Page 35

chapter thirty five

silly of me to assume he’d ever let me feel alone again

I woke to sunlight streaming through the windows, warm and golden, painting the walls of a room that wasn’t mine. The air smelled faintly of pine, mixed with something else—coffee maybe? For a moment, I laid still, my body heavy with sleep, sinking into the mattress, whilst my brain was trying to piece together where I was.

But all it took was Finn shuffling beside me, holdingme tighter as his eyes cracked open, and everything came flooding back to me.

The skating. The lid. The words. The sex.

Everything.

We’d been talking since that moment.

“Beautiful.”

He didn’t stop brushing his thumb across myforehead, coaxing on the sleep I’d only just woken from. “Belle.”

I carried on tracing the lines of his stomach with myfingertip as my head laid above his heartbeat. “Pretty.”

He huffed, and I could tell he was smiling. “Jolie.”

By God did Finn’s voice suit the French accent. I washalf-tempted to get him fluent. It would be easier now he’d finally stopped complaining about pronunciation.

I chewed on my bottom lip, those giddy butterfliestaking flight. “Breathtaking.”

He shuffled above me, subtle waves of whatevermusky cologne he wore last night washing over me as he sat up, leaning against the headboard as a laugh rolled through him. “Is there a reason you’re only testing me oncomplimentary words?”

I tilted my head until our eyes locked, my cheek stillpressed against him. “I just wanted to make sure you knew them, in case you need to compliment… oh, I don’t know, a girl who is very much in love with you and happens to think being complimented in French is rather adorable.”

His smile could have put the sunrise to shame.

Thepad of his thumb was still brushing over my temples as he breathed, “A couper le souffle.” 1

I smiled against him. “I’m so proud of you, for notgiving up with this.”

“With French or with us?”

I shrugged. “Both.” Sitting up, I kept my side againsthim, pulling his comforter over my chest to avoid the morning chill. “But the French… they’ll love you in Quebec.” Before I let myself settle against him and dozed off for another hour, I perked up, our eyes meeting as my hand found his. “You never told me how the meeting with the Knights scout went.”

That wicked smirk curled up the side of his mouth. “I was going to tell you, but I had other pressing matters to deal with.”

Damn jersey night.

“But… it was eventful.” I angled my head up to him.“Turns out the rep they sent was my Grandpa’s rival from when they both played for the Knights back in the eighties. He obviously had a grudge to hold onto, and the second he saw me at one of the games, he wanted to meet me.”

My brows knitted. “Just to interrogate you?”

“Pretty much.”

I scoffed. “What an asshole.” His chuckle vibratedthrough me. “What did you do?”

He shrugged casually, but something darker swam inthose eyes. “I put him in his place. When he told me that the Knights were interested but he’d make my life hell trying to play for them, I made him a promise that I was going to work ten times as hard to make that my reality. And that I hoped it pissed him off.”

“Well, now I’m even prouder.” I reached up andplanted a kiss on his mouth, quick and sweet, before gazing up at him. “Did you tell your Grandpa when you were home?”

His laugh rocked my body. “I did, and he was neithersurprised that Charles Laurent was still an asshole, or that I stood up for myself.” His arm tightened around me as he sat up, his hand raking through my hair, gently brushing at the tangled curls. “Speaking of home…”

My stomach dropped.

Please don’t let him ask me about—

“When are we going to talk about that day?”

I’m pretty sure he felt my heartbeats triple as Idropped his stare, taking a moment to try and rein them in. He didn’t need to mention which day, I knew what he meant. How could I forget one of the worst days of my life?

I held my breath tight, but no words came to me. Soinstead, I shrugged.But all Finn did was hold me tighter. Reassuring mewithout uttering a word.

“I’m not sure.” I eventually said to his chest,determined to keep my focus there, until I felt his hand slip under my chin and force my eyes on his.

He held me there as he spoke. “I knew it was you. Nomatter how much Daisy tried to convince me I was crazy, I knew.” A whisper of a smile graced his face. “And I don’t want to talk about why you were there, because I think I know and that’s not why I’m asking.”

I held my bottom lip, begging for the quivering tostop.But what was the point? I could only suppress thingsfor so long until they came bursting out at the worst times. I might as well have cried now, whilst I was safe. In his arms.I felt a tear slide down my cheek, warm and slow, butquick as anything Finn swatted it away, like he did last night.

“I only wanted to bring it up because I was going toask if you had any plans for Christmas.”

Oh .

I s hrugged, wiping the wet corners of my eyes. “Ihadn’t really thought about it. I’d usually head to Dad’s but…” Breathe, Aurora. “This is my first Christmas alone.”

The thought hit me like a bullet train.I had no home to go to. No tree. No lights. No cookieson Christmas Eve.

I had nothing. No-one.

I’d had the beauty of Nantucket and caring for Cora tokeep me busy enough over Thanksgiving that I’d managed to avoid thinking about how irregular that all was. But with Christmas? With the rink being closed for the holidays?

I was alone.

Aunt Sandrine was always in some tropical climatebefore December could turn Paris grey, and seeing as though she’d barely reached out to me since the funeral I wasn’t exactly in the mood to reach out to her. I was sure that Cora would let me stay at her sister's again, but I’d already stayed over Thanksgiving and didn’t want to be a burden to them—

“You should come home with me. To Honeywood.”

Finn’s voice lifted me from my thoughts, our eyeslocked. “What?”

His smile warmed me. “Come back home with me, and Daisy. I’m sure she wouldn’t want you alone either. And it’s your home, Rory.”

I shook my head. “I couldn’t.”

“You could. And you should.” His hand held my head,pulling it to him to lay a kiss on my forehead, before resting his chin on me. “Tell me if I’m being to forward, but Daisy and I always lay some flowers on mom’s grave whenever were h ome, and over Thanksgiving, we somehow stumbled upon your parents’ plot.”

I tugged my head from under him. My parents’ plot. Iswallowed the lump in my throat. “How?”

“We bumped into Miss Patty.”

My head pulled back further. “You know Miss Patty?”

A sweet laugh blew from his nose. “It’s impossible togrow up in that town and not know her.” His hand slid to my back, his palms soothing the small of it. “She was laying flowers on your parents’ grave when we bumped into her,” he said, his voice gentle. “Their grave is only a few over from our mom’s.”

I felt my smile soften as I tilted my head, considering.Then, with the tiniest of shrugs, I said, “Maybe their ghosts are friends. Your mom’s and mine.”

Finn’s chest rumbled as he laughed. Like it was athought he’d had, but hadn’t expected me to say. “Did you seriously just say that?”

“What?” I said, throwing her hands up defensively,poking out of the covers just enough to feel the cold waiting for us once we decided to get up. “Just testing out humour as a coping mechanism. It works for you.”

He grinned, letting his head rest against theheadboard, but kept his eyes fixed on me. “Thoughts?”

My smile turned weary, and I shrugged. “Still toosoon, I think.”

But it was getting easier to think of her, think of them,without the crushing weight of knowing I’d never see them again.

I l et my eyes go vacant as I remembered what he’doffered. I hadn’t spent a Christmas in Honeywood in years. And maybe it would be nice. Even though when I was there last I couldn’t wait to be back in the city, there was a part of me that missed it.Going with him meant being home for Christmas, inthe place I hadn’t called home in so long. Maybe it would be nice. Maybe… I needed this.

I blinked, sitting up and letting Finn’s stare hold mine asmy lips popped open. “I’ll only come if you promise me that you’re sure it’s okay.”

He chuckled, nudging me lightly as he sat up. “Ipromise you that it’ll be okay.”

Resting my cheek along his hard shoulders, I thoughtit over, before the mental image of Christmas in Honeywood, snow-capped mountain tops and a main street drowned in twinkle lights was all I could see. “Then okay,” I whispered. “I’ll come.”

We settled into each other again, his heartbeat callingon the tiredness I’d only just shaken. We watched the sun cast across his room, the dust particles floating between the shadows as our hearts seemed to sync.

It was a good ten minutes of existing like that beforehe broke the silence.

“It’s crazy,” he said, his head resting back. “We grewup in the same town and never crossed paths. Not once.”

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. “I don’tknow about that. Seems pretty strange if we never saw each other.” I peered at him fully. “Maybe we did but just didn’t notice.”

“ Oh no,” He said, tightening his arm around my waistand tugging me closer, making my stomach drop. “I would’ve noticed you. Wouldn’t miss a smile like that.”

I felt my cheeks flush pink as my heart skipped. “Onne peut pas être jolie et charmante, ce n'est pas juste.” 2

“Ce qui est injuste, c'est qu'il suffit de sourire pourgagner tous les arguments que nous aurons jamais.” 3

Before I could steal a breath, his mouth landed onmine, his hand holding me steady as he titled it back.

I was positive that I'd never get tired of these kisses, the onesthat felt like he’d been trying to wait for the right moment to claim me. They reminded me of all the ways I fell for him, all the ways I knew I liked him last year.

Millions of embers sparked my skin as he drew hishand up my arm, not stopping until both his hands were cupping my jaw. His tongue swept over mine, demanding entry that I granted. A pleading sigh drifted from my mouth to his when his thumb caressed my jaw, dipping low enough that I felt pressure on my neck.

Huh. Funny. I felt the same kind of pressure last night when he—oh no.

I pulled away quickly, almost reading his thoughts. “As much as I’d love that, we need t o get up.”

He ignored me, slipping his hands to my waist andtugging me under the covers. “Says who?”

“Aspen.” I giggled as his hand wandered to my ribs,tickling on instinct. “If I’m late, she’ll kill me.” I giggled, fighting for air. “I’m serious, okay?”

“And I’m seriously okay with being your bodyguardwhen you turn up twenty minutes late.”

Through the giggles and the gasps, I managed to pushmy hand out of the covers and drag them off us, the cold attacking us without a second thought.

“Jesus, fuck , it’s cold!” Finn hissed between his teeth,scrambling to get the covers.

I swung my legs off the bed, the hardwood floor coolbeneath my feet, and padded to the door. I reached for the first piece of clothing I could see and threw it over my head, only realising once I felt the familiar softness against my skin that it was his jersey.

“And you call me a tease.” Finn sighed from the bed,resting on his elbow. “Get back here now.”

I stuck my tongue out at him. “Never!”

I headed to the door and yanked it open fast, confidentthat he would chase me in only his boxers just to catch me and win whatever that moment was, and slipped out into the hallway of the guy’s apartment. Quiet voices and the clatter of dishes drifted through the kitchen as I rounded the corner, the smell of coffee beans making me float towards the noise.

And then, mid-daydream about what I’d eat alongsidethat coffee, smack , I walked straight into a flash of blonde and baby yellow.

Goldie.

She looked at me, her wide brown eyes blinking insurprise before they fell up and down my body. I did the same with her, almost instantly recognising the black shirt drowning her tiny frame as one of Tristan’s tour t-shirts.

Her mouth broke into a grin at the same time minedid. “Morning roomie.” She giggled as her narrowed gaze flew to my hair. “You look… well rested.”

It took all of two seconds for us both to double downand belt out cackles that travelled through the hallway, loud enough that Jesse eventually popped his head around the wall that led to the kitchen, a frying pan full of something sweet in his hand, whilst his head shook.

“Being the fifth wheel and the designated cookfucking sucks.”

1. Breathtaking

2. You can't be pretty and charming, it's not fair.

3. What's unfair is that all it takes is a smile to win every argument we'll ever have.