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“Hey, sweetheart,” he greets finally, his familiar gruff voice momentarily easing my anxiety.
“Hey, Daddy,” I reply, relief in my voice. “Are you still planning to make it for the Christmas party?”
His hesitation is palpable as he pauses before answering. “It doesn’t look good, Mia. All chartered flights out of New York have been canceled due to the storm. My pilot won’t risk it until things start to clear. I’m sorry.”
The weight of disappointment settles heavily on my shoulders. “Oh, okay,” I manage to say, staring blankly up at the ceiling.
“I know it’s not what you wanted to hear. But I’m sure you’re doing a great job hosting in my stead. Are you having fun?” His attempt at reassurance carries through the phone with a false optimism which I can’t quite tell whether I’m imagining.
A forced smile graces my lips. “Yeah, sure. I’m trying my best. But I know everyone here is missing you.” I know I am, but I don’t say as much because my dad and I just don’t say that kind of thing.
“That’s my girl,” he says gruffly. “I’ll make it up to you, Mia. I promise. I’ll bring you an extra special gift when I finally get there.”
“And you’ll definitely make it before Christmas?” I press, my stomach knotting as I think about waiting longer to tell him about the baby.
“Promise,” he guarantees.
That brings a smile to my face, though I know he’s in no position to say that kind of thing. He can’t control the weather, after all. “I have a surprise for you,” I say, excitement bubbling up in me as I think about my holiday cookie business idea. But I don’t want to tell him about it over the phone. I want to see the look on his face when I give him my pitch in person.
“You do? That’s funny. I have a surprise for you too,” he teases, a mischievous note in his voice.
My grin widens as I picture that devilish glint in his eye that he always gets right before he gives me something he knows I’m going to enjoy. “Really? What is it?”
He laughs. “You’ll just have to wait and see, sweetheart. But I think you’re going to like this one.”
Something about the way he says it makes my heart flutter uncomfortably. And though I usually love my dad’s surprises, I suddenly don’t know that I can trust that I’ll want this one he has for me. Then again, that might just be me projecting because I’m definitely not confident he’s going to like the surprise I spring on him about my having a baby.
The knot tightens around my chest once more as my brief respite from my situation comes to a close. I really need to figure out what I’m going to do about Zach, Luke, and Cilian. I’m just terrified I’m going to make the wrong call. Now more than ever.
Daddy and I exchange a few more pleasantries before we hang up.
Only then does the reality sink in of having to host my father’s Christmas retreat for another night. I sigh heavily, closing my eyes as I suddenly feel bone-weary. Perhaps I should take a nap. But the clock on the wall ticks away, keeping my mind just on this side of awake.
I don’t think I’d be able to sleep even if I tried. Still, I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself for the next several hours. The party won’t start until later in the afternoon. A fleeting thought crosses my mind of sneaking out for a spa day to ease my stress. And suddenly, that sounds like an immensely good idea.
I decide to treat myself, a temporary escape from the weight of decisions looming over me. I sit up with renewed energy. From my closet, I snag a matching crimson scarf, hat, and glove set that will work perfectly with my winter jacket.
With a fortifying breath, I open the door to my room, ready to head out into the winter wonderland that has become the mountain town of Aspen. To my delight, the house is fairly quiet. People must have gone skiing or on a stroll through town, so I make it to the entryway without running into anybody.
Grabbing my plaid pea coat from the front closet, I slip my arms into it and button up, knotting the belt around my waist for good measure.
“Sneaking off, are we?”
Luke’s deep Southern drawl makes my heart skip a beat, and I turn to find him standing in the doorway, watching me.
“I would never!” I object playfully, my smile stretching across my face as I find I’m happy to see him—even if he is one of the decisions I’m avoiding.
“Who said anything aboutyousneaking off?” he teases, striding across the entryway to collect his coat from the closet as well. “I distinctly recall sayingwe.”
Heat climbs up my neck to pool in my cheeks as I realize my spa day has just been ambushed. “Oh,we’regoing somewhere?” I ask, enjoying the banter despite myself.
“Only if you’ll let me.” His voice turns serious, his blue eyes probing as he turns to face me fully.
And the sincerity of his unspoken question steals my breath away. He’s giving me a choice, a real choice. And if I want to be alone, he’ll let me. But I see the glimmer of hope behind his patient gaze, and I can’t bring myself to turn him down when he so clearly wants to spend some time with me.
After everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours, I at least owe him that.
“Company sounds great,” I say, slipping my hand through the crook of his elbow and turning to face the front door.
