Page 119 of He's The Reason Why

Are you?

She smiled at the noise and happy faces in the filled-to-the-brim kitchen. The energy and electricity in the air were even better than a concert filled with thousands of people because there was real love mixed in with it.

Yes.

Good. That’s what counts. Merry Christmas.

The rest of the evening passed in a whirlwind of excited chatter about songs, albums, wedding dates, movie premieres, and other plans for the future. They stayed up well past midnight, until people started to yawn and everyone agreed it was time to turn in.

After everyone else drifted off to bed, Piper sat in the den in front of the fire, thinking.

It had been a good day. A really good day. Getting the group back together was the right move. It made her happy deep in her heart where the ache used to be.

So why did she feel so listless and out of sorts? Why did it feel like something…or someone…was missing?

The house was so quiet, she could hear the clock by the frontdoor tick. The wood in the fireplace snapped and cracked. Somewhere, a woman giggled. Mattie, probably. Adam made her sister laugh a lot.

Her phone dinged with a text message.

Blake:You awake?

Yep

Blake:You alone?

Yep

The phone lit up with a video chat request from Blake. Happy heat rushed through her chest as she hit Accept. “Merry Christmas.”

“Hey, Princess.” He was sitting on a white couch in front of a floor-to-ceiling picture window that revealed the sparkling neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip. “So the announcement went well?”

“Oh yeah. You probably heard the screech all the way from Vegas. Think I’m deaf in one ear now.”

This was what she’d been longing for all day. She’d wanted to talk with Blake. She missed sharing the day with him. She missed hearing his warm laugh, and she missed that look in his eyes that said he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

She had her entire family around her, and it was wonderful. It was greedy to want more, but she did. She’d planned on making a move on him after theScorchedpremiere, but the wait was killing her.

He settled back on the couch. “It looks cozy there. Is that snow?”

Piper glanced over her shoulder. Small but determined flakes streamed past the lights on the porch. “Yes. It’s a white Christmas around here.”

“In Vegas it’s a dry, sparkly, and shiny Christmas, but at least it’s tacky.”

She laughed. “The bright lights don’t do it for you?”

“They’re okay. They’d be better if you were here.” He glancedup at something she couldn’t see, then whispered, “Especially if you were naked.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Isn’t your mother there with you?”

“She’s in her room. What about your horde?”

“They all went to bed.” She thought she heard something clink in the distance. Maybe someone had gone for a late-night snack.

The lights were low, the firelight was romantic, and she wanted to feel his touch.

She pulled her legs up under her and snuggled up with a pillow. “What are you wearing?”

He chuckled, a low, throaty sound that reminded her of exploits in the dressing room. “Too much. So are you.”

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