Evie felt her cheeks flush. "I mean...would you like to stay for a bit? Maybe watch a movie or something?" The words tumbled out in a rush. "It's just... the silence is driving me crazy, and you were right, I could use the company. But I totally understand if you need to go."
Shepherd hesitated, and for a moment, Evie felt like a fool. But then his expression softened almost imperceptibly. "Yeah, alright," he said with a small nod. "A movie sounds good."
Chapter
Six
SHEPHERD
What the hell was he doing?
Shepherd shifted uncomfortably as Evie settled a blanket over his knee and switched on the TV. This was all far too domestic.
“What would you like to watch?” she asked, taking him by surprise. His ex-wife, Elizabeth, would have just decided for him.
“Umm… whatever you like,” he responded by default. There was no point getting into an argument over it; that shit was too tiring. Why the heck had he agreed to stay? This was a mistake.
All of it.
He should have minded his own business.
But Shepherd had seen red when he’d spotted asshole Adrian dragging away his son while the kid was standing in line, waiting to see Santa with his grandparents. He knew how that shit felt.
And when the guy had tried to push Evie over, well…
Shepherd gritted his teeth, trying to quell the surge of anger that rose up at the memory. That asshole didn't deserve Evie or their kid. But it wasn't his place to interfere. He had no right to judge someone else's family situation. Especially not when his own was a complete clusterfuck.
Evie settled onto the couch beside him, close enough that he could smell the faint sugary scent of her shampoo, or perfume, or whatever the hell it was that made her smell like Christmas. His body tensed involuntarily at her proximity. This was dangerous territory.
"How about a Christmas movie?" she suggested, scrolling through options on the screen. "Something lighthearted? Or is that too cliche for you?"
Shepherd grunted noncommittally. Why was she asking? Did she really want a response? Liz used to trap him this way. Ask a question, then argue with his answer. Draw him into it deliberately when he wanted to be Switzerland.
Besides, he didn't give a damn what they watched. He shouldn't even be here. What had possessed him to stay? He should have dropped off the food and left.
But the memory of Evie's lost expression, the defeated slump of her shoulders, had tugged at something deep inside him. Something he thought he ‘d turned his back on long ago, and he couldn't bring himself to leave her alone like that. Stewing in her own misery. That’s what had turned him into such a grumpy bastard… yeah, he knew what people said.
So here he was, sharing a blanket on her parents’ couch, like some teenage suitor, pretending this was normal. As if he made a habit of cozying up to pretty single moms to watch Christmas movies.
Christ, he was an idiot.
“Oh, actually, I know the perfect Christmas movie for you,” she exclaimed, and Shepherd cringed internally, waiting for the awful Hallmark schmaltz to start.
The movie rolled, a Boeing 747 touching down on an ambient, sun-kissed background, before Bruce Willis’ face filled the screen.
“What the heck is this?” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Stupid. Now she’d start berating him for having an opinion.
“Die Hard,” she replied, her laugh tinkling through the small space. “Best Christmas movie ever.”
Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and Shepherd thought he might even have endured The Muppets Christmas Carol if it put the life back in her expression like that.
“Christmas Eve, lots of stuff blowing up. What’s not to love?”
Shepherd couldn’t help it. He laughed; the sound almost startled out of him. Evie’s eyes widened, and she looked nonplussed. Yeah, he didn’t laugh often - or at all.
In fact, Shepherd couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed like that. The sound felt foreign in his throat, so he cleared it roughly, trying to cover his discomfort.
"Guess you're full of surprises," he muttered, fixing his gaze on the screen.
