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“I think this is a good omen,” she says, grinning at me as she hugs the bear to her. “Maybe this is gonna be my year.”
“I’m sure it will be.”
I carry the bear for her as we head around all the booths and games, filling ourselves with delicious food and sparkling champagne. Ava is always gorgeous, but fuck, when she’s happy, she’s otherworldly. Her beautiful face glows, light shining from every pore, and those blue eyes twinkle, making my pulse quicken every time she looks at me.
“You know what we should do?” she asks giddily.
“What?”
“We should dance.” She beams at me, gesturing toward the dancefloor.
Instinctively, I shake my head. “I don’t dance.”
Ava giggles. “Neither do I, but there’s a first time for everything, right?”
She grabs the teddy bear from me and sets it on an empty bench before her hand reaches for my arm, gently tugging me toward the dancefloor.
“I’m not built for dancing,” I tell her, my heart already pounding at the gentle contact. “I don’t want to step on your feet.”
“I have faith in you.” She beams at me, and blood thrums hard through my veins, making me feel lightheaded.
Fuck, I really can’t resist this girl. I can’t deny her anything.
I follow her reluctantly to the dancefloor, wondering how the hell this is going to work. I’ve got at least a foot on Ava height-wise, and I’m built more like a grizzly bear than a dancer. But as Ava moves toward me, her curvy body pressing against mine, all my doubts vanish in an instant. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around her, breathing hard. I don’t care that couples are dancing all around us. They all fade into the background as Ava and I start to rock in time with the music, our bodies melting together as we move. Her head rests against my chest, and I feel my cock swell beneath my jeans, straining against the fabric.
Shit. This girl is turning my whole damn world upside down.
Since the moment I saw Ava, everything has changed. She’s so damn perfect. Like a beautiful ray of sunshine lighting up my universe. I don’t deserve her—I’m an old grump who’s lived a life full of mistakes. I’m jaded and pessimistic, while she sees the good and the fun in everything. But I can’t help the way I feel. I’m falling for Ava, and now that she’s wrapped up in my arms, I’m more certain than ever that I don’t want to let her go.
I don’t know how long we stay like that, dancing together, but eventually, Ava pulls away to look up at me, her eyes full of something I can’t decipher. Something almost like…desire?
Don’t flatter yourself, old man.
“We should go and write our wishes for the wish tree,” she says a little breathlessly. “The countdown is going to begin soon.”
I nod, reluctantly stepping away from the warmth of her curvy body. Ava guides me to the tree, looking back over her shoulder at me a few times as we walk. I’m drunk on her company—the air around us seems to buzz with electricity as we head for the tree, finally reaching it as the countdown flashes with two minutes to go before the New Year.
We each grab a paper tag from the table beside the tree, borrowing a pen each.
Ava holds her tag in her hand, staring at it in thought until she scribbles something down on it, keeping it hidden so that I can’t see it. I’m too busy staring at her to focus on my tag, and eventually, she looks up at me with a smile.
“Go on,” she says. “Make your wish.”
I swallow hard and look down at the blank tag. There’s only one wish on my mind. One thing I want more than anything right now. I scribble down three letters onto my tag.
A V A
The countdown is only thirty seconds away, and we quickly string our tags onto the tree where they join at least a hundred other tags already dangling from the branches like Christmas decorations. My eyes flicker toward Ava’s wish, squinting to try and make out the letters. In the background, the countdown is starting, and the crowd roars all together:
TEN
NINE
EIGHT
I finally make out the letters on Ava’s wish. Four letters.
N A S H
