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“Christmas will be here before you know it,” Upton says before taking a sip. “Amos said you needed a young man to get the tree and boxes from the attic. I’m not young, but I have been working out.”

He winks at me and my heart flops around in my chest.

“You don’t need to do all that,” I say quickly. “Really, it’s fine.”

His gaze bores into me. “The pleasure is all mine. I know you’re busy with the reception planning. Let me do this for you, Sandy.”

I’m so used to being the one who does everything for everybody. It’s strange for someone wanting to do something for me. But that’s how Upton is. How he always has been.

“Okay,” I mutter with a nod. “You win. You can pull it all down before you leave.”

“That’s my girl,” he says, a wide, handsome grin on his face. Then, he grows serious. “Tonight was nice. Really nice. I hope we can have more moments like this.”

“I do too,” I admit.

He hands me my mug and I take a sip, noting that he filled it with mini marshmallows. Such a cute, thoughtful touch.

“You never married,” I say, unable to look at him.

“Neither did you.”

At one time, I’d considered marrying Ron, simply for the companionship, but he never asked. We lived together and I helped him run his business, but there was no heat or desire or passion.

There’s more heat burning between me and Upton on this couch than the entire four-year relationship I was in with Ron.

“I understand why you did what you did,” he says softly. “And you were right.”

I lift my eyes to meet his. Shame glimmers in them.

“The way I grew up, it was ingrained in us to become as successful as we could possibly be. Being the eldest of us Asbury kids, I took my duties seriously.” His lips quirk on one side. “You were a lovely distraction in college, though. I was bamboozled by you.”

I snigger at his word. “Who even says that?”

“I do,” he says with a grin. “But there was always this call for me to build and prove to my family I could be something great. There’s a chance that I’d have ruined it all had we pursued a real relationship back then. In those early days of my company, I worked endlessly. Heck, I slept in my office more nights than I can count.”

Something in my chest loosens and I relax a bit. Maybe my intuition wasn’t so off after all.

“I’m grateful I could take care of Nora financially all these years and appreciated the updates you sent me. Now that I can finally be in her life, I realize how much I lost by letting my family dictate my desires in life. A real man would have fought for his woman, said, “screw the business,” and married the girl of his dreams so they could live happily ever after.”

“The girl of your dreams?” I arch an eyebrow at him.

“The only girl I’ve ever dreamed of.”

There’s an intensity that has always thrummed between us. It used to excite me. Now it terrifies me. How can it exist after all this time?

“Sandy,” Upton says, reaching over and clasping his hand around mine, “I’m not the same guy I once was. I built my empire, but once I got to the top, it was lonely. I’d give it all up right now if it meant getting another chance with you.”

I freeze at his words. “Up, this is moving too fast for me…”

“I understand,” he says simply. “And I’ll wait. I’ve waited decades. You’re worth it.”

“You know nothing about me anymore,” I grumble, replaying every bad decision in my life over and over in my mind. “I was a terrible daughter, selfish, at times vapid.”

He scoffs. “You’re the same Sandy I’ve always known. You are kind, selfless, and a woman who enjoys a little self-care. But you’re right. I don’t know anything about Grandma Sandy.”

I groan at his words. “We’re getting old, Upton. Grandparents in a few more months. Where did the time go?”

“I don’t know,” he says with a squeeze of my hand, “but it sure flies the older I get. Tell me all about you. I need to know everything. Leave nothing out.”