Page 32 of Heart to Heart

I followed them downstairs, with only a slight sense of trepidation about being alone in this massive old house.

No, I’d be okay.

I got this.

And who would know if I ran back upstairs and turned all the lights on behind myself? No one, that’s who. I was the boss and if I wanted a massive electric bill, no one could stop me. So ha!

I used to sleep all by myself in a tentoutside, for eff’s sake. I could sleep in a house with four walls, steel doors, and a state-of-the-art alarm system. Dang it.

Suddenly my phone blew up with text messages. Startled, I let out a scream and almost fell over my own feet as I fumbled with my phone to see who it was.

It was every single one of my siblings plus Mom, Dad, and Gram offering to come over and spend the night with me.

Laughing, I locked up behind my brothers and armed the alarm, watching through the window as they drove away. Once their truck had cleared the end of the street, the silence of the house echoed in my ears and yeah, I hauled ass up the stairs, flicking on every last light as I went.

I decided there was no shame in that. It was my first night here totally alone in this huge, old house that totally wasnothaunted.Damn it, Lily. I’d cut down on my night light need gradually but for now, it was going to be just like daylight up in here.

I made it to the turret and slid a curtain aside so I could peer down at the street. It was deserted. The railroad tracks were across the road, and I remembered how the sound of the trains used to freak me out when I was a little kid spending the night here with Gram and Grandpa. Anything could be on the trains, from anywhere. I shivered and shoved the curtain back in place.

Wait.

I moved it aside again, just enough to peek through. Someone was jogging up the street. I squinted, waiting for him to pass beneath the streetlight.

It was Liam.

I watched as he stopped and raised a hand to his forehead, as if gazing in my direction, to look at the house.

Was he checking up on me?

Who cared? I didn’t have to be alone here. I dashed down the stairs and made it to the front door just as he was about to ring the bell.

I threw the door open, beaming at his questioning face.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“What are you doing here?” I realized my words did not match my actions when I grabbed him by the hands and pulled him inside, slamming the door behind his body and rearming the alarm. “I mean, welcome to my home. I have cake.”

“I couldn’t sleep so I went out for a jog. I could see the house from all the way up the road. It’s lit up so bright I wondered if the place was on fire.”

“Uhh, yeah. I guess I got a little nervous...”

The back of his hand drifted softly down my cheek before he caught himself, drawing back like I was the one on fire and not the house like he had thought. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. This place is huge, anyone would be nervous their first night alone here. And did you say cake? It’s almost Make Up Your Own Holiday Day and I could go for a slice of cake.”

“Wow, Make Up Your Own Holiday Day? Forget the freakin’ cake. We could do literally anything we wanted to.” The reality of what I’d said out loud hit me as the idea of doing whatever I wanted with him sent my body into overdrive imagining all the things we could do. Now I felt lucky to have this huge place all to myself.

His eyes turned lazy as they drifted first to my mouth, then back up to meet my gaze again. “Yeah, we can, starting at midnight.”

“Maybe you could kiss me again for a little bit.” Being this close to him with none of my self-imposed rules to get in the way was a heady feeling. But then, my feelings for him had nothing to do with reason.

He towered over me, shoulders bowed forward, hands sliding around my waist as he backed me toward the staircase. “We could get it out of our system again until we’re ready for more.”

I held onto his forearms for balance. “God, yes. What time is it?”

He pulled one hand away just long enough for his eyes to dart to his watch then back to mine. “We have a little less than fifteen minutes to decide.”

“I’ve already decided, and the answer is yes.” I let go and turned to pace a circle around the room like a caged animal, contemplating the inevitable choice I had made.

Something about those holidays he kept coming up with had emboldened me. I knew it didn’t really take away the consequences of my actions, but I decided to use it as an excuse anyway.

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