Page 38 of Yours to Ho Ho Hold
ChapterSixteen
Drew
“Excuse me.Did someone leave a purse back there for me? It’s a black shoulder bag about this big.”
I freeze at the sound of her sweet voice.
“Are you sure? Do you have a lost and found or something you could check?”
I sneak a glance at a frazzled Holly standing at the host stand looking panicked and worried.
“Someone you know?” my bartender, Larry as I’ve come to know, asks with a nod in Holly’s direction.
A smile pulls at the corner of my lips, and I down the rest of my drink. It’s no Santa hot cocoa, but it’s the next best thing.
Looks like I’ll get to execute my plan earlier than I expected.
I hold the purse up in front of me and call out, “Looking for this?”
Holly turns toward me, her eyes widening in surprise. I guess she didn’t expect a hand delivery.
“Drew, what are you still doing here? You dropped me off over an hour ago. I thought you’d want to get back to your family and finish celebrating.”
“What, and just give up on you that easily?” A smile tugs at my lips, but I bite my cheek to hold it back.
Holly’s eyes fall to the marble floor, her hands twisting with the sleeve of her sweater. “Yeah, I mean, I was pretty awful to you tonight. I wouldn’t blame you for taking the opportunity.”
I grab her worrying hands and tug her toward my seat at the bar. I hold up two fingers to Larry, who nods in understanding.
Holly takes a seat on the red leather stool beside me, and I yank the leg of the chair, bringing her closer. “You really think you’re that easy to forget?”
A smile pulls at her lips. “You tell me?”
There she is, there’s the girl I remember. When I look at her again, I notice a sparkle behind her eyes, her cheeks are puffy, and her nose is pink and swollen like she’s been crying. I brush a thumb along her jawline, letting my hand cradle her thin neck. “I could live a thousand lifetimes with you, and my heart would still ache for more. You, Holly Shepherd, are a lot of things, but you’re certainly not forgettable.” I brush my thumb over her plump bottom lip, noticing for the first time the absence of her signature shiny red gloss.
I move to grab my phone from my pocket just as she blurts out, “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m sorry I pushed you away and acted like you were crazy for admitting your feelings for me. It’s only been a couple of days, but I’m already falling for you, and I can’t imagine a life without you, however that looks.” She grabs my hand and holds it in her lap as she stares into my eyes.
Larry sets down two fresh drinks in front of us, and she looks at them in confusion.
“What’s this?”
“Trust me, you’ll like it.” I slide a glass toward her watching her eyes widen in surprise as the minty chocolate liqueur touchers her lips, those fucking lips I can’t wait to kiss…
“Thank you for pushing me before.” Her cheeks burn bright red, and I know she’s remembering the way Ihelpedher admit what she really wants, and my chest swells with pride that it worked. Not that I had any doubts.
“You were right about everything. The guilt I was carrying around was all in my head, completely one sided. I … uh … I actually talked to my parents about it. I came clean and told them everything, and do you know what they told me?”
My smile breaks across my face as I stare at a beaming Holly, feeling so fucking lucky I can hardly breathe. “What’d they tell you?”
She shakes her head and huffs a laugh. “They told me they took their cruise over Christmas on purpose to get away from me. They said they were tired of me ruining their favorite holiday by moping around and being miserable.” She wipes at the corner of her eye, but this time, they’re filled with tears of relief. I can see she already looks lighter, happier even, which makes my heart swell even bigger.
“I thought I was paying my penance by punishing myself, but really, all I was doing was making myself and everyone around me suffer.” She sits on her hands and leans toward me like she’s bursting with excitement. “I told them about losing my job, the money, everything, and I think I’m ready to really give this another shot. I’m ready to open my bookstore, and none of this would be happening if you hadn’t helped me to see it was possible, Drew. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for giving me my confidence back. For believing in me when I didn’t think I deserved it.”
I grab her hand and look into those soft, brown eyes. “You just needed a little jump start.”
Her smile lights up her face, and she looks so beautiful it almost hurts. “I don’t know what the future holds, or where I’ll end up along the way … All I know is I want to try this thing with you for real. I don’t care if that means we’re long distance, or if I have to save every penny I make to meet you halfway, but I think we owe it to ourselves to try.”
“It’s like you took the words right out of my mouth.” I kiss her hand and give her a wink. “Tomorrow, we can go over the game plan I’ve already mapped out. You can talk to Sam. He’s interested in investing in the store, and I’ll help you dream as big as you want.”
