Page 69 of Wrapped in You

Sophie was taken aback. She hadn't expected him to label himself a "monster." She certainly never would have.

"No," Sophie whispered, her voice wavering. "No, you're not a monster." She touched his hands and brought them down. Heclutched hers and gazed down at them, at their pairs of hands entwined.

She felt as though she never wanted to hold hands with anyone else.

"I know you're in pain," Sophie breathed.

Derek nodded tentatively. "Nothing is easy for me."

Sophie laughed. "Nothing is easy for anyone."

Derek raised his chin, and they looked into one another's eyes again.

"Do you really wish I hadn't kissed you?" Derek asked.

"No," Sophie said. "It was a great kiss."

Derek's smile was crooked and handsome. "It was."

Christmas lights illuminated them.

Suddenly from the bigger stage came the announcement: Randy's band, The Sensationalists, were going to perform Christmassy rock tunes. From where she stood, Sophie could see Randy and his other twentysomething friends, including Tommy from Culinary Tastings, as they paraded onto the stage wearing Santa hats. Willow Creek revelers hurried over to the stage with their mulled wine and hot apple cider and frothy beers to listen and dance along.

Sophie and Derek hung back, their hands still entwined.

To Sophie's amazement, many others from the set ofSilver Bellswent by, throwing arms around each other, headed for the show. The assistant costumer was hand in hand with the third-level assistant director, and Natalie ate a massive salted pretzel as Brent kissed the top of her head and took her hand. And there were Mike, Isaac, and Beck again, carrying a big stuffed animal that they'd apparently won from the carnival game they'd been playing with Sophie's parents.

None of them noticed Sophie and Derek, the director. They were too wrapped up in their own stories.

Sophie was glad. She didn't need an audience—not now, when she and Derek hardly knew how to talk to each other, let alone how to apologize for misunderstandings and twisted actions and what anyone might call a difficult start.

"Look at this place, Sophie," Derek said under his breath. "It's true you put it all together?"

"I had help," Sophie said.

Derek raised his shoulders. "All good directors have help. But it's the director who has the vision."

Sophie felt a blush crawl up her shoulders, neck, and cheeks.

"Although I have to admit, I've struggled with my creative vision this year," Derek said. He palmed the back of his neck.

His lips looked so utterly kissable. Sophie begged herself not to rise on her tiptoes; she begged herself not to go after him like this. Not until he took the risk first.

Not until he showed her this was real.

She wouldn't embarrass herself again.

"Maybe we should talk about this in private?" Derek suggested, searching from side to side.

From the stage came the first strum of Randy's guitar. Sophie thought she spotted Fiona in the front row, already losing her mind. Her future husband! Her handsome musician lover!

"I know a place," Sophie said, turning to guide Derek away from the burger stall, carnival games, and Ferris wheel to the opposite end of downtown, where the Christmas tree illuminated the town hall. There, Sophie looked down at their hands, still tightly entwined. Would he pull away first? Or would she?

Derek raised his chin and looked at the Christmas tree—looked at it in a way that suggested he adored Christmas. He was swept up in the magic too.

"When I came out tonight, I told myself I wasn't just going to walk around the festival," he confessed. "I told myself I wasn't going to seek you out. Not after what I did last week."

His words tugged at her heartstrings. Sophie filled her lungs with air.

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