Page 19 of Destined For Forever

Outside, the earth was blanketed in thick white snow. Tall evergreen trees were coated so perfectly, it looked like a baker had piped icing along their branches. The cute cottage out back—which must be the guest house where Ethan and Monroe lived—looked like a little gingerbread house, complete with Christmas lights blinking in the front window.

The fogginess of sleep cleared sharply, as if someone had lifted a veil. Glancing over to the other side of the bed, she saw it was empty and breathed a sigh of relief.

One would think, given how she’d been suffering from stress-induced insomnia for the last month, that sleep would have come easily last night. Sadly not. Because every creak of the bedframe, every shift of the mattress, and every release of Sean’s breath had kept slumber from her grasp. Eventually she’d drifted off into a fitful and exhausted sleep at the crack of dawn.

Now she felt wired, and not in a good way.

You know what helps with sleep? A good, old-fashioned—

“You will behave yourself this weekend,” she said to her faint reflection in the window, cutting off her thoughts before they could turn dirty. “You will pretend to be a woman excited about her new relationship so long as someone is watching, and the second you and Sean are alone, it’s back to…”

Back to what, exactly? Unrequited love? A crush as old as time? Silently swooning and hoping no one would notice?

“Back to being friends,” she finished with a nod.

Friends were safe. Secure. And they most definitely didn’t think about doing anything naughty under the covers.

She hopped out of bed, divested her layers, and pulled on a pair of opaque tights before yanking her jeans over the top. It was a tip she’d picked up after freezing her way through working on a movie during a bracing Toronto winter. Then she slipped on a chunky wool jumper that would keep her warm and dry. There was no way she wouldn’t take advantage of all that lovely snow outside.

Maybe she’d build a snowman.

Downstairs, there were male voices coming from the kitchen. She found Ethan and Sean chatting, their hands wrapped around steaming mugs of coffee. The scent permeated the room, and it settled into Lily’s muscles, relaxing her.

“Can I pour you a cuppa?” Ethan held up a pot of coffee. “It’s only the brewed stuff. But I can switch on the espresso machine if you’d like a latte or something.”

“Brewed is fine, thank you. I could definitely use the caffeine.” She smiled, studiously trying to avoid Sean’s interested glance. “Where’s Monroe? Is she at the bakery today?”

“Yep. She’s starting the prep work for Evie and Jasper’s wedding cake,” he said, pouring her some coffee and handing the mug over. “Plus, she’s doing a dessert bar so there’s lots of components to organise.”

“If they make it in time.” Lily breathed in the coffee’s scent. Brewed wasn’t her favourite way to take the magical energy-giving beans, but with how badly she’d slept, literally any type of caffeine was welcome. “I really hope they can get on their flight today.”

The rehearsal dinner was planned for that evening, with a full two days between it and the wedding, giving all the guests outside the bridal party time to arrive.

“The storm looks like it’s passed, and they will clear the airport in no time. Everything will work out fine.” Ethan put the coffeepot back on the kitchen bench. “Now, originally, we’d planned some activities for today, since we were supposed to have the whole bridal party here…”

“No point doing that with only two of us,” she said, waving a hand. “Seriously, I’m more than happy going for a walk in the snow, anyway. It looks beautiful outside.”

“Great idea,” Ethan said. “I was sure you love birds wouldn’t mind some time to yourselves, anyway.”

Sean slipped an arm around Lily’s waist, and she tried not to stiffen at the sudden display of affection. Not because she didn’t want it, mind you. Because she wanted it very much. “Nothing better than a romantic day in the snow. Isn’t that right?”

“Uh, huh.” She nodded, hoping it sounded authentic. An actress she was not.

“I don’t know if you brought enough cold-weather bits, but I have a little stash of hats and mittens that I pulled together for this group,” Ethan said. “I figured a bunch of Aussies might not have the right clothing for this weather.”

“I don’t suppose you’ve got a spare coat, too?” Lily asked, shooting Sean a look. “Someone thought a flimsy leather jacket would cut it.”

“Sure thing. I’ll leave one by the door.” Ethan chuckled as Sean rolled his eyes. “Is there anything else I can do? I can give you a tour of the grounds or something.”

“Don’t feel you need to entertain us,” Sean said, slapping a hand down on Ethan’s back. “I’m sure you’ve got plenty to do to prepare for the wedding, and Lily and I are perfectly capable of taking care of one another.”

She gulped. The way he was looking at her right now—with the corner of his lips quirked up into a devastating smirk and mischief dancing in his eyes—she wasn’t exactly sure what kind of “taking care of one another” he was talking about.

Not the sexy kind. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Sean might have intentions of winding her up, but Lily was going to be on her best behaviour. Which meant that no matter how tempted she might be, Sean was as off-limits as ever.

Half an hour later, after they’d eaten breakfast and drunk enough coffee to keep themselves awake for three weeks straight, Sean followed Lily outside. The ground was covered in a thick layer of snow, and Ethan had let him borrow a pair of waterproof winter boots, along with a coat. Turned out nothing in Sean’s wardrobe was really appropriate for this kind of weather. Lily, on the other hand, was her usual organised and prepared self.

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