“Of course,” my mother said. “You’re our daughter. You’re always welcome here.”
“Stay as long as you like, sweetheart,” my father said. “Your bedroom’s here for a reason, and you’ll always have it.”
“Do you think he’ll come for Christmas?” my mother asked.
“Sweetheart, let’s let Abby breathe for a little bit. Maybe she wants to rock on the porch swing or something?”
I could see my father’s eyes light up before he scurried off to get a book. I knew exactly which book he was getting, and my eyes watered with joy. Every year, my father and I sat on the porch swing as he read The Night Before Christmas to me. It was a tradition we’d started to counteract the fact that Mom wanted to watch Hallmark Christmas movies every night.
So, I made my way out to the porch with my hot chocolate and sat on the swing to wait for him.
“Ready, love bug?” he asked.
“I’m always ready, Daddy.”
He sat down next to me, and the comfort of his body relaxed mine. I laid my head on his shoulder as he cracked the spine of the book. Then his voice fluttered over my body as he read the story I knew by heart. I mouthed the words as he read them aloud, my mind tracing all the way back to Colin and what he was doing right now.
If he was able to keep to the speed limit, he was already in Minneapolis.
I found myself wondering if he was thinking of me like I was thinking of him.
Chapter 21
Colin
I was thankful I’d booked a hotel room in the same venue as the charity event. Grabbing my stuff from the trunk, I rushed toward the check-in desk and quickly grabbed my key. It was already a little past six, and I still needed to get a shower before I could get changed.
I left a trail of clothes from the door to the shower before I turned on the water and hopped in.
Normally, I would have to hang everything up. But tonight was different. This was the most important night of my company’s life, and I had to push my eccentricities off to the side. I didn’t have time to fuss with my suit, and I didn’t have time to unpack the way I was used to. I needed to shower, dry off, get changed, and get downstairs.
But as the water heated my body, I thought back to the last shower I had. The cold ass shower in that dingy hotel room I shared with Abby.
Abby, with her seductive eyes and her long, flowing hair.
I found myself a little more thankful for the warm shower. After being stranded and not having the level of comfort I had become accustomed to, I was learning to appreciate the world around me a little more. My bed would feel good against my back tonight, especially after sleeping on that musty one at the motel, but my bed would definitely feel a little emptier tonight. My mind drifted back to Abby and what she was doing, and I wondered if she was talking with her parents right now.
I wondered if she was crying or if she was laughing. I wondered if she was thinking about me or if she was secretly happy to be away from me. Despite our differences and the arguments we got into, I really did enjoy spending time with her. Some of her optimism had rubbed off onto me, whether I wanted to admit it or not. She was a good influence on me, and I hoped she would seriously consider my job offer. It would be nice to have someone with her countenance and her presence around at the office.
And the fact that I could get to know her more didn’t hurt.
I thought back to last night and felt my body heat underneath the water. As I got out of the shower, I could’ve sworn I felt her lips upon my neck, and the way her hair splayed out whenever she laid back and the way it curtained off our faces when she straddled my lap. I closed my eyes and reminisced in her scent and her taste, and I could’ve sworn her natural perfume was still on my upper lip. I breathed in deeply, trying to conjure any memory I could of her while I dried my body off.
But when I opened my eyes, I was in an empty hotel room.
Now, the decadent windows and the beautiful view didn’t mean as much. Now, the plush couches and the California king-sized bed didn’t call to me any longer. Now, the mini-bar and the stocked refrigerator were just excessive things used to help someone like myself not feel so alone.
I’d had a taste of what it felt to have a very special woman next to me, and my body was begging for her to be back.
Pushing the thoughts from my mind, I got dressed and headed downstairs. I had a speech I needed to give and a man I really needed to talk with. I hadn’t heard from Mac yet, which meant people were probably bombarding him with questions from the meeting.
That meant things were going well, because if he bombed it, he would’ve called me right away.
Entering the ballroom, I was greeted with smiles and congratulations. People were patting me on the back and bringing me in for hugs I didn’t want. Others were throwing me questions while someone was shoving a flute of champagne into my hand. I smiled and nodded, trying to take in everything they were saying at once.
Then Mac swooped in and
