“Of course she does.” There wasn’t a question in his mind whether or not Wynter made the cut. If he could convince her to stay, he’d be in front of her right now doing it.
“Then keep it up. Some people need a little push. For whatever reason, she’s nervous. Be there for her. Do what you have to in order to make her feel secure. Eventually, she’s gotta accept it. And when she does, she’ll either walk away or stick around.”
It was the walking away part that had Marcus terrified. He stared down at his peppermint coffee and frowned. There was no pushing pause on the trajectory of his life. Either they’d end up together or she’d leave. He nodded, though he didn’t feel at all better about any of it. So much for his sister and Nora doing what they could to push Wynter in the right direction. None of it was working.
“Thanks for the chat.” Marcus stood up. “I’ve got to get going. Good luck with your brunch.”
Mathew nodded, curt and short. The guy sounded like he knew what he was talking about. He’d made mistakes and learned from them. Maybe Marcus could take what he’d said to heart and just pray that everything would end up the way he wanted it to.
“Still my all-time favorite Christmas movie,”Nora said with a dreamy look on her wrinkled face.
Marcus glanced over Wynter’s head to where her grandmother rocked while the credits rolled forWhite Christmas.
“My friends always swooned over Bing Crosby, but I was always a sucker for Danny Kaye. Now that man is handsome.”
“Grams!” Wynter laughed.
“Tell me I’m wrong,” Nora insisted. “Put those men side by side and tell me that Danny isn’t cuter.”
Wynter laughed again with a shake of her head.
“Your grandfather looked a lot like him, you know.”
This time Wynter’s mouth dropped open.
“When he was younger.” Nora sighed, her smile still dreamy.
Marcus watched the interaction with amusement. He’d had to fight the urge to wrap his arm around Wynter’s shoulders to pull her close during the movie. There had been a couple of times when their fingers had grazed one another while they ate the caramel popcorn they’d made for their movie night. He looked down at where Wynter’s hand rested on her lap, and he wanted nothing more than to grab it and kiss each fingertip.
Nora yawned, getting to her feet. “I’m going to turn in. You two don’t stop your little marathon on my account.” She winked at him, and Wynter stiffened. Marcus could already sense her irritation.
Not only was Nora perceptive, but she’d also been actively trying to push them together. But Wynter wouldn’t be happy to hear it. He watched Nora take her leave, and only when her bedroom door clicked shut did Wynter round on him.
She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, he framed her face in his hands and pressed a kiss to her lips. The surprised squeak that escaped her lips turned into something resembling a moan as their kiss deepened. She melted into his touch, clearly as affected by him as he was by her.
These stolen moments were what he lived for. Time was running out, and he’d take every last one he was allowed. When he finally released her, she appeared to be stunned. Her eyes had fluttered closed, and her breathing had grown erratic.
He traced her lower lip with his thumb. He wished he could ask her to stay. He wanted nothing more than to tell her he was falling in love with her. But he did none of that.
Wynter’s eyes opened and she stared at him. Emotion flashed in those depths, but she didn’t utter a single word. All she did was sigh.
Marcus grinned, kissed the tip of her nose, then got to his feet. “I’ll get us a refill on some popcorn. You pick the next movie.”
She nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
Whew, they’d managed to avoid that hard subject—the one he knew he didn’t have the strength to work through. Priorities. That’s what Mathew had said. Right now, the future wasn’t as important as the here and now. No matter how hard it was to accept that, Marcus would. He’d show Wynter that she was important to him. How he felt about her. All of it without putting it into words.
He returned to the living room just as Wynter pressed play on the film. “It’s A Wonderful Life, huh?”
She flashed him a grin. “Are you surprised?”
He settled onto the couch beside her and shook his head. “Nope. You always loved this movie.” This time he didn’t hesitate. He pulled her against his body, holding her close. Wynter didn’t fight him. Instead, she seemed to relax.
Marcus traced his fingers up and down her arm, then he turned his head so he could kiss her temple. It was moments like this one when she was willing to give in to him that made him love her even more. He knew it was hard for her to be vulnerable. They’d discussed it when they were younger. Wynter had never been able to give any piece of herself to another person. Not even him.
And yet here she was, offering a small part of herself. She was giving in to him and showing him love in her own way, even if she didn’t realize it. Hope flickered in his chest. He could be patient. Little by little, Wynter was starting to trust him.
“Wynter?”
