Page 182 of Alive At Night

Thiswas the scene. It was the scene that I’d listened to while getting absolutely railed in our office in the middle of the workday.

I sank lower in the seat of the car, crossing my legs. Tightly.

“Point taken, Julian.” My voice was scratchy, parched. “You can turn it off now.”

“Oh, I’m not turning it off.”

Julian didn’t take his eyes off the road as he merged onto a highway going north. I wasn’t sure where he was taking me, but I knew it wasn’t in the city, based on what he suggested I pack for the weekend.

True to his word, Julian didnotturn off the audiobook. No. He reached out and turned the volume back up. “It’s really a shame I didn’t start giving you books earlier,” he said over the dialogue. “Think of all the inspiration I missed out on.”

“Inspiration?” I questioned. “How so?”

The bit of mischief I’d recognized bloomed into something much more obvious.

“You’ll see.”

Julian stopped replying to my questions after that. Every time I tried to talk, he jokingly shushed me so that he could hear the audiobook better. And because it was the final act of the book, it was filled with dirty, hot sex of the couple who had held out for the first two-thirds of the story.

I was a clammy mess by the time Julian pulled into the driveway of a gleaming timber-frame lodge. Somewhere along the way, we’d passed over the state line into Vermont, and now I was gaping at snowy paradise. Dusted evergreen trees framed the chalet, and I stared at it with wonder.

“That’s beautiful,” I breathed.

“That’s where we’re staying,” Julian replied. “Seem familiar?”

I shook my head with a frown. “I’ve never been to this part of Vermont before—”

Something about how Julian was smiling at me made me pause. And then I backtracked. Vermont. A snow-covered lodge. A weekend getaway. And what I could only assume was a fireplace inside…

“Is this…?” I broke off with a gasp, pointing at his car display, where it showed the audiobook on pause. “Are you recreating the scene? From the book? Fromthisbook?”

Julian’s lips broadened, his smile dazzling at this point. “One time, you told me that if I loved you, I wouldn’t make you pick between me and your books. And I do love you. I love you a lot. So I wanted to make sure you knew that you could have both. You can have it all. But I will say…I put my own twist on the scene.”

Julian’s smile faded slightly as his eyes wandered my face. His amusement dipped into something more simmering, hiding just behind the surface, threatening to bubble over. And fuck, it made my whole body tremble. I knew that look.

“What’s your twist?” I prompted unsteadily when he didn’t say anything.

His lips twitched as he continued to look at me, memorizing my face. He didn’t answer for a long time, but when he did, his voice was thick with emotion and need.

He held out a single house key. “Why don’t you go find out, love.”

My heart skipped a beat at the words, but I couldn’t pinpoint why. They felt monumental, but I didn’t care to consider the reason. Instead, I took the key and stepped out of the car on shaky feet, wrapping my coat around me as I made my way up the sidewalk. I heard Julian get out of the car, too. He followed slowly, meandering like he wanted to watch the scene from afar.

I fumbled with the lock before pushing the door open to…

Flowers.

Bouquets and bouquets of flowers filled a cozy living room with tall, expansive windows and even taller ceilings. My eyes caught on the stone fireplace, but only for a second because I was too overwhelmed with the…flowers. White flowers. Lilies. Roses. Daisies.

Lilies. Roses. Daisies.

“Lily.”

Julian’s voice scraped my soul. I twisted, looking over my shoulder to see Julian reading from a paper pad. A notebook of sorts.

He closed the front door behind him and stepped forward, his eyes still trained on the paper between his hands.

“Rosie.”

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