“Yeah.” I reached up to touch his face, my fingers tracing the line of his jaw, feeling the slight scratch of his beard. “I never expected to find... this. You. Any of it.”
Diego caught my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm that sent shivers down my spine. “Me neither. I was just passing through, you know? Like always.”
“And now?”
“Now I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.”
The song changed to something more upbeat, but neither of us altered our slow rhythm. I caught Dolly watching us from the sidelines now, her eyes suspiciously shiny as she tried to shake off Mr. Edwards. When she noticed me looking, she gave a little wave and a knowing smile that made me wonder if she’d planned this all along.
“Your aunt’s watching us,” Diego whispered, clearly having noticed too.
“She’s probably plotting our wedding already,” I joked, though the word sent an unexpected flutter through my chest.
Diego chuckled, the sound vibrating through his chest and into mine. “Wouldn’t put it past her. She’s a crafty one.”
“She is,” I agreed, remembering how she’d engineered our Christmas tree adventure. “But I’m kind of grateful for her meddling.”
“Me too, Freckles. Me too.”
We danced through another song, and another, lost in each other until a ding at the door caught my attention. I turned my head just intime to see a tall figure stomping snow from his boots, his face partially obscured by a scarf.
When he unwound it, I felt every muscle in my body freeze.
Tommy.
My ex stood in the doorway, scanning the room with those cold blue eyes I’d once found so captivating. When they landed on me, I felt my heart stop. The warmth that had been filling me moments before turned to ice in my veins.
“Hayden?” Diego’s voice sounded far away, though he was still holding me. “What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move. It was like all the progress I’d made these past weeks had evaporated in an instant.
Tommy spotted me then, his face lighting up with that practiced smile that used to make my knees weak but now just made my stomach turn. He started making his way through the crowd toward us.
“Hayden,” Diego repeated, turning to follow my gaze. “Who is that?”
“Tommy,” I managed, the name barely audible. “My ex.”
Diego’s body went rigid against mine, his arms tightening protectively around my waist. “What the hell is he doin’ here?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered, panic rising in my throat. “I didn’t tell him where I was.”
Dolly appeared at our side, her face clouded with concern. “Sugar, is that who I think it is?”
I nodded, unable to tear my eyes away as Tommy approached, weaving through the dancers with that confident stride I used to admire.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Dolly muttered. “Want me to throw him out?”
Before I could answer, Tommy reached us, his expensive cologne cutting through the homey scents of the diner. He looked exactly as I remembered… the perfectly styled hair, designer clothes, and that movie-star smile that never quite reached his eyes.
“Hayden,” he said, his voice carrying that hint of condescension that I’d somehow never noticed when we were together. “I finally found you.”
“Tommy,” I replied, hating how small my voice sounded. “What are you doing here?”
His eyes flicked to Diego, whose arm was still firmly around my waist, then back to me. “I came to bring you home, of course. The holidays are no time to be sulking in some... backwater town.” He gestured vaguely at our surroundings, as if the diner and everyone in it were beneath his notice.
I felt Diego tense beside me, but he remained silent, letting me handle it. I was grateful for that, for his solid presence that reminded me I wasn’t alone anymore.
“I’m where I want to be,” I said, finding my voice at last. “And I’m not sulking.”
