Page 38 of Yuletide Acres

Those dark eyes hold mine, daring me to look away. “You. I didn’t know where you were. After I left you that night, I regretted it immediately. I returned home and dealt with my father’s death, but you were always on my mind. Merry and I were friends since childhood, and she convinced me to track you down the following festival season. She just knew that you’d be there, and we would get married and have a family. She was so sure. She made me believe it. So, I went to every single festival, but you never showed.”

My heart rate increases at his admission. I thought the man had forgotten me the moment he departed the California desert. “I didn’t know you looked for me.”

He presses a kiss to my forehead, and I feel the tremble in his voice. “Not just one year. I went three years in a row. But no one had ever seen you. The few people that we knew had no idea where you’d gone.”

“I feel better, knowing that I wasn’t so easily forgotten.”

“You’re irreplaceable, Poppy.”

My breath—and heart—catches at his statement. For the first time since our reunion, I see that our love wasn’t as one-sided as I once believed. “I needed to hear that.”

“It’s true. There’s no one in the world like you. At least not for me.”

“Equal parts maddening and lovable, right?” I giggle as he sputters his drink.

“To say the least. You’re the best kind of trouble.”

But I’m not trouble anymore. Now, I’m just a woman trying desperately not to fall in love with a man who might once again leave my heart stranded.

Time to get back on topic. “So, how did you and Merry finally get together?”

He sighs, and I know he doesn’t want to relive it. But for me, I need to know the details. His wife brought me here and I’m still not sure if it was the best idea ever or a ghost’s sick idea of a joke. “I came back and Merry found me in the hayloft, drinking a fifth of gin. We basked in each other’s depression.”

“It must have been hard for her, being in love with you.”

Dylan chuckles. “Merry wasn’t in love with me. We slept together that one time and both swore it was a terrible idea. Then, she found out she was pregnant. So, we got married. Hardly a remarkable love story.”

“But Marissa is a remarkable girl.”

The smile breaking across this man’s face at the mention of her name. The love for his daughter is a beautiful thing. “Yes, she is. The sun rises and sets on her.”

I giggle. “I can tell. Thank you, for sharing that with me.”

“Sure. Can we go back to drinking and flirting now?”

I grab a coin from my wallet, pulling myself to a fully upright position. “Maybe. Heads or tails?”

“What?”

“Heads or tails?” I repeat.

“Tails.”

I spin the coin, watching as it slows and falls. Heads. “Hmm.”

“Is that good or bad?” Dylan inquires, pushing my hair over my shoulder, his fingers drifting down my spine. This man was always touching me. Glad to see some things haven’t changed.

“Depends on how you look at it,” I retort, crooking my finger at him. “Come here.” I slide my hands along the sides of his face, letting my tongue trace the soft fullness of his mouth.

I hear his breath hitch, but Dylan recovers immediately, pulling me onto his lap to allow for easier access. I straddle his waist, his hands massaging my ass as I press against his erection. He feels so good. Every touch feels so right. Too right.

There’s no way he doesn’t feel it, too.

“What was tails?” Dylan’s mouth hovers against mine as his hand slides past the waistband of my jeans.

“Either way, I kissed you.”

He grunts his approval, bucking his hips against me. “I like this game. I need you. I need inside you, Sunshine. Tell me you want that, too.”

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