Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
“Did your parents ever take you places like this?” I asked later. I realized I didn’t know anything about Dominic’s parents other than what Jake had told me – that his grandparents had died in a car crash when his mom was nineteen. That would have made Dominic around fifteen.
“Yeah,” he said, his eyes softening again. “All the time. More than I wanted.”
“Spoiled,” I teased.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a half grin. “Yeah. I was. They weren’t raking it in, but what they had, they spent on us.”
“You were close with them, weren’t you?”
We were sitting on one of the benches. I was holding another hot chocolate. Dominic had a bottle of water. He unscrewed the top now and took a long drink. He still looked as impassive as though we were discussing the weather, but I saw the shadow that flickered over his eyes. “Yeah,” he said finally. “I was lucky.”
His words struck a chord in me. He had felt lucky to have the parents he did. I searched for that emotion inside of myself and came up painfully empty. I loved them dutifully. I cared about them. But I’d never felt lucky until this past month with Dominic. More than lucky, I realized.
I loved him.
The thought rang out so loudly in my head that I looked up at him, wide eyed, certain he’d heard it. Dominic was still drinking his water, though, staring out over the bustling cobblestone streets. The sun was sinking behind the giant outdoor Christmas tree now, bathing his face in gold. He looked too relaxed to have heard what I was thinking.
I couldn’t relax though. I loved him. I loved him. A thrill leapt through me. It was so overwhelming, so much I didn’t know how my skin could contain it. It was a relief, too, because though I’d loved boyfriends before, it had never felt like I thought it should. It had been warm, kind love that stayed in its place and faded politely away when its time was done. It had reminded me of the way my parents loved each other, though theirs had worn thin from years of wear. There was nothing warm, kind, polite, or gentle about the way I loved Dominic. It was the all-consuming fire I’d known love could be.
Thank God I had found it.
My relief was short lived. I’d found it, but in the worst possible place. My boss, Jake’s uncle, a man who was almost twenty years older than me. I didn’t care about the age difference, but it came with other differences that were harder to overcome. I wanted a family, but Dominic had already raised a boy to a man.
A sweet, stinging sadness filled my chest. I could never really have him. I’d always known that, but now it hit home.
“What’s wrong?”
I blinked and realized that Dominic had shifted his gaze from the sunset to me, and I hadn’t noticed. “Nothing, I’m just tired.”
He raised his eyebrows. I’d been indefatigable all day. “We have dinner in an hour.” His lip curled as he spared a glance for my latest hot chocolate. “Not that I expect you to be able to eat it.”
“Do you think we could go back to the hotel?” I walked the remains of my treat over to the closest trashcan and tossed it in. I had a sudden fierce desire to be away from the crowd. To have Dominic all to myself. “Just for a few hours, and then we can come back for the fireworks show.”
He shrugged indifferently. “We can do whatever you want. I told you a third gingerbread hot chocolate would make you sick.”
“You were right.” I tried to smile, like that’s all this was. Too much sugar. Nothing a little time and a bite of real food wouldn’t cure.
Not a heartbreak I would never recover from.
27
DOMINIC
I didn’t know why Selena wanted to go back to the lodge, but I was happy to take her. I’d had my fill of tinsel and merriment and food from carts. I had made a reservation at one of the restaurants, but she had other ideas. And once I knew what those other ideas were, I wasn’t complaining.
I peeled her absurd Christmas sweater over her head, the tiny bells catching in her hair, jingling as we worked them free. I laughed, but she didn’t. Her eyes stayed very somber as she gazed up at me even as her face softened. Underneath that absurd Christmas sweater was an even more absurd bra, but for different reasons. The Christmas sweater made me roll my eyes. This bra made my mouth go dry. It was made of lace and ribbons, offering her breasts up like a present. One I couldn’t wait to unwrap.
“I like your Christmas…spirit,” I murmured, lowering my mouth to the soft, pale globes. Tasting.