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I change into sweats and a T-shirt, matching the vibe of Ursula’s casual leggings and sweater. We spend what’s left of Christmas Eve hunkering down under a blanket on the sofa, watchingChristmas Vacationand consuming a gallon of cider and a platter of Christmas cookies.
The best part is the hours spent talking. Talking to her is so easy.
“Everything about being with you is working for me,” I tell her, rubbing her feet and smiling at the snowflake pattern on her socks. “We work as a couple. You see that, right?”
“But I’m moving to Nashville. And I don’t know how that’s going to work. It’s a six-hour drive."
“Then let’s talk about it,” I say. “Do you have a job lined up?”
“No, but I plan to look for one. That’s always been the plan. I got the letter today; my student loans are completely forgiven. I’m free! I could turn in my notice to the Curries whenever I want. That’s always been the plan.”
The word falls out before I can edit myself. “Stay.”
There. Yep. I said it.
Ursula stares at me for a long moment, then blows out a breath. “Why do you have to complicate things?”
She’s wrong, and I need her to know that. “Picking up and starting a new life is complicated. You already did that. Staying is simple. So just … stay. Give us a shot.”
Her eyes squeeze shut. “Noah.”
My reply is to rub my knuckle into the arch of her aching foot, making her moan.
“You should be more of a jerk and make it easy for me to leave.”
I have to laugh at that. “I’ll try, but I don’t think I have it in me.”
She bites her lip. “I don’t know what else to do here. We agreed that we would enjoy the time we have left and that’s it,” she says. “Are we really going to ruin Christmas with an argument?”
“Running away from a jerk would make everything easier because that’s all you know. I won’t argue. You can run away from me if you want, I’m not going to stop you. But I won’t ever stop loving you.”
“Noah. You can’t love me. I’m leaving…”
“You keep saying that. If you’re so determined to leave, I can’t stop you. I’ll just ask you to go with the flow. See what love can do for us.”
ChapterSixteen
Ursula
We’re back where we started. Making the most of the time we have left.
Only this time, love is in the mix.
I want to affirm it. Everything in me wants to rush blindly into love. But I don’t want him to get his hopes up that I’m staying.
I climb into Noah’s lap and let go. I don’t want to talk about love or leaving. I just want to let go and have a nice Christmas.
He accepts my kiss, groaning as I press my body against his. His arms go around my waist.
“Baby, I need to shower before I touch you. You have no idea the mess I got into today.”
“Then let’s shower.”
I climb off his lap and take him by the hand into the bathroom.
I don’t care what he got up to today, I need to feel him while we’re both naked and waiting for the water to heat up.
Showering with Noah is one of my favorite things, and tonight is no exception. I could use a good scrub, too. I closed the pharmacy at noon today and let myself into Noah’s house to decorate and bake cookies. I’ve got flour in places I’d rather not think about.
