotion I can’t quite place.

"I wanted to be close to you.Veryclose to you. Too close to you. It’s why I had to leave."