“I know.”
But it doesn’t matter anymore. I still want her forgiveness, but I know now that Scarlett still loves me. And if I have to wait the rest of my life for her to forgive me, I’ll do that.
“Why don’t you have any Christmas decorations up?”
“There’s no one here except me,” I say. “There’s no one to decorate for.”
Her head pops up and she rests her chin on my chest as she looks at me with narrowed eyes. “What about Jane?”
Her question surprises me. “Jane and I dated in high school, baby girl. I told you there’s been no one else and I meant it.”
“So it wasn’t said in the heat of the moment?” A flash of vulnerability appears in her eyes.
I kiss her temple. “It was the truth. There’s you or there’s no one else.”
She frowns, settling her head back on my chest. I’m not sure if she believes me, but it’s a good thing I’m willing to convince her.
When I wake up again,it’s to light outside. Scarlet is still asleep, her body curled against mine. The blanket is pulled all the way up over her head so only the purple of her hair is visible. Kissing the top of her head, I move, slowly shifting out of bed.
The last thing I want to do is leave her, but I should really go check up on the animals. They predicted fifty centimeters of snow last night and from what I can see out the window it’s more than that.
The roads will probably not be cleared until later and I won’t be able to take Scarlett back to the Inn. This wasn’t my plan when I brought her back with me last night, but I’m suddenly glad she’ll be stuck with me for the rest of the day.
I use the washroom in the hall, so I don’t wake her and get dressed quietly.
The snow has thankfully stopped, and it takes Oliver and me roughly an hour to make sure the animals are safe and warm. When I get back to the house, Scarlett is still sound asleep. It doesn’t look like she’s even moved from her spot.
It’s only seven in the morning and we had sex twice more last night after she woke me up the first time. She should at least be sleeping until noon.
My body is too used to waking up at the ass crack of dawn and I’m too restless to sleep. I tackle the rest of my to-do list while Scarlett sleeps.
By noon, I’m starting to get worried, so I make coffee and bring it up to her.
I find her sitting up in bed, her hair a wild mess, the blanket clutched to her bare chest. In the light of day, I can clearly see all my marks cover her body. I’m rendered stupid by how beautiful she is.
“What time is it?” She asks, voice still husky with sleep. I sit down on the bed in front of her and hand her the coffee.
“Noon.”
Scarlett puckers her lips, blowing on the coffee. “I should probably call my family and let them know you haven’t killed me.” She takes a sip of her coffee and blinks in surprise. “You remember how I take my coffee.”
“You’re not a woman anyone forgets.”
Gently, I push her hair behind her ear, and she hums, tilting her head into the palm of my hand.
“You’re not freaking out?” I ask.
She looks up at me. “No. I know exactly what I was doing last night. Are you?”
I grin. “No, baby girl.”
“You really need to stop calling me that, Connie.”
I ignore that. Calling each other nicknames we pretend to hate is what we do.
“I have some bad news,” I say gently.
She’s immediately alert, sitting up straight. “Is it something with the wedding? I need my phone. There isn’t a lot of time to fix it!”
