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The house was warm and smelled like Christmas. He got Benton settled in a comfortable chair in the living room and slowly exhaled, eyes on the big tree waiting to be decorated, the tray of food and drink on the coffee table, and the little girl waiting anxiously for them to start. He looked at Millie, who watched silently from the shadows, and something inside him shifted. He felt unsure, like a kid learning to walk, and was hot. He doffed his jacket, throat tight and full of words he knew he wouldn’t be able to get out.
“I got the turkey ready to go for tomorrow,” Millie said, moving closer. “I’m so glad you’re home, Bent.” She leaned down and kissed his brother on the cheek, then turned to Cal, and whispered, “I should go.”
Her eyes shone, her skin was flushed, and that subtle scent, all hers, filled his nostrils.
“Stay,” he said simply.
At that moment, it was as if they were the only two on the planet. Millie Sue filled his eyes, his mind, and his soul.
I can’t let her go.
“I don’t know if I should.”
“Stay,” he repeated.
She chewed on her bottom lip. “Okay,” she said after a few seconds.
He held out his hand, and she took it. Thanksgiving had officially begun, and for the first time in ages, Cal Bridgestone had a lot to be thankful for.
CHAPTER19
It was early,barely five in the morning, but Millie Sue stared up at the ceiling. There was a sprinkling of glow-in-the-dark stars there, and she remembered lying in this bed so many years ago, counting them. She’d woken a few minutes earlier, and now, as her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she turned onto her side, cheek resting on her palm, watching Cal sleep.
Creepy? Maybe. But she couldn’t seem to help herself.
He was beautiful. Heartbreakingly so, and looked much younger at rest. So much like the boy she’d fallen in love with. His hair was messy from their lovemaking, though his face was relaxed, and, it seemed, sporting a bit of a smile. Was he dreaming? Was she a part of it? She reached for him and moved a curl from his forehead, content to drink him in. To savor this moment.
They’d spent the night eating sweets from Mrs. Winger’s bakery, decorating the tree, and trading lighthearted stories with Scarlett and Benton. It was nice to see Scarlett smiling and Nora chattering excitedly. But it was the ease between Bent and Cal that made her heart sing. They belonged together, these Bridgestones. When they were united, they were unstoppable. She knew things weren’t perfect—the mere mention of Manley was enough to make Cal clam up—but she believed the cracks were receding. She hoped that Cal wouldn’t be a stranger to them in the future. That he’d find a way to be a part of their lives, even if his took him from the ranch.
Cal had arranged for Bent’s bed to be brought into the office until his leg healed and he could get up the stairs on his own, and by nine o’clock, the man was exhausted. Scarlett took Nora to bed and hadn’t come back down, while Cal and Millie got Benton settled in the office.
After that, it hadn’t taken long for the two of them to get naked and busy in Cal’s old bedroom, which, thankfully, was at the end of the hall on the opposite side of the house from Nora’s and Scarlett’s.
They didn’t talk—not with their mouths, anyway—and by midnight, she was asleep, folded into his arms like she’d been so many times in the past.
God, she’d missed this. Those quiet moments before he was awake.
Don’t get too used to it.The whisper was enough to unsettle Millie, and she carefully got out of bed, restless and filled with a need to have some space. Some clarity. She knew she was on the edge of something. Either she’d fall all the way in or be smart about it and stop herself before that happened.
She got dressed and tiptoed downstairs, where she checked on Benton before she headed to the kitchen. She made a pot of coffee and, while it brewed, got the turkey into the oven. Millie was on her second cup when Benton shuffled into the kitchen, crutches in hand.
“You got any more of that?”
Millie got him a cup of coffee. “Do you want some breakfast?”
“I’m not hungry just yet.” Benton winced and shifted his weight a bit. “Cal still sleeping?”
“Yes.”
“Huh.”
She raised an eyebrow, and he cracked a smile. “Are you guys back together?”
“I don’t know what we are.”
“But you’re something.”
“We’re something.” She topped up her cup. “For now.”
