Page 1 of Starry Night Kisses

evie

Snow begins to drift through the indigo night sky. Large downy flakes that sparkle and gleam as they catch the light from the fire pit in the backyard of my cousin Kendall’s house. A shiver runs through me, though I’m not entirely sure it’s from the cold.

Warm arms encircle my shoulders, drawing me back into a hard chest as I’m surrounded by the scent of wood chips and something slightly sweet but spicy that I can’t put my finger on.

Eric Adams.

The man I kissed when the clock struck midnight. The man I just met less than a few hours ago.

Heat imbues my cheeks, spreading through my body as he leans down to murmur into my ear, “If it’s too much, just say the word, and I’ll back off.”

Did I mention that before I kissed him, I may have rambled about how I’m not sure I’m ready for anything romantic right now? Despite my cousin’sattempt to hook us up. Not only did I saythat, but I also talked about how last Christmas, I thoughtanother manwas my soulmate.

I don’t know how he could possibly be attracted to a woman rattling on about another man, but Eric told me he was patient—that he was content with just being friends for now. However, I wonder if my sudden New Year’s kiss gave him the wrong impression.

I think it gavemethe wrong impression.

Eric tastes like champagne and peppermint, and it’s all too reminiscent of the Christmas I spent on Sutton Lake last year. He’s not as burly as the grumpy man I encountered that magical weekend, but his dark brown hair and light eyes are similar.

I can’t help but think of that mystical Christmas cabin every time Eric looks at me.

When I don’t respond, he loosens his hold and steps back. Immediately, I miss his warmth, but remain silent as he settles at my side.

“So…” he trails off, and I glance over to see him staring into his glass while looking like he’s trying to find his words. “Are you staying in town for a while?” he finally asks, shoving a hand in his pocket.

“I think so,” I reply. “Honestly, I don’t really know what I’m doing with my life now.”

I went from a divorce to a man who left me when he got his secretary pregnant, to a wild goose chase trying to find a man I wasn’t even sure existed before spending nearly the entire last year on an eat, pray, love journey overseas.

“What did you do before?” he asks.

I don’t get the chance to reply as Eric’s ex-wife and her husband Superman—er…Henry—approach us. Daphne is gorgeous, with bright blonde hair and blue eyes, and I don’t miss the way they sparkle while she looks between her ex-husband and me.

“We’re taking off. This little rosebud has been kicking all night, and it’s way past our bedtime.” She rubs her hand over her swollen belly, the size of it suggesting she’s mere days away from giving birth.

Henry sticks his hand out to shake Eric’s in farewell, then turns to offer me a warm smile. When I said Superman earlier, I wasn’t lying. This man looks like Henry Cavill incarnate. I smile back and try not to melt as he says, “Nice meeting you, Evelyn.”

Eric pulls Daphne into a tight hug, and I remember what he told me a few hours earlier about finding it hard to date because most women wouldn’t understand his dynamic with his ex and her new beau.

Honestly, I find it really sweet. I’ve always been jealous of how close my cousin Kendall is with her friends. They’re like their own little found family.

All of myfriendsabandoned me when my ex-husband decided to get his secretary pregnant.

Daphne hugs me next, whispering in my ear, “He’s an amazing man. I think you’d be perfect together.”

My face heats with her blessing as I watch them leave. My shared kiss with Eric earlier did not go unnoticed by the rest of the group, and I want tobury my head in my hands with embarrassment. I don’t usually go around kissing random men, but it’s New Year’s Eve—well, day, now—and the champagne bubbles were fizzing in my stomach with the little peppermint butterflies that had settled there the moment Eric walked into my cousin’s house earlier.

I have a lot of personal shit to work out. Do I want to try to add romance to the mix? I don’t want to miss out on life, but it’s just so sudden.

So was kissing him earlier, and you did it anyway.

Okay, fair. But I’m chalking that up to the heat of the moment.

Well, you probablydidgive him the wrong impression. He said he was a patient man, didn’t he? And then you kissed himaftersaying you weren’t ready for anything romantic.

“You’re cute when you’re arguing with yourself,” Eric’s amused voice cuts through my inner battle.

When I turn to look at him, he’s chuckling as he watches me. “Please tell me I wasn’t saying anything out loud.”

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