Waiting to Fall: Book Two of the Waiting Duet

by Alyson Reynolds

  ____

  The last two weeks of the semester flew by quickly in a flourish of dead week and finals. I hadn’t been concerned about my tests, but Nate and Finn practically lived in the library. While I didn’t go out of my way to avoid Finn, I definitely didn’t make plans to hang out with him either. Olivia and I spent most nights hanging out at her house talking about the wedding and all the fun things we would do while we were in Colorado. She described the ballroom where the ceremony would be held and I couldn’t wait to see it in person.

  The day before we left Finn texted to see if I wanted him to pick me up on the way to the airport so I didn’t have to take my car. I stared down at my phone for a few minutes before answering. Things had been…off between us since we had come back from break. It was my fault, but now I didn’t know how to fix it. He blamed himself for me pulling away and I was at a loss as to how to convince him that the problem was me, not him.

  I typed back one word and prayed that he could read behind the lines.

  Yes.

  I wanted to type more. I wanted him to know that I had missed him and that I was sorry for acting like a spoiled brat, but those were all things that needed to be said in person. He had tried to talk to me at Nate and Olivia’s house and I was the asshole that made sure we weren’t alone long enough to talk. I had even stayed the night there, claiming Olivia and I had too much to talk about to go back to the dorms that night, just so I could avoid being alone in the car with him.

  I cringed when I thought about the look on his face when I had told him that. Who would have thought that I would become the emotionally distant one out of the two of us? Finn was like a freaking vault, but here I was, avoiding any conversations other than about the wedding.

  I stared at the wall as I tried to come up with a plan. My bags were full and by the door, waiting for Finn to show up the next morning. He never texted me back to tell me he would be here, but I knew he would. Finn was reliable. In all the years I’d known him, he had never let me down. Even when I didn’t deserve his friendship.

  Olivia texted me three times before I left to pick up Cora the next morning. I think she sensed something was off between us and wanted to make sure I didn’t leave her maid of honor behind. If I were being honest, the thought had occurred to me, but I would never actually do it.

  I pulled out my phone to send Cora a text letting her know I was downstairs waiting for her, but before I could send it she was standing next to my car. I jumped as she knocked lightly on my window. She looked beautiful in a long cream sweater. It looked soft. As much as my hand ached to touch it, her, I wouldn’t let myself.

  “Good morning.” Cora’s voice was almost so low I didn’t hear her.

  “Morning.” I held a coffee out to her and she took it gratefully. “Ready to get going?”

  She nodded and I put her bags into the trunk as she climbed into the warm car. I grunted as I picked each suitcase up. When I climbed into the car, I turned towards her.

  “What the hell did you pack? Bricks? Those things weigh a ton.”

  She smiled. Her first of the morning and it made me feel a million times better. I watched her expression change and she bit down on her bottom lip.

  “Cora?”

  She held up her hand. I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

  “Just let me get this out there. I’m sorry I’ve been acting like such a bitch. You didn’t do anything the night we ran into Kelsey and none of this was your fault. I’m an idiot and I want to make it up to you. Let me know how to do it.”

  My lips crashed down on hers and I cupped the back of her head gently. This kiss was so different than any other we had ever shared and it shook me down to my core. I pulled away and rested my forehead against hers.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered.

  “I missed you too, Princess.”

  I pulled back reluctantly and put the car in drive. She rested her hand on mine, tracing patterns over my heated skin. The car was growing hotter by the second.

  “Can we talk later? We won’t have enough time before meet up with everyone, but I want to explain why I was so distant.”

  “We can definitely talk later, but it’s fine as long as you’re through pushing me away.”

  She squeezed my hand once. “I’m done. I want us to enjoy this trip. Nate and Olivia deserve the best wedding we can give them.”

  I shot her a grin, the one I knew made her weak in the knees, and she visibly relaxed. My heart was still pounding in my chest, but at least I had her back. She owed me an explanation and I would make sure she gave it to me, but for now this was enough.

  ____

  I walked into the resort, gaping at the opulence of everything. The place was magnificent, rich hardwoods and huge windows that faced off the side of the mountain. If I could wake up to that view every day, I might give up my ocean as long as I could visit it. Nate and Olivia hadn’t done justice to how amazing this place was. Cora sucked in a breath when she walked in behind me. She was just as amazed as I was at this place.

  A roaring fire was going in the huge white stone fireplace and there were leather couches flanking it. Everything I could see screamed wealth and luxury. We all knew Nate’s family had money, but we had never seen it to this extent before.

  “This place is awesome,” I whispered in her ear. “It’s romantic.”

  She looked at me over her shoulder. That wasn’t something I would normally say and it had caught her off guard. I was the guy who would throw a girl against a wall and fuck her rather than lay her down on a bed and make love to her. At one point Cora had the bruises to prove it.

  “It is,” she agreed, softly.

  “You guys okay with taking a cabin? There’s plenty of room if you aren’t, but I figured you would want to stay out of the craziness as much as possible,” Nate offered. Cora’s mouth dropped open.

  “Are you kidding?” she asked before I could say anything.

  He grinned. “Nope. I take it you’re okay with it?”

  “Of course you idiot,” she said, laughing gleefully. Her cheeks were pink from the short walk in the cold and she looked adorable.

  “Finn?” Nate asked.

  “Yeah, just stick me wherever.” I tried to play it off like I was staring out at the amazing view. It was truly jaw dropping, but my eyes had barely moved from Cora since we had walked in. Nate’s eyes shot between the two of us and I saw the second he realized the secret I had been keeping from him for months. I shook my head once so he didn’t say anything and he snapped his mouth shut. Thank God Olivia came and grabbed Cora dragging her away to go do wedding stuff.

  Nate tugged me back out the front door so we would be alone and I knew the inquisition was coming. He didn’t fail me.

  “What the fuck?”

  “What?” I said, trying to play it off.

  “How long have you two been together?”

  I grimaced. “Do we have to do this now? You’re getting married tomorrow. We should be talking about that and planning you a bachelor party.”

  “Damn it, Finn. I get that you aren’t the talkative type, but you’ve been tying yourself in knots over some mystery girl for months. That girl ends up being Cora and you expect me not to talk about it?”

  I looked around quickly. “Keep it down, asshole. We aren’t together. We aren’t even sure what’s going on between us. Today is the first day we’ve spoken in over a week. We slept together at the beginning of the semester and things got confusing. We’ve been trying to figure things out. If everyone else knew what was going on there would have been too much pressure. Neither of us wanted to hurt Olivia, so we decided to keep it quiet for a while.”

  “It’s been four months. You guys haven’t figured anything out in four months?”

  I shrugged. “It started out as a one-time thing. Then it turned into twice. Things escalated from there.”

  He rubbed a hand down his face. “If this was just sex you guys wouldn’t have hidden it. Finn, t
his is going to blow up in your face and you’re going to hurt more than just Olivia.”

  I winced. “I don’t plan on hurting anyone; I just want time to figure this out. Cora has been through a lot and she needs the time to come around to the idea of a new relationship.”

  “What do you mean Cora had been through a lot?” Suspicion tinged his voice.

  I shook my head. Damn it, I’d said too much.

  “Nothing. Quit reading into everything I say. This is why I never talk, everyone always thinks I’m saying more than I actually am.”

  “Sorry, my mind is just blown by this. I’ve always thought you guys would be good together, but you both insisted it would never happen.”

  “Denial?” I said, shrugging. He choked out a laugh. “Just keep it quiet for a little while longer. We will sit Liv down and tell her everything when there’s something to say. I promise. The last thing I want to do is hurt my sister.”

  He stared at me for a second. “Fine. I’ll keep your secret, but she’ll never let me hear the end of this if she realizes I knew and didn’t say something to her.”

  I let out a huge sigh of relief. “Thanks, Nate. Now, let’s go plan your bachelor party.”

  I hooked my arm around his neck and pulled him back into the warmth of the lodge.

  Olivia grabbed my arm. “Come look at where we’re having the ceremony. The guys can get your bags where they need to go and we’ll find your room later.”

  I laughed. I’m sure the guys would love that.

  “Let’s go.”

  I let her drag me from room to room telling me all about where things would be set up and how she wanted things to look. No matter what she chose, the place would look great. My eyes kept being drawn to the huge windows and I stopped her.

  “There.”

  “Huh?”

  “That’s where you and Nate need to stand. Centered between the windows with the mountains behind you, it’s supposed to snow right? That will be gorgeous.”

  She tilted her head as if trying to imagine it.

  “You’re right. That’s perfect. I’ll tell the event staff at our meeting. Will you come with me?”

  I linked my arm in hers and walked over to the windows.

  “I’m here for you ma’am. Just let me know what you need.”

  She laid her head on my shoulder. “Thank you for being here. I couldn’t do this without you.”

  “You could because Nate is your other half.”

  She smiled. “He is.”

  We sat there quietly gazing out over the snow covered mountains.

  “You’ll be next you know.”

  I snorted. “If I can ever find anyone to put up with me maybe, but I’m a handful.”

  We both laughed. “I bet he’s closer than you think, Cora.”

  She squeezed my arm and I looked at her questioningly. Just what did Olivia know? Sometimes it felt like she knew a hell of a lot more than she was letting on.

  ____

  I walked into the main living area of the cabin that Finn and I were sharing. My heels clicked on the dark hardwood floors, the sound echoing off the walls. Finn was staring into the fireplace, watching the dancing flames. He turned towards me when I rubbed my hand over his shoulder.

  It took him a minute to speak when he caught the full effect of my dress.

  “You look so fucking sexy.”

  He held out his hand and I took it to spin and show off my floor length dress. It fit me like a glove and although it didn’t show much skin, it made what little curves I had look amazing. Finn looked sexy as hell in his tux. The jerk probably knew it too. I straightened his tie and he handed me the small hydrangea boutonniere and smiled sheepishly. I grinned as I reached to pin it. My fingers brushed along the front of his jacket as I fastened the small bunch of blooms to his lapel. He took my hands in his when I was done, bringing them to his lips once. I shivered at the feel of his lips pressed against my skin.

  “Finn,” I whispered.

  My voice was needy and I wanted to drag him back to one of the bedrooms. The look in his eyes said he wanted the same thing. Time wasn’t on our side though.

  “Are you ready?”

  I nodded and tried to swallow around the knot in my throat. He tucked my arm under his and led the way to the door. Finn helped me put on my pea coat and wrapped the faux fur stole that Olivia had picked out around my arms.

  The next few hours were a blur. Finn dropped me off with his sister and Olivia and I huddled together, waiting for her to marry her soulmate. I helped her get into her long sleeve, lace gown and we smiled and joked about Nate being more anxious than she was. I expected her to be nervous, but she was calm and cool the entire time. Nothing was going to shake her before she walked down the aisle. She gave me a beautiful necklace to wear with my dress. There were three charms, my initial, a snowflake charm and a pearl, all on a slim silver chain. It was absolutely gorgeous and it envisioned everything she wanted for her wedding. We both cried when I handed her an almost identical bracelet. The delicate silver chain held a snowflake, pearl, and infinity charm.

  I would always remember Olivia and Nate standing in front of those amazing windows with snow falling down outside behind them as they exchanged vows. It was exactly how Liv and I had envisioned it as we stood there the day before. Finn’s eyes met mine several times throughout the ceremony and I wished I could have read his mind. Every time his brown eyes flashed, I wanted to know if it was because he could see a future with me, or because he was wistful that his sister was getting married.

  The reception was small. About twenty people had flown into Aspen to watch Olivia and Nate get married, including Noah, Abby and Ellie. Of course, her parents didn’t, but she was actually happy about that. She made Finn give her away, which was only fitting. Liv seemed surprised that there were even that many people, but I wasn’t. She underestimated the amount of people that loved her and Nate so much.

  I was watching Nate and Olivia dance, sipping on a glass of champagne when Finn’s spicy citrus scent filled my senses. I knew he was there before he even touched me. He placed a hand on my lower back and leaned into my ear.

  “Would you like to dance with me?”

  I looked over my shoulder and smiled.

  “I thought you would never ask.”

  He took my glass and placed it on the table behind me. I let him lead me out onto the floor and I smiled when he pulled me into his chest. The bluesy Christmas music filled the air around us as we swayed softly. His fingers shook slightly as he brushed a piece of hair back from my face.

  “Princess, you look gorgeous tonight.”

  I squeezed his arms. “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.”

  “I know we said we would wait until after the holidays to talk about us, but I’m not sure I can anymore.” My startled eyes met his for a second, and then I glanced away quickly. Where was he going with this? Did he want to end things now? He cupped my face gently, making me look at him. “I know what you’re thinking. Stop. I’m not sure how you can be so confident in every other part of your life, but when it comes to relationships you are so uncertain.”

  I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against his. “Finn—”

  “Just let me speak. You know how much I hate doing that.” I chuckled and he finally lost his serious expression. I loved the small smile playing on his lips. “Cora, I’m falling—”

  The chime of a knife against a champagne flute cut him off. We reluctantly turned back towards Nate’s brother waiting to give his speech. I loved Riley from the second I met him, but his timing sucked and I wanted to junk punch him for ruining this moment.

  “I’m next,” Finn whispered in my ear. “Wish me luck.”

  I straightened his collar. “You don’t need it, you’ll be great.”

  He gave me a heart melting smile and strolled towards the stage to give his blessing to the happy couple. My heart still pounded in my chest. I wanted him to finish what he was trying to say
to me. It wasn’t fair that we finally decide to talk about things and we get interrupted. I clapped along politely with everyone after Riley’s speech, even though I hadn’t heard a word of it. A waiter walked by and offered me a glass of champagne and I took it gratefully.

  Finn stood up on the stage, nervously fingering the copy of his speech in his hands. He spoke eloquently about Olivia and Nate, but I couldn’t help but think his words meant more than what he was actually saying. His eyes flicked over the small audience of people and each time he purposely searched me out. We lifted our glasses to toast and he bolted from the stage as soon as it was done. I gasped as he grabbed my hand, tugging me after him into one of the small parlors off the main ballroom.

  He closed the door behind him quickly and his mouth was on mine. Heat flared between us and I grasped desperately at the lapels of his tux. Where was this coming from? Only a few seconds ago he wanted to talk. Now he was shoving his tongue down my throat, not that I was complaining.

  I was surprised when he pulled away abruptly. His breaths came quick and he made sure I was looking into his eyes. “We’re not getting interrupted again, Cora. I have to tell you this because I can’t wait any longer. I want—”

  A knock at the door cut Finn off and he cursed. The door cracked open and Hannah peaked in. “I’m so sorry, they’re about to cut the cake and it won’t go unnoticed if you aren’t there.”

  I nodded and took a deep breath. “We’ll be right there.”

  She nodded and shut the door behind her. I took Finn’s hand in mine, I smiled at him weakly. “It’s almost over. The good thing is I’ve already given my speech.”

  He closed his eyes and nodded. “You are mine as soon as this thing is over. Go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”