Vic hums softly. “Makes sense.”
“It does?” I’m not sure what I’d expected him to say, but his easy acceptance took me by surprise.
“Yeah.” He turns in my arms and straddles me, cradling my jaw in his hands. “Something incredibly shit happened to you and your family, and you dealt with it the best way you knew how.”
“You’re not pissed off still, that I just cut all contact and never told you why?”
“No.” Vic shakes his head, then leans in to give me the softest of kisses. “Because that would make me a bit of an arsehole, wouldn’t it?” He smiles, and I can’t help but return it.
“And that’s so far from the truth, it’s laughable.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
I grip his waist, fingers sliding under his T-shirt, and wait for him to meet my eyes. I want him to see how serious I am. “I would. The more I get to know you, the more I see how fucking wrong I was to think you were anything like Simon.”
His eyes are full of warmth and understanding and other things I don’t want to put a name to. I lean up, capturing his mouth in a kiss that starts off slow but quickly picks up speed, and we lose ourselves once more to the magnetic force that draws us together.
On Saturday morning,I drag Vic back to the Christmas tree farm to pick out a tree for my house. Thankfully Pete isn’t working, because I know he’d have something to say about me appearing with Vic again. Especially after we’ve no doubt been the subject of town gossip.
“I like Sadie,” Vic muses as we take our saw and head out to the trees.
I hide my smirk behind a cough.
I’m pretty sure he knows Pete and I have history, and as much as part of me likes the fact he got jealous last time, I’m feeling pretty raw after our conversation last night, and I just want to spend an easy morning with Vic with no drama.
The sky is an ominous grey colour, but thankfully the weather is on my side, and we walk up and down the rows of trees without getting rained on. It takes me half the time it took Vic to pick a tree, and soon he’s helping me carry it back to my car.
We made no plans past last night, but I don’t want to say goodbye to him just yet. Even though Edwinstowe isn’t a million miles away, I still want to make the most of Vic’s time here because thingswillchange when he goes back home. And I’m starting to realise I don’t want them to. “Do you need me to drop you back home now? Or...?”
“Or?” He shifts in his seat to face me. “I promised Hailey I’d be at the pub by about three, so I have some time. What did you have in mind?”
“I was going to decorate my tree, but I can do that after?—”
“I can help you if you want?”
“Really?” I search his face for any sign that he’s just being nice but all I see is honesty. His smile reaches all the way to his eyes, and there’s even a flicker of excitement there.
“Yes, really. I’d love to, if you don’t mind, that is?”
“Fuck no.” I start the engine and pull out onto the main road before he can change his mind. “I just didn’t want you to be bored.”
He laughs and looks at me like I’m crazy. “No chance.”
This is the first time in five years that I won’t be decorating my Christmas tree on my own. I’m ridiculously excited by the prospect.
“You sure you don’t mind?”We’ve got my tree in its stand and level and Vic is currently taking everything out of the boxes I brought down from upstairs, under Lucky’s watchful gaze. I’m well aware that Vic has already decorated one tree this festive season and even though he said he didn’t mind, I don’t want this to turn into a chore.
He looks up at me, a box of lights in hand, and tsks softly. “I want to be here. With you. Decorating your ridiculously perfect tree.”
I grin at that, because yeah, despite what I told him about not finding the perfect tree, I totally did.
“Stop looking so smug and put some Christmas music on. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it properly.” He stands and shoos me into action. It’s a wonder Lucky doesn’t roll his eyes at the pair of us, because I do as I’m told, all while wearing the biggest smile.
I pick a suitable playlist on Spotify and the intro to Wham!’s“Last Christmas” starts up.
Vic looks over at me and grins. “Let’s do this!”
It’s beena long time since I’ve had this much fun.
