Page 81 of House of Clouds


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Tracy looked at her, surprised. “Oh. Thanks, but I’ll be going home to my parents’ house in New Jersey.”

“Oh,” said Kate. “Of course.”

“Why don’t all of you come over next week to the cabin?” said Ethan. “I’ll get a tree, and we can decorate it or something.” His eyes danced with amusement. “Decorate it creatively.”

He looked down at Kate, his arm still encircling her waist. She’d been glad of its presence the whole time. Not just for the warmth, but the comfort, the solidness of it. And the sense that it felt right. It was a thought that shifted something in her that finally settled into place. A hand, a presence, a sense of him. The word echoed in her mind. Home. The unease that had taken hold since her video call with Giancarlo, incessant like a low background buzz, faded a little.

Thirty-Seven

The tree was enormous. Kate had to laugh when she saw it first, the scent of pine overwhelming her as she walked in the door, Tom following her close behind, as it stretched up in all its vast glory in the living area by the window that faced the lake. They’d both been loaded down with odd-sized boxes, the booty of scouring the basement, the attic, and the closets for all the Christmas decorations from every Wilson family celebration through the years. It had been Tom’s idea. With this approach, it would only be the decorations themselves that held the memories, without all the extra weight of the surroundings. And maybe having them erected and hung somewhere else, somewhere different, would take out some of that sting too.

She put the boxes down on the floor just inside the door, glad the weight was gone. Tom deposited his box beside hers, stretching back up and grinning over at the tree. “You tied it to the curtain pole?” he said.

Ethan, who had been struggling under the tree, trying to position the trunk in the stand he’d somehow managed to obtain, climbed up from under it and frowned. “You have a better idea?”

Tom laughed and shook his head. “You disappoint me. I would have thought you were an expert.”

Ethan gave him a surprised look. “Why would you think that? I’m not the one proficient in all things wood.”

“Oh, let him fix it,” Kate said to Ethan. “I know he’s dying to do it. He was the self-appointed Christmas tree erector at our house from the moment he could hold it by himself.”

“Have at it, lumberjack,” said Ethan, stepping back.

He came over and kissed her, lingering at her ear. “You smell heavenly. What scent is that?”

She pulled back and smiled at him. “Vanilla cookies.”

“Really? They make a perfume of that?”

She shook her head, laughing. “No. I made some just before we came over. They’re in the truck, along with some other things we brought. I’ll just go get them while Tom plays tree engineer.”

“I’ll come and help,” said Ethan.

He followed her out to the truck, and just as she was about to open the door, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, parting her lips, brushing his tongue along her mouth, tasting her fully. She sighed with the pleasure of it, forgetting for a moment her surroundings, thinking only of the feel of him against her, his own scent, strong and masculine, speaking to her in ways she couldn’t even name.

In the last week they’d spent most every night together, mostly at the cabin because she couldn’t bring herself to use her father’s old bed, for too many reasons she wasn’t about to articulate to herself, let alone Ethan. He’d never said a word, just crawled into her old bed and tucked her in beside him, while Max curled up on the floor beside them. Though it might have been awkward for him, she felt so safe, securely wrapped up in his body, his soft breath steady against her neck. It had been a good week, and she found that her spirit was lightening slowly, all thoughts of her contract and its implications tucked tidily away. There was plenty of time for that after Christmas. She would have this now.

He broke away finally. “I’ve been wanting to do that for so long.”

She smiled at him. “I’ve only just arrived.”

“I always want you, Kate. You don’t have to be here for me to want you.”

She felt herself soften further under his words. She pressed her head against his chest. “I can’t seem to stop wanting you, either, Ethan. It hardly seems real.”

He brushed her cheek with his hand. “It is real,” he said in a low voice.

A car pulled up with a crunch of gravel, and Kate looked up to see Zig behind the wheel, Tracy beside him in the passenger seat. The two of them got out of the car, Zig reaching in and pulling out a bag from the back.

“You two enjoying some outdoor recreation?” Zig asked.

Tracy came up beside him and gave him a little shove. “So funny.”

He put his arm around her, pulling her into him. She looked around her, taking in the cold fog drifting off the lake. It would freeze soon. The dock looked stark against it. She took out her phone, and pulling in Zig, took a selfie of the two of them, with the lake and dock as background. His extra height meant that Zig had to lean down at an awkward angle, his blond hair falling into his face, brushing his wire-rimmed glasses that reinforced the Lennon look he unconsciously mimicked. Tracy was wearing her parka again, the blue tips of her blonde hair resting against the fake-fur-trimmed hood. They made a quirky pair, but she seemed good for Zig.

Kate watched Tracy, her focus so intent on getting the right shot, Kate found it amusing. Her own approach was so much different, as was the content, but she guessed the intensity was the same. Zig seemed to indulge the whole experience like a besotted puppy and that, too, amused her.

“I feel like a parent watching his child fondly, realizing he’s growing up,” said Ethan, in a low voice.

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