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I nodded. “Are you staying in town?”
“I’ll be here for a week. I’m playing some gigs in town.”
“We’ll have you out to the house for dinner, then.”
“That sounds good.”
Holly hugged her father, and the tension eased in my shoulders. As we walked away, Holly asked, “What was that?”
“Are you mad?”
Holly shook her head as if to clear it. “Honestly? It was kind of hot. But I should be mad at you for interfering.”
“The plan was to show my support silently. I didn’t mean to issue an ultimatum. You have every right to be upset with me.”
I shook my head. “Not at all. I liked it.”
I squeezed her tighter to me. “Yeah?”
Holly laughed. “I’ve never seen anyone lay into my father. I think he needed your brutal honesty.”
“He needs clear expectations.” He was like a child in that respect. “We set the rules, and he can follow them, or he doesn’t need to be in your life. But I want you to know that you’re in charge of this. I didn’t mean to step in between you two.”
“You didn’t. You made it better. I was feeling unsettled about meeting with him, and now I realize I hadn’t set clear boundaries.”
“We are a united front. I want to be there for you when you’re dealing with something difficult.”
We paused in front of Holly’s car, and her gaze lifted to meet mine. “And I want to let you be there for me. I don’t have to do everything myself.”
“That’s the sexiest thing you’ve ever said to me.” I pulled her against me, wrapping my arms around her as love surged through me.
Her laugh was muffled against my chest. “Are you sure about that?”
“Maybe you could try to outdo yourself?” I said with a smile.
“You’re impossible,” Holly said as she pulled back. “But I love you anyway.”
“I love you, too.” I kissed her right there on the street, more confident that we had what it took to withstand anything.
The shower kicked on, and the sound of the water woke me up. It was the morning of Sarah and Knox’s wedding. I knew Holly would be busy preparing for the day, but I hoped we would have some time to ourselves.
The last few weeks had been chaotic with wedding plans. Holly spent her spare time at the inn so she could sketch and paint. Since this was a larger image than she’d done in the past, she needed to include more detail. Apparently, that meant long hours of studying the building and the surrounding foliage to get it just right.
I had a feeling Holly was going overboard because she wasn’t confident in her abilities. But when she was done, I hoped she could see what I did. She was incredibly talented and didn’t need crutches. Her talent was natural and effortless. She could trust in her process and not overthink it.
We fell into bed together at night, tearing off each other’s clothes in a frantic need to be together. It was like we were starved for each other when we were separated during the day. I missed her working long hours beside me in the shop.
She kept saying she’d have more time after Sarah and Knox’s wedding, but I was worried she’d given up. I couldn’t wait until the wedding was over and we’d have some time to ourselves.
The family was going on the vacation I planned to the Wilde Ski Resort in a few weeks, and I hoped we’d have some much-needed downtime then.
I headed into the bathroom, hoping to slip into the shower, but Holly was already getting out, using a towel to dry her hair.
“I was hoping we’d have some time alone together this morning.”
Holly’s eyes were warm and inviting; they shifted away from mine. “You know I have to help Sarah this morning.”
I moved closer, my hands gliding over her bare shoulders. “Are you sure we don’t have time?”
