Page 89 of Eight Days of Christmas
Their lips crashed together. And that was it. If he wasn’t completely unraveled because of this woman before, he was now. He didn’t think there was anything he wouldn’t do for her.
Including a trip to New York.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Isabella
The next morning,Isabella woke with a wonderful ache in every single muscle. She smiled and rolled over, but Leo was already gone. She thought she remembered him leaving, whispering something sweet in her ear before tugging his jeans over that ridiculously sculpted ass and climbing out her window. She’d been too deep inside a blissful sleep to wake up enough to stop him and drag him back to bed.
She buried her face in the pillow next to her, and her stomach flipped.
It smelled like him.
Still groggy, Isabella headed down to the kitchen, only to find it empty. She’d grown used to the sight of Leo perched on her stool at the kitchen island or sitting around the table joking with Ava. Him not being there sent a jolting ache through her chest. Could she actually miss him when she’d only parted from him a few hours ago?
The thought made her heart do all sorts of gymnastics as she strolled to the coffee pot. As if this whole situation couldn’t get more complex, she actually feltgiddy. The feeling vanished though, almost as quickly as she’d felt it, because one glance at the calendar made something very clear. It was day seven already, her favorite day of Eight Days of Christmas. But it also meant that time was flying, and that her time in Colorado was about to come to a screeching halt.
Then what?
Leo mentioned he’d been thinking about them and their future. But she’d been too scared to pry when they were tangled in each other’s arms the night before, too sick with worry over what he’d tell her. Did he think this new thing between them was enough to fight for? Something permanent? Or something temporary?
“Ugh.” She closed her eyes and shook the thought from her head, taking a deep, clearing breath. “Not going down that path today,” she muttered.
She loved day seven, and nothing, not even thoughts about a future she couldn’t quite see yet, was going to ruin it. Tonight, the Whitleys would gather around the Christmas tree and play the white elephant gift exchange, and Mom and Dad would pass out the Christmas Eve boxes. This particular tradition was one of her fondest memories shared with Leo. The first year she and Leo dated, she surprised the usually rough and tough hockey player with a box, and he’d nearly cried. She couldn’t wait to see his face tonight, to make him smile, to share another night with him in her bed.
All she had to do first was get through a day of decorating and a wedding rehearsal.
“Morning, sweetie,” Mom called from behind her.
Isabella spun around and found her mother dressed in a winter coat and a scarf. It was a bit unsettling after seeing her in strictly Christmas-themed sweaters all week. “What’s going on?”
“It’s late, honey. We gotta get to the wedding hall. Hurry.”
“But I haven’t even had coffee yet.”
“No time. Pour it into a travel mug. Chop-chop, let’s go.” She rushed back out of the kitchen.
Isabella searched the cupboard for a travel mug and picked up the coffee pot. Empty. Just great. She sighed and slipped her phone from her sweatshirt pocket, then sent a text to Leo.
Isabella: If you pick me up a coffee from Local Grind on your way to the wedding hall, I’ll be your best friend.
Leo: Done.
She grinned, her cheeks warming.
Isabella: Thank you!
Leo: But I thought we already were best friends.
Isabella: The best of the best.
An hour later,Isabella was at the wedding hall, chugging a deliciously sweet peppermint mocha, thanks to Leo. Norah was owning her role as a bride-to-be. She was weepy and having a difficult time making decisions. Landon, on the other hand, appeared as calm as ever, prepared to step in and take charge. The two seemed to at least balance one another out.
While Norah was a bit eccentric and anxious, Landon was cool, placid, and had good leadership skills. Norah was prolific and never did things halfway. When she set her mind to something, she accomplished it, but she was so emotional today. Her mind was a bit unsettled.
Isabella had the list of vendors and the ceremony schedule in a note in her Notes app to help keep things running smoothly. She’d tried to review it the night before, memorizing the minister’s name, Pastor Tom, who would arrive around five o’clock for the rehearsal, Kelsey’s mom with Sweet Cakes bakery, who would deliver the cake in the morning, the servers with Pineridge Eatery, who would be here in the morning as well. But somewhere between the vendor list and the ceremony schedule, Isabella’s mind had drifted to Leo, and the next thing she knew, she’d fallen asleep.
Behind the small wedding hall where the reception would take place, stacked white chairs sat underneath a large, draping white tent where the ceremony would be performed. Both locations needed to be completely decorated before they could even begin the rehearsal.
