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“It’s nice to meet you too,” she said. “I just…what a shock.”
“I know, right? We got drunk and got married in Vegas. It’s amazing I didn’t show up here with a three-month-old baby.”
The woman about swallowed her tongue, but Chris next to me was laughing.
“Is this real?” poor Jane asked Chris, and for a second I did feel bad for the crime of sweeping an extremely eligible Salt Springs bachelor off his feet. But the feeling passed real quick.
“Sure is,” I said. “That’s the power of tequila and blow jobs.”
Jane made a noise in her throat and I just kept smiling until she mumbled goodbye and walked away, fishing her phone out of her pocket.
“Well,” he said, watching Jane go. “That will be all over town in about five minutes.”
“Are you angry? The blow job thing might have been too much?”
“Me? Angry? Heck no. I’ve been waiting for a woman like you to shake up Ethan’s life for a long, long time.”
“I thought you didn’t like me,” I said. I was feeling bold from the egg nog and truth-telling.
“No. I liked you the minute you stepped in the door and took the rug right out from Ethan’s feet. But you said you weren’t staying and, well, I guess I didn’t want to get attached.” His smile was sad, and when I looked at him I saw a man who had lost a lot in the last few years. Two of his kids were rarely around, his beloved wife was gone and now he might be losing his inn.
“Well I just told everyone the truth, so we’re in it now.”
I smiled at him and he handed me his flask and we passed it back and forth until it was empty. And then we started on my flask.
Long past his ten-minute deadline Ethan showed back up, his hands in his pockets, a happy smile on his face. “Are you getting drunk with my dad?” he asked.
“Maybe.” I took the last sip of egg nog and handed it back to Chris.
“She’s created a scandal, son. People have been stopping by every five seconds offering—”
“Ethan!” A man walked past and stopped, his cheeks flush. “I heard you got married. Congrats.”
“Thank you, Joe.” Ethan accepted the slaps on the back. “So, it’s official,” he said, his eyes on me the way I liked best. Like I was his, all his.
“I guess so,” I said with the sauciest shrug I could manage. I was pretty sure there was extra rum in that flask.
“Then I can finally do this,” he said and grabbed me by the hand and pulled me into his body. His lips were warm against mine. His face cool. And I wrapped my arms around his body. We were bulky in winter coats and the snow was falling down around our ears and someone somewhere clapped and I didn’t know what I was doing, but it felt so good.
This is trust, I thought. Actual real trust.
And not since I was a little girl had I ever felt this way.
It was amazing. And terrifying.
We left the Christmas Jamboree. Ethan gave his dad a ride home to the big family house behind the inn.
“Where’s Kristen?” Ethan asked.
“She stays with Paul most nights.”
“I thought Paul lived at the house?”
“He moved into the cottage. Fixed it up real good. I might move in with them, too. It was fun making a scene with you tonight, Lexie.”
“Stick with me, Chris. We’ll keep ‘em talking.”
Chris winked at me and Ethan helped him to the door and made sure he got in okay.
I was drowsy and warm from the egg nog and all the trusting I was doing. And I curled up against the passenger side door and rested my eyes.
I didn’t unrest my eyes until Ethan opened the passenger-side door back at his house.
“Hey!” I said, startled out of my sleep. “What happened?”
“I was going to let you sleep and carry you into the house.”
“Oh.” I relaxed against him. “You can still do that.”
He caught me in his arms and carried me up the front walk and even managed to get the door open without dropping me or letting me slip. “You’re good at this,” I told him, kissing his cheek and then his neck. Then his ear. He smelled so good.
“Hey now,” he said. “Don’t distract me.”
Baby Girl greeted us at the door like Ethan was an intruder in her house. “She really doesn’t like you,” I said.
“What? No way. I’m growing on her. The other day she let me pet her.”
“She needs to go out for a tinkle,” I said, putting my feet down. Bracing myself for our quick walk around the block.
“I got it,” Ethan said and kissed me. “It’s part of our trust exercises.”
“You have trust exercises with my dog?”
“I do. We’re really making progress.”
The house was dark, except for the low lights coming in off the street and his face was gray and gold. “I trust you,” I said, and his eyes went wide, like he knew what I was saying. “I don’t know what we’re doing, but I trust you.”
