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Cold. Lonely. Sad.
But it was what she deserved. She hadn’t told him the truth, and even though she knew she wasn’t damaged goods, she felt damaged after everything that had happened. Taking the pictures had been stupid, plain and simple. Not a day went by where she didn’t regret it. Now, she had to live with the consequences of what she’d done.
Her heart broken, both for herself and for Luke, she crawled back into bed and cried herself to sleep.
* * *
December 22
Luke opened the front door of his parents’ house, ushering Ethan in ahead of him. The merry hum of voices, laughter, clinking glasses and countrified Christmas music all melded together. Any other time, his family’s annual pre-Christmas get-together would’ve lifted his spirits, but not today.
His mother bustled into the front hall, her smile slipping slightly. “No Christie today?”
Luke shook his head, not saying anything. He didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t taking his calls, wasn’t answering his texts.
“Is she working?” asked his mother, and Luke didn’t have the heart to lie to her.
“Not sure.” He glanced down at Ethan, trying to silently communicate that he didn’t want to discuss it in front of him. Trying to protect him.
“Ethan, honey, why don’t you go find something to eat?” his mother suggested, and Ethan glanced warily between the two of them before shrugging out of his coat and heading toward the kitchen.
“Did something happen?” she asked, stepping closer, her arms crossed over her chest.
Luke slipped out of his own coat and tossed it over the banister. “We had . . .” He shrugged, not sure how much to tell her. “A miscommunication.”
His mother studied him for a moment, and then smiled reassuringly and gave him a pat on the arm. “I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. I know you’ll work it out.” Someone called her name, and with another pat, she slipped back into the house, further into the party.
For the next thirty minutes, Luke tried to enjoy the food, tried to make conversation, tried to get into the Christmas spirit. Tried and failed, on all counts.
Drifting away from a group of aunts, uncles, and cousins, Luke pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Christie’s number.
Again.
For the twelfth time in two days.
And once again, it went straight to voice mail.
He’d already left her several messages, asking her to call him. Apologizing for leaving the folder out. Letting her know that he wanted to talk to her. Asking her if she was okay.
And he’d gotten nothing but silence from her. And it was starting to both worry him and piss him off. Because they had something. A connection. More than that.
Love.
He fought the urge to throw his phone against the wall in frustration.
“What’s going on with you?” Matt strode up to him, a glass of eggnog in one hand, and a piece of candy cane fudge in the other.
“Nothing.” He tried to smile at his brother, but instead his lips just pressed into a thin line.
Matt studied him, one eyebrow slightly arched. “When have you ever been able to lie to me?”
Luke glanced at his phone again and shook his head. Enough was enough. He and Christie needed to talk. “Can you watch Ethan for a bit? I have to go deal with something.” He stuffed his phone in his pocket.
“Sure. This have something to do with Christie?”
Luke nodded and blew out a breath. “Yeah.”
“What did you do?”
