She didn’t believe him for a minute. “Can you imagine what would happen if I had more rooms?” she asked.
“Well, it would probably mean that your rooms would stay with one color scheme for a bit longer because you’d have more rooms to play around with.”
“That does make sense,” she said and then they both fell silent. With the fire roaring beside them and at a loss of anything else to say, Lacey leaned in a little closer; her eyes never leaving Ean’s.
“I thought we weren’t going to do this,” he said, inching closer himself.
“We weren’t,” she whispered, her tongue darting out to delicately lick her lips.
Ean’s smile started slow and then spread as he saw the twinkle in Lacey’s eyes. “It feels like we’re doing this,” he said, his lips a breath away from Lacey’s.
“Then I guess we are,” she said, finally closing the gap and resting her lips against Ean’s. It felt better than she remembered, more exciting that she thought possible. In an instant everything changed; what was sweet and gentle was now frantic and urgent. What was tentative and teasing was suddenly very serious.
“I want you to be sure, Lace,” Ean said breathlessly, his mouth traveling around her jaw, her throat. “I did what you asked and stayed away, but it damn near killed me.”
“I’m very sure, Ean,” Lacey assured.
Closer they moved, until it was impossible to tell where one ended and one began. Reclined, their lips never leaving one another, Lacey sighed with contentment. This was where she wanted to be. It didn’t matter that Ean would be gone in a month; it didn’t matter if their family wanted to meddle. All that mattered was that she was here right now with this man in this moment.
She pulled back briefly and smiled. “I just recently did some work in the bedroom.”
Ean looked puzzled for a moment and then caught on. “Is that right?” He kissed her throat, the delicate spot below Lacey’s ear. “That sounds very exciting.”
“Oh, it is,” she said breathlessly. “I only just learned about the wonder of flannel sheets. So I invested in a set.” She felt him chuckle against her skin. “Would you be interested in checking them out? Making sure that I bought quality flannel?”
She was teasing him and Ean realized it was one of the things that he loved most about her. With Lacey, there would always be joy and laughter surrounding him; something that was missing in his life currently. “That would require some close inspection,” he said thoughtfully. “Good quality flannel can be hard to come by.”
With a smile that simply blinded him, Ean stood and let this smiling angel lead the way; thankful for second chances.
****
It was still dark out and Lacey was asleep in Ean’s arms when she heard a knock at her front door. Sitting up slightly, she glanced at her bedside clock and saw that it was 4:32 a.m. Who would be…?
“Oh, no!” she cried.
“Lace?” Ean whispered. “You okay?” The knock on the door came again and Ean sat up. “Is someone at your door?”
“Yes!” Lacey cried, crawling from the bed to find her robe. “Your sister! We’re supposed to meet up with our mom’s at five to go shopping! I completely forgot!” Crap, crap, crap! Her cell phone rang next and Lacey ran to the living room to grab it.
“Hello?”
“Lace, come on, open the door. It’s cold out here!” Ava said, annoyance the obvious mood of the day.
“Just give me a minute…”
“Now! I see Ean’s car here so don’t bother trying to hide him.”
Oh, this was so not good. Lacey hung up and nearly screamed when Ean appeared beside her. “I have to go let her in,” she said and when he went to go back to the bedroom, she stopped him. “No need to hide, she already saw your car.”
Lacey walked to the door, opened it and was nearly plowed over by Ava. “I knew something was going on!” she yelled. “You lied right to my face, Lacey! How could you?”
“Well, in my defense you were already dealing with enough with all of the Mason stuff so I didn’t want to bother you with my personal…you know, stuff.”
Lame, Lacey; very lame.
“And you!” Ava turned and focused on her brother. “You’re sleeping with my best friend? When did this happen?”
Lacey tried to get a signal to him to please say that it just happened tonight; that this was the first time they were together but for some reason, this was the one time their brains weren’t in sync.
“I ran in to Lacey when she was up at the cottage. We got snowed in together and it just…happened. We didn’t plan on it and we didn’t plan on it happening again but we’re trying to figure out where we go from here.”
Standing between the two of them, Ava’s mind raged. She looked from one to the other, not sure who to scream at first. “So you went up to my cottage and spent the night there with my brother?” Though her tone started out controlled, she was near screeching on the last word.
“Ava, listen,” Lacey began.
“This is all your fault! All of the problems that Mason and I were having just escalated in the last two weeks and do you know why?”
Lacey had a feeling she wouldn’t have to wait long to find out.
“It’s because you stole my magic from me.” At the ridiculous words, Lacey looked at Ean with an expression that clearly said I told you so. “Mason and I could’ve worked out our problems, gotten married, had our night in the cottage but you had to swoop in there, with Ean of all people, and steal it away from me!”
“You’re talking crazy, Ava, if you’d just listen,” Lacey tried again.
“No! I’m done listening to you. This is the absolute worst thing you could have possibly done and I will never forgive you!”
Ean finally stepped in. “Ava, this had nothing to do with the cottage or stealing any of your so-called ‘magic’. What happened between Lacey and I just happened. We weren’t doing it to hurt you or anyone for that matter.”
“Don’t you see, Ean? Don’t you think it’s odd that you two hadn’t seen each other for over a dozen years and you get snowed in together at the cottage and now all of a sudden you’re in love?”
“Hey, wait, nobody said we’re in love,” Lacey interrupted but was promptly ignored.
“That had nothing to do with the damn cottage! Lacey and I have a history together and now that we are both adults we decided to act on some feelings that we had for one another. The cottage didn’t make that happen!”
“No, the cottage just takes what you have and makes it wonderful! And that was supposed to be mine, Ean! Mine! That feeling, that wonderfulness, that was for me and Mason and you took it away!”
“Oh for crying out loud, Ava! Do you hear yourself? Has someone hit you in the head? There is no wonderfulness that an inanimate object can give you! There is no magic! There is no fairytale! Grow up!” Ean’s words sounded harsh to Lacey and she wanted to cry at him to stop but Ava was getting out of control.
Ava turned to leave and Lacey tried to reach out to her one more time. “Ava, I am so sorry but like Ean said, this wasn’t about you! It wasn’t about the cottage! I had no idea he’d be up there, he had no idea that I was going to be there and when we got done talking and going over plans for your wedding night, the snow had really piled up. Believe me, neither of us wanted to be there! I had hotel reservations,” liar, liar, liar, “and Ean had wanted to go back down to the ranch but had fallen and banged his head and it was all just a series of bad circumstances. You have to believe that we never wanted to hurt you!”
“Well, whether you wanted to or not, you did.” She looked at the two people before her and felt an overwhelming sense of sadness and loss. “You took away more than my fairytale,” she said quietly. “You took away my hope.” A lone tear escaped down her cheek. “And for that I cannot forgive either of you.”
She ran out the door and when Lacey went to run after her, Ean stopped her. “Don’t, Lace. You’ll only make it worse.”
&nbs
p; Turning in his arms, her own eyes filled with tears. “What am I supposed to do, Ean? How on Earth am I supposed to make her see that we weren’t trying to hurt her?”
“Damned if I know, sweetheart.” He held Lacey close to him and led her over to the couch where they sat while she cried.
A few minutes later, her cell phone rang again and this time it was her mother. Lacey answered and gave her mother a very short version of what had happened, mortified to have to admit that she’d spent the night with Ean. Not that she was ashamed of being with him, but the fact that she had to share that fact with her mother. She apologized for missing their shopping spree but under current circumstances, Lacey thought it best if she stayed home. She greatly doubted that Ava would be out shopping but just in case she was, Lacey thought it best to stay out of her way.
After hanging up, she sat back in the comfort of Ean’s arms. “What can I do, Lacey? Tell me what I can do to make this right?”
She sighed wearily. “I knew this would happen. I knew that she would react this way and now the whole family is involved and it’s going to just get messy and complicated.”
Ean stroked her long auburn hair, loving the feel of it, wanting to comfort her. “It’s none of their business what we’re doing. This was something that took us both by surprise. Neither of us showed up at the ranch with the thought of seeing one another, right?”
Lacey nodded.
“We had unfinished business between us but even that didn’t prepare me for the feelings that I found that I have for you, Lacey.” He gently cupped her face and tilted her chin so that she was looking up at him. “You took my breath away and it wasn’t because of the cottage or any family fairytale, it’s because of you and who you are. Do you believe me?”
She wanted to just say yes but something in the back of her mind wouldn’t allow it. All of the years of Ava recounting that silly story of the cottage kept coming through. “What if it’s not just a mythical story? What if it’s true?”
Ean released her face and stood up. “Please don’t tell me that you suddenly believe in that story now too. We’ve been over it a hundred times and you said that you thought it was just as crazy as I did! Why now? Why do you suddenly think it’s true? Because of what Ava said?”
“Well, the timing is a little suspicious…”
“Lacey, listen to me,” he said sternly. “I saw you in the damn grocery store before you got to the cottage. I saw you, two lanes over; before I knew it was you and all I could think was ‘I have to meet that woman’. I feel the way that I do about you because it’s real and it’s true; you have always been on my mind. You’ve quite possibly always owned a part of my heart! Don’t let the rantings of my sister ruin this for us!”
“I can’t help it, Ean! She was so sure of what she was saying! Every time she told that damn story she told it with such conviction that it’s hard for it to not play a part in what I’m thinking right now!”
“How can I convince you that what I feel is not about the cottage? How can I make you believe that the feelings that I have for you are because of who you are, and what we can have together?”
“What we can have together?” she cried. “Ean, we have a month together and then you’re going back to Boston. That’s where your life is. Mine is here. That’s not going to change.”
“So what are you saying? That all of this tonight was what? Killing time?”
“No!” she cried, needing Ean to understand. “Look, I have no idea what’s going to happen after Christmas when you go back to Boston; all I do know is that I’m not ready to let you go yet either. There was no plan and believe me, for someone like me who always has a plan, this was a little out of my comfort zone.” She stepped closer to him. “This is all new territory for me. I wasn’t expecting this to happen. Not with you.”
Ean inhaled sharply. He knew exactly what she meant. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought he’d have the opportunity to be with Lacey, to make love with her, to fall in love with her.
Fall in love? Yes, looking in to her upturned face right now, worry lines etched in from the events of the morning, Ean knew that he was falling in love with her. His hand reached up and gently stroked the side of her face, loving the softness of her skin and the sound of her soft sigh gave him hope. “I wasn’t expecting you either, Lace, but here we are.” He kissed her softly. “The thought of not being with you was tearing me apart and I hate that you doubt what we have all because Ava was having yet another temper tantrum.”
“It’s not just that, Ean…”
“Shh…,” he placed a finger over her lips. “Let me finish.” She nodded. “Twelve years ago we started something, or rather, you started something; it just took me a little while to catch up.” He smiled sheepishly and was rewarded with a small smile from Lacey. “This isn’t about anything else except me and you. There is no cottage, there is no mystical story; it’s about us. Do you believe me?”
When Lacey looked in to his eyes she did believe him. As much as the logical part of her was screaming internally that it can’t be this easy; that there was no way that she could possibly be having the man she had always wanted right here in front of her, telling her he cared for her, the look in Ean’s eyes said it all.
“Have a little faith in us, Lacey.”
Oh, gosh! Was it really this easy?? Her heart said yes, while her head was saying no but for once, she let her heart win. “I do believe you, Ean” she whispered. “And I do have faith in us.”
Wrapping her in his arms, Ean kissed her; slow, wet and deep. While what he wanted most was to take her back to bed, he knew there’d be plenty of time for that later. Right now he wanted to just sit in front of the fire, holding the woman he loved, and luxuriate in the perfect moment where everything was possible. He kissed her temple and felt her relax into him as they both stared in to the fire, a sigh of contentment escaping his lips.
Chapter Nine
The next three weeks flew by. Work kept Lacey busy and she was thankful for it because she needed the distraction. Things with Ean were perfect; they spent nearly every night together either going to dinner, the movies or just staying in but there was an underlying tension within the families where Ava was concerned.
According to Lacey’s mom, the wedding was still on. Ean was able to confirm it but apparently his sister was being tight-lipped with everyone, not just him and Lacey. No one was sure how it was all going to come together considering the bride wasn’t speaking to the maid of honor or best man but to keep some sense of peace, they all let Ava be.
Coming home late Friday night, Lacey was walking toward her front door when she noticed someone standing in the shadows. Clutching her cell phone in her hand, she was just about to call Ean when she noticed who it was.
“Ava? This is a surprise?” That was the understatement of the year. She unlocked the door and heard Ava following behind her. “Are you okay?” Turning, she saw that there was great distress written all over her face.
“No, I’m not okay.” Her tone was very defensive and Lacey had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. If she was here to just rehash all that was said before, Lacey thought she’d scream. When Lacey just stared at her, Ava finally spoke. “Look, I’m not proud of my behavior from the morning after Thanksgiving; to say that I’ve been out of sorts over this wedding would be an understatement.”
Lacey merely nodded. “I’m sorry. I know that you and Ean are not trying to sabotage me or my wedding and that this was something that happened.” She sighed and looked at Lacey desperately. “Everything is falling apart and I don’t know what to do!”
With no other choice, Lacey grabbed her friend and hugged her. “It’s all going to be okay, Ava. I know you’re under a lot of pressure, I really do. But you need to relax a little.” She released her and looked at her, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. “How are things going with Mason?”
“Oh, if anything they’ve gotten worse.”
“Worse? How is that possibl
e?”
“Remember his former best man Brian?” Lacey nodded. “Well, I asked him again why it was that they weren’t talking, you know, sort of commiserating on how we had that in common.” She had the grace to at least look sheepish at her admission. “Anyway, he got really defensive and said that it was none of my business and that I was to stay away from Brian! I don’t even know Brian all that well; we hung out together a couple of times but Mason made it all sound like an accusation. Like somehow his not talking to Brian was my fault! I’m telling you, Lace, this whole situation is getting worse and worse the closer we get to the wedding.”
So many thoughts were swirling through Lacey’s brain but she was not going to voice anything that could possibly set Ava off again. “Why do you think he’s so crazy about Brian? And what could it possibly have to do with you?”
“I don’t know. We don’t really socialize a whole lot with Mason’s friends; it’s mostly business associates and colleagues and whatnot. I guess there have been a lot of warning signs that I was blind to, huh?”
“You’re in love. You didn’t have a reason to think anything was amiss.”
They were silent for a moment. “Are you in love with Ean?” she asked, her eyes locked on Lacey’s.
“That’s not something I’m going to discuss with you. That’s between me and Ean.”
“For real? We’re best friends and we tell each other everything and you won’t share this with me?”
“Have you given me a reason to want to share anything with you lately? For crying out loud, Ava; you’ve turned this whole wedding in to a movie of the week drama! I’m afraid to say anything to you that might upset you and basically everything lately falls into that category!”
“Fair enough,” she said lightly. “But if I had to guess I would say that you are definitely in love with him and have been for a long time.”
“Ava…”
“It’s all right; I think Ean feels the same way.”
The Christmas Cottage Page 10