Page 75 of Check the Halls
But I promised myself that if she gave us another chance, I’d do it right.
And I meant it.
“Have dinner with me this weekend?” I ask, hope threaded through every word.
Maddy’s lips twitch as she looks up at me, eyes dancing. “Are you asking me on a date?”
I almost laugh—because yes, I guess I am asking her on a date. But I’d drop to one knee and ask her to marry me right here in this dressing room if I thought she wouldn’t bolt. I want everything with her. But for now, I’ll start with dinner.
“Yes.” I wet my bottom lip, still tasting her there as I wait for her answer, heart pounding harder than I care to admit.
She hesitates for only a second before rising on her toes, brushing a soft, fleeting kiss against my mouth. It’s barely there, over too soon—and yet it steals the breath from my lungs.
Then she smiles at me. “I’d love to.”
CHAPTER 24
MADDY
“It’s just dinner.” I’m talking to the mirror, giving myself the pep talk I imagine might come from an older, wiser sister, if I had one. If Cheshire were here, I could at least pretend to be talking to him, but he’s probably curled up in his favourite place in the world: Ben’s bed.
There is no loyalty left in this world.
“It’s just dinner.” And it is. Two people, sharing a meal. It will be a walk in the park. But given our history, our undeniable attraction to one another, and the fact that I’m living in his home, the park we’re strolling through might as well be riddled with land mines.
“I miss you. And time and distance haven’t changed a damn thing.”
I miss Ben, too. More than I thought possible. It’s as though I’d locked that part of me away all these years and now it’s awake and ravenous. I stayed up until after eleven last night watching not only his hockey game, but the post game interviews and highlights. Just so I could see more of him.
And that kiss? The kiss was like a bolt of lightning whose energy is still coursing through my veins days later.
I think, deep down, part of me felt like I would never feel that way again. This desperate want that spreads through me like it’s been injected into my bloodstream. This aching, visceral throbbing of every pulse point in my body, simultaneously. But one kiss from Ben and everything came roaring back.
I knew the moment he asked me to go out with him that I wanted to say yes. It was automatic. Instinct. He asked and my heart and body were immediately on board. But, as always, my head insisted on playing devil's advocate.
It plagued my waking moments with questions like “Is it too soon?” “Is it the right decision?” “Will I get my heart broken again?”
The answer to all three questions was “maybe,” but I decided to throw caution to the wind and do it anyway.
What had Chanda told me when we discussed the seating arrangement? “Trust your gut, Madelyn. Don’t overthink it.”
As I look around at the dozen discarded outfits strewn around my guest room, my mouth forms a frown. Don’t overthink it? But overthinking is what I do best!
A timer sounds from the kitchen and I allow myself one last look in the mirror. The dark-blue dress isn’t anything special, but it fits me well and I’m comfortable in it. And, fine, it might also make my eyes sparkle like precious jewels. If I were to care about that kind of thing.
The prime rib is almost finished, making the entire condo smell amazing. I check the temperature with a meat thermometer and turn the heat down and set a timer. Ioffered to cook dinner rather than go out. Honestly, after everything Ben’s done for me, it’s the least I could do in return.
Plus, this gives me home court advantage. Choosing the meal and location means I’m in control. Right? Though, I suppose the argument could be made that because this is actually Ben’s condo and I’m only staying here due to benevolence on his part, this is his turf, not mine.
Well, would you look at that? I’m overthinking again.
The knock at the door makes me grin despite my nervous energy. No. It’s not nervous energy, it’s excitement.
The sight of his smile lifts my spirits so much it could be considered a kind of therapy. That messy hair that my fingers itch to mess up even more. Those dimples that make my own lips curl upward. The brown eyes that feel like home even when my home is far away.
“Did you forget your key?” I tease.
“I told you.” His eyes darken as they travel over me, taking every inch of me in. “This is your place. I didn’t want to assume.”
