“Thanks, Luke. I really appreciate it,” I say with a laugh.
I hang up and open one of the dresser drawers to look for socks. I find them in the third drawer and when I take a pair off the top, there’s a blue box nestled amongst its brethren. My heart slams into my chest. The box is small, definitely some kind of jewelry, like earrings…or a ring.
I shouldn’t check it.
I still don’t know how I feel about Connor and me getting back together. But, I think I’m ready to forgive him, knowing that whatever happened, it wasn’t because he wanted to leave me. It eases the burn inside my chest when I think about the last year and a half.
Because I’m apparently a masochist, I pick up the box and open it. A beautiful marquise diamond ring is tucked inside. I swallow, tempted to pull it out and try it on. I do the sensible thing and close the box, putting it back where it belongs and closing the drawer.
It’s way too soon to be thinking about marriage. Last night it was children. Today it’s marriage. Tomorrow I’ll be deciding I want to move to Silverpine. Objectively, I can do my job from anywhere, but I can’t live in Silverpine. The small town vibes are too weird for me.
I leave the room and halt in the hallway, my mouth dropping open in shock.
Connor decorated for Christmas.
Garlands hang over the banister and as I follow the stairs down, I notice there’s garlands and lights around the fireplace mantel. The fake plant next to the window has been replaced with a Christmas tree which has been decorated to perfection. The arched entry to the living room has string lights strung along it. A mistletoe hangs in the middle.
“Baby girl.”
I turn to look at Connor. He’s standing outside the kitchen, his hands in the pockets of his lounge pants.
“Why?”
“Because you’re the only person I’d do this for. The only person I want here to celebrate the holidays with.”
I don’t want to cry, but I feel like I might. Tentatively, Connor walks forward, as if expecting me to lash out. He pulls me into a hug, and I wrap my arms around him, breathing in his clean scent.
I can’t believe he did this for me. I can’t believe he handled everything with my sister’s wedding that this town messed up. But I should because this is what Connor does. He’s always been good with taking care of things.
“When did you wake up?” I wonder.
“Around six.”
I pull back to look at him. “Are you telling me I’m not good at sex, Connie? Because there were two people who had explosive sex all night long and only one of us needed to recover from it.”
“Don’t worry, baby girl. Your sex-starved barbarian is definitely going to need a day to recover.”
“You say that, but if I offered sex right now, you’d take it.”
Connor laughs. “I’m not dead, hellion.”
He wants to marry you, my subconscious whispers at me.
Taking my hand, Connor leads me into the kitchen. He’s made us breakfast for lunch; pancakes, bacon, and eggs. We sit down at the table to eat.
“Did you grow up here? In this house, I mean,” I ask, looking around the kitchen.
It’s modern, with cream countertops and sage green cabinet doors. The appliances all look new, as if the place was recently renovated. The walls are painted a soft white with plenty of light coming in through the windows and backyard door.
“We used to live in town when my parents were alive,” Connor says. Every time he talks about them, a sadness enters his eyes. It’s been years since their death, but I imagine that’s not a thing anyone gets over. I can’t imagine life without my parents. “My brothers and I came to live here with my grandfather when they died.”
“What was he like?” I ask.
A distant look enters Connor’s eyes. “Strict. Harsh, sometimes. Difficult to deal with. Old-fashioned. He believed that a good man is one who takes care of his responsibilities without complaint. One who doesn’t run away.” His eyes meet mine.
“He saw my NHL career as me running away from my responsibilities, which are to this family and Cedar Creek Ranch. It’s why he left me the ranch and made me the executor of my brothers trust funds. So I could never go back.”
I sit back against my chair. From the way Marion and the townspeople talk about him, I thought Connor’s grandfather would be some kind of saintly man. I’m sure he was a good one, but one who clearly saw the world his way and couldn’t imagine anyone else’s perspective being right.
