Why not lighten up a little, go with the flow? At the least, she would have a beautiful Christmas with a wonderful man.
And just maybe, it would all work out and they would end up together. Stranger things had happened.
Why shouldn’t she believe that she was meant to be with Linc and the kids? It was the season of miracles, after all. And maybe this particular miracle—of her and this amazing guy and these two beautiful children—maybe it wasn’t so crazy to reach out and claim what Linc offered her. Maybe he was tailor-made for her.
Why couldn’t he be right about the two of them? Why shouldn’t they be together?
Why not go ahead and make the move to Portland? The job prospects weren’t quite as good for her there, but Portland State offered an accredited master’s program in architecture, too. Jobwise, something was bound to come up.
Plus, it would be less expensive to get a place in Portland.
And most important, she wouldn’t have to leave her love...
Love?
Wait. No.
She shouldn’t let herself do that. It was too soon. She couldn’t afford to go to the love place.
Slowly, she drew a deep breath and waited for the denials to rush in. Because she wasn’t ready for love. Not now. Not for a few years yet, anyway. She needed to find her way as an adult first, get her own place in the right city and start creating a whole new career before she let herself get wrapped up in a man.
No. Uh-uh. Not ready for love.
Too bad love had found her, anyway.
She sat on the sofa by the fire in the living room, with the tree blazing bright and the outdoor lights winking merrily at her through the picture window. The kids were in bed. Linc had gone to the kitchen to open a bottle of Christmas Eve bubbly.
And here she sat on the sofa, unable to deny her true feelings anymore.
Love.
Love had happened to her.
She’d taken a temporary job to build up her bank account and ended up falling in love with the boss—only, no.
Not the boss.
She was her own boss, an independent contractor, as she’d made so painfully clear to Linc right from the beginning.
So, then. Boss or not, she loved him. Was in love with him.
Lincoln Stryker is my love.
It sounded so good inside her head.
But yeah, it was probably way too early to tell him how she felt. So she wouldn’t. Not yet. They would discuss the future again at some point before he went back to Portland. And when they did, she would tell him that yes, she wanted to be near him and the kids. She would agree that yes, she would come to Portland in February and start looking for work.
“You look happy.” Linc sat down beside her, an open bottle of champagne in one hand, two flutes in the other.
“I am happy. It’s been a great day. The best kind of Christmas Eve, quiet and cozy with at least a token amount of snow.”
He filled the two glasses, handed one to her and offered a toast. “To skinny snowmen and Disney movies.”
“I will definitely drink to that.” She tapped her glass to his, enjoyed a fizzy sip and wondered how she’d lived all her life up till now without him in it.
“I have something for you...” He set down his glass and went to the tree. Crouching, he pulled a mug-sized box from among the many brightly wrapped packages.
She grinned. She had a travel mug for him, too—and a pair of snowman socks. But she’d been assuming they would wait until Christmas morning to do the gift thing.
He took his place beside her again. “Merry Christmas.”
“I should open it now?”
He nodded. “Please.”
She untied the bow, tore open the pretty paper and took the lid off the box. Within, a smaller box, also brightly wrapped, sat in a cocoon of red tissue paper.
Something happened in her chest, something warm as a toasty fire, bubbly and bright as champagne.
Because that smaller box?
It was a ring-sized box.
She blinked at it in its cradle of bright tissue and that warm, fizzy feeling in her chest was expanding, taking over her whole body.
Really, she shouldn’t be reacting like this—like he’d just handed her the moon all wrapped in Christmas paper. It was too early.
Too soon, and she knew it. They couldn’t go rushing into something so huge as what could be waiting in this ring-sized box.
She put her hand to her chest where her heart pounded like it wanted to get out and bounce around the room for joy. This couldn’t be right.
The words of love had yet to be spoken. They’d met barely a month ago.
No doubt about it. It was much too soon.
And yet, well, if it was too soon, why did it feel so right?
Breathless, yearning, ready to take the most impossible leap, she lifted the smaller box free of the tissue. Carefully, fingers moving slow and dreamlike, she set the other box on the coffee table and unwrapped the little one.
The box inside was black velvet. A ring box, no question about it.
Could this really be happening?
Stunned at her own reaction of sheer, unbounded happiness, she went with it. It was not what she’d planned, so far from anything she’d expected—of herself, or of him.
And yet...
She was in love with Linc. And it didn’t matter that it had happened fast.
It was the real thing.
And damn it, she couldn’t wait to say yes.
Because really? It was perfect—they were perfect, her and Linc, together.
They were right for each other and she loved the kids and she’d already decided she would move to Portland instead of Seattle. Who had she been kidding, telling herself that she didn’t want more from him?
She did want more. She wanted everything, a forever, together, with Linc and the kids.
“Well? Are you going to open it?” He leaned closer, his voice low, kind of teasing.
As she raised the tiny hinged lid, her hands weren’t shaking hardly at all.
Inside, a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings twinkled up at her.
She gaped down at them. Her lips felt numb and her heart had paused midbeat.
What had just happened?
What was the matter with her?
All her talk about not getting in too deep, taking it slow—and she’d just lost her mind assuming Linc suddenly wanted to marry her.
She needed to get a grip and get it fast.
Linc asked, sounding hopeful, “Do you like them?”
They were quite beautiful, two gorgeous round stones. And there was no way she could accept them.
She forced her head up and made herself meet his eyes.
Linc’s brow furrowed in concern—because apparently, she had no control over her expression. “What is it? Harper, what’s wrong?”
She pushed out appreciative words. “They’re gorgeous.”
The space between his eyebrows smoothed out. “Whew. For a minute there, I thought you hated them.”
“Linc, I...”
Twin lines drew down between his eyebrows. “Okay, you’d better tell me what I did wrong.”
Her silly heart had started in again—too fast and too hard. It was knocking away, a wrecking ball inside her chest. Her cheeks burned with heat. She wasn’t ready yet, to love like this.
She had stuff to do, things to figure out. She couldn’t go giving her heart over to a rich guy from Portland. “Linc, I got you an insulated travel mug and some snowman socks.”
He sat back an inch. He had that look, the one a guy gets when he knows that whatever he says next will not be the right thing. “Great. I need a new mug and fun socks work for me.”
Crap. No wonder she was in love with him. He might be hot and rich wi
th the world at his feet, but he was also a good guy. “We’ve known each other for a month. It’s too soon for diamonds, you know?”
“No, it’s not. Not if you like them. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. I bought them for you because I think they’ll look great on you. Come on, I want you to have them.”
“Well, thank you. But no. I really can’t take them.” She grabbed his hand, turned it over, set the velvet box in his palm and folded his fingers over it.
And right now, well, she just couldn’t stay here. She needed to get back to her own place. She needed distance, to be away from him.
Her heart ached so bad. She felt like a fool—which was in no way his fault.
She didn’t want to worry him. But really, she had to go home.
She said, “Linc, listen...”
He dropped the velvet box on the coffee table and took both her hands, his eyes probing, insistent. “Talk to me. Tell me. What’s going on with you? What went wrong?”
“I just need to go home, okay?”
“No. It’s not okay. I want to know what’s going on.”
“Please.” She eased her fingers from his grip. He let go reluctantly. “I just need a little time to myself. I need to go home for the night. Really. Think about it. I’ve been spending every moment here.”
“And I love that. I want you here with me—come on, just tell me what’s wrong.”
She stood. “I’m going to go. I’ll be here tomorrow morning. I’ll do breakfast—blueberry pancakes, just like we planned.” She backed away as she spoke. “We’ll open the presents, go up to Daniel’s for Christmas dinner. It’ll be great.”
“Harper.” His wonderful face—the face she loved, God help her—showed utter confusion. “Please.”
She swallowed hard and shook her head, “I just need to go home. Everything’s fine, really.”
“No, it’s not. Talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I, um... What can I say? See you tomorrow.” And then she whirled on her heel and got out of there.
Chapter Twelve
Linc longed to bolt to his feet and run after her. But she’d made it unnervingly clear she was leaving and nothing short of physical restraint would keep her there.
The sound of the front door closing behind her made him want to grab the champagne and throw it through the picture window—or maybe at the tree.
He lifted both hands and raked them back through his hair.
Really, what just happened? Yeah, he got that he’d screwed up somehow. But why couldn’t she have just told him what he’d done wrong so he could fix it?
It wasn’t like her to jump up and run away like that. She’d seemed so happy, that beautiful face all aglow—and then she saw the earrings—and shut down.
It had to be the earrings. Maybe she had a thing against diamonds.
But why?
Uh-uh.
It just made no damn sense.
He sat there in the living room for an hour or so, drinking the excellent champagne and hardly tasting it, resisting the urge to text her, to try to coax her into giving him just a hint of what had gone wrong with her.
But he didn’t get out his phone. If she were willing to talk to him, she would have done it before she ran out.
Eventually, he got up and dealt with the cookies and milk the kids had left out for Santa. He turned out the lights and climbed the stairs to his bedroom alone. He still had no idea what had gone wrong with Harper.
He just knew that somehow, he needed to fix it.
* * *
At her cottage, Harper put on her oldest, softest flannel pajamas and then paced the floor.
She felt like such a loser. Poor Linc. She’d left him sitting there wondering what was the matter with her. He had no idea that he’d broken her heart—scratch that.
Linc had not broken her heart. It was not his fault that she’d gotten carried away with this thing between them, let her emotions take over when the plan was to keep it fun and no-pressure, to move their relationship along at a nice, reasonable pace.
That she’d come unglued was her fault. She needed to deal with that and then apologize to him for running out on him tonight.
And it would all work out, she reminded herself. She’d known going in that this thing with him was temporary. She’d had her eyes wide-open—and then, bam! Love had hit her like a safe dropped on her head.
But so what?
Nothing bad had happened, really—well, except for her bizarre behavior at the sight of those earrings. Linc had already made it clear he wanted to keep seeing her. Unless she’d scared him away with her disappearing act tonight, they would still end up talking about the future, about finding ways to spend more time together.
It was fine. Good. In the morning, she would downplay what had happened tonight. And later, Christmas night, when the kids were in bed and they were finally alone, she would apologize for her out-there behavior and say she hoped that they could let it go and move on.
* * *
The smell of coffee and breakfast scented the air as Linc brought the kids downstairs the next morning.
Harper was already there, looking a little tired, maybe, but heart-stoppingly beautiful in a red sweater and white jeans that clung to every perfect curve, her waterfall of golden hair in loose waves down her back.
All morning, as they ate the breakfast she’d prepared and then opened the mountain of presents beneath the tree, she was sweet and bubbly, brimming with holiday cheer.
She really did seem okay—a little too cheerful, maybe. But overall, fine.
Which had him feeling more bewildered than ever.
Could he have read last night all wrong?
No.
She’d jumped to her feet out of nowhere and announced she had to go. And then she’d run away from him, out the door.
No matter how wide her brilliant smile this morning, she was not okay.
At eleven, they bundled up in coats, hats and winter gloves. Outside, it was raining, and Jayden’s skinny snowman was no more. With four wonderful-smelling pies that Harper had baked and some presents for the Bravo kids, they piled into the Rover to head up to Daniel’s.
Jayden and Maya were excited. Harper was all smiles.
As for Linc, he was no closer to figuring out what was going on with her than he’d been when she walked out on him the night before.
* * *
“What’s going on?” demanded Hailey. She’d been lying in wait in the upstairs hall at Daniel’s when Harper put a cranky Maya down for a nap in one of the empty bedrooms. “We need to talk.”
Harper took her sister by the shoulders and looked her squarely in the eye. “There’s nothing.”
Hailey scowled at her. “You know I hate it when you lie to me. You’ve been weird all day. Too smiley. Fake smiley.”
Harper groaned and pulled her sister close. “Can’t talk about it now,” she whispered.
Hailey hugged her. “When?”
“I’ll call you. I promise. Just please, let’s not. Not today. I’m not ready to go there.” And maybe I never will be.
“When?” Hailey demanded in her usual take-charge way. “Did Linc—”
“Linc did nothing wrong.”
“But he is the problem, right?”
Laughing a little, Harper pulled back. “Later. We’ll talk. I promise.”
Hailey wasn’t happy, but at least she let it go for now. They went back downstairs with their arms around each other and joined Linc and Roman, who were talking real estate in the family room.
* * *
It was after eight when they got back in the Range Rover to return to the cottage. Yesterday’s snow was long gone. A drizzly rain was falling. Exhausted from a day full of presents, good food and fun, both kids snoozed in the back seat. Even Jayden was too tired
to talk.
“It was a great day,” Linc said quietly, his face illuminated by the dashboard lights.
“Yeah.” Harper sent him what she hoped was a genuine-looking smile. Inside, her every nerve hummed, and her stomach had managed to tie itself in a tight chain of knots. Once the kids were in bed, she would have to clear the air with him. Too bad she’d yet to figure out what she would say to him, how to apologize for her strange behavior without saying too much.
One month, she reminded herself. That’s how long they’d known each other. Too soon for the big talk about love and forever, that much was certain.
Maybe she could just grab him and kiss him and let nature do the job for her. They would go upstairs to his big bed and she would exhaust him with sex. By the time she’d finished with him, he wouldn’t remember his name—let alone her flaky behavior the night before.
It would be fine. She would keep it light. They would have a sexy Christmas night together. And she wouldn’t have to admit that she’d fallen hopelessly in love with him and didn’t know what to do with the strength of her own emotions.
They rode down the hill and across town to the cottage without saying much. But it didn’t seem too tense to her.
At least, not until they rounded that last turn in the twisting driveway up to the cottage to find a silver Jaguar parked in front of the house and three women perched on the front step—his mother, a beautiful brunette who had to be Imogen. And another woman the same age as Alicia, who looked a lot like the glamorous brunette.
* * *
Linc could not believe what his eyes were seeing.
His mother and Sarah wore cool, determined expressions.
As for Imogen, she was dressed all in white, including her high-heeled boots and the fur collar of her big coat. Her lips were bright red and stretched in a defiant smile.
He pulled the Rover to a stop and she rose to her feet.
“Just give me a minute,” he whispered to Harper, trying not to wake the children sleeping in the back seat.
“What’s going on, Linc?”
“I have no idea.”
He shoved open the driver’s door and got out, taking care to shut it quietly behind him. By then, Sarah and his mother had risen to their feet. As for Imogen, she was already on him.
A Temporary Christmas Arrangement Page 18