“No. My parents wanted me to know that my Christmas presents were from them and not dependent on whether I was naughty or nice throughout the year. They expected me to be nice all the time.”
He couldn’t help asking, “Just what sort of gifts did you get at Christmas?”
“Usually, stock certificates for shares in various companies.”
He would have laughed if the conversation hadn’t been so damn serious. “Stock certificates weren’t all bad, were they?”
She rolled her eyes. “They were, if that’s all you got for Christmas every year, while your friends were getting games and toys.” She shook her head at the memory. “Thank you, Drew.”
When she leaned in to kiss him, he met her halfway. When her tongue took hold of his, seducing him with her sweet,enticing taste, he thought she was getting way too good at this. Finally breaking off the kiss, he exhaled a deep breath. “Get out of this bed, so we can eat.”
She smiled at him, gliding her hand to the nape of his neck. “And after we eat?”
He smiled at her. “Then we’ll get back in bed again.”
CHAPTER 16
For Eden, the next few days were nothing short of amazing. When she complained about all the food she had consumed since meeting him, Drew invited her to go jogging with him every morning. After explaining that she was not a jogger, he came up with a suggestion. After jogging his five miles, he would return to the lodge and they could go walking together. That gave her a chance to sleep a little later and be ready by the time he came back. To be on the safe side, he helped her put on her brown cosmetic lenses over her green eyes. When they returned to the lodge, he would remove them, saying he liked her green eyes better.
She loved their walks. He told her about his family. His parents were deceased, with his father dying less than a year after his mother. Harold and Lester were the two older cousins he admired. He said both were married to wonderful women. Lester Marcus and his wife, Melissa, had three sons and were expecting another in six months.
Harold Jeremiah’s wife, Claire, was Cheyenne, a Native American. They had put off having a family until Claire completed both her bachelor’s degree and MBA. Both Harold and Lester had been there for him when he’d started a business of his own after leaving Charlotte. And he’d told her about that business, how well it was going, and how he’d be expanding the first of the year, which meant he would be extremely busy for a while.
When they returned after their walks, they would showertogether to start their day. That was when he showed her how much fun it was to make out in the shower. She still ate each day but had cut down on the amount. After Drew had a quick discussion with the cooks at Mountain-Scape Lake Lodge, they began sending healthier meals, such as vegetable omelets for breakfast, salads for lunch, and healthy soups for dinner. Everything was always delicious and filling.
Thanks to the heavy snow on Christmas Day, Drew had been able to rent snowmobiles for them to enjoy. Other times, they either drove to the other side of the mountain to sightsee or spent a lazy day inside the lodge. She didn’t want to think about it getting closer to New Year’s, when she would leave for Paris.
She had talked to Sophie and knew her parents were upset that they had no idea where she was or how she was doing. They decided that Mark should call her parents and let them know he had heard from her, as well as convey a message.
Happy Holidays, Mom and Dad. I’m fine, living my life as I please. I love you both.
P.S. Mark and I have officially ended our engagement.
Not that she and Mark were ever engaged, other than in their parents’ minds.
Tomorrow was New Year’s Day, and Drew would check out of the lodge the day after. She had spoken to Amélie, and both she and Drew felt it would be best if she took a direct flight from Atlanta to Paris. Although the drive from the Smoky Mountains to Atlanta was almost four hours, Drew said he was happy to do it. That way, he would be able to walk her up to the airplane’s door himself and know for certain she was on her way to her final destination. And when she told him that Amélie had shared with her that she had already gotten requests from both Elle and Cosmopolitan for spreads in their magazines, he seemed to be thrilled for her.
Eden knew that during their time together, Drew had pretty much changed the narrative. Instead of teaching her anything, he had shown hereverything. Their time in the bedroom had been sheer perfection, everything she’d ever dreamed lovemaking could be. The only problem was that now, she couldn’t imagine sharing a bed with anyone but him.
Although she had fallen in love with him, she was fully aware that he did not feel the same for her. Neither spoke of making plans to assure their paths crossed again. He seemed okay with the idea that in a few days, they would likely never see each other again. She was not okay with it, but she had no choice. She’d known what type of man Drew was. Yet she had fallen in love with him anyway and had no regrets. At least she would have her memories. These past days had meant everything to her.
The Mountain-Scape Lake Lodge was hosting a huge New Year’s Eve party. The only reason they had decided to attend was that it was a masquerade party, so Eden would have no trouble keeping her identity a secret. Their masks were delivered earlier, and she could barely wait.
He had surprised her with an outfit that he had purchased for her from one of the lodge’s boutiques. Not surprisingly, it was a perfect fit, and she loved it. As with everything else he had given her, she would cherish it always.
**
Drew walked into the party with Eden on his arm, both of them wearing masks. According to Charlie, couples usually removed their masks at midnight, so they could share a kiss to welcome the New Year. Eden had told him that there was no way she was starting the New Year off without a kiss from him, so he started looking around for a private place to indulge. He wouldn’t have wanted to start the New Year off any other way, either.
Tomorrow would be their last night together at the lodge, and he was not looking forward to saying goodbye. He figured his depressed state was only temporary, and all in all, understandable. They had spent more than two weeks together. He figured he would be back to his old self once he put her on that plane to Paris.
He appreciated that Charlie had arranged for them to have a table for two near a private room. Earlier, the man had slipped him the key to that room. He smiled, appreciating Charlie for always being accommodating to whatever Drew asked for. Charlie was also a jogger, and a couple of days ago, they had met up on the road. Like him, the man had vowed never to marry.
Drew ordered wine for their table, enjoying the solitude of being alone with Eden, even while surrounded by others. He figured people assumed they were newlyweds who wanted their space. “So, what is the first thing you’re going to do when you get to Paris?” he asked.
Eden smiled, and he saw excitement in her eyes. “Amélie says she wants me ready to hit the ground running. First up, I have a photo shoot for L’Oréal Cosmetics. That will take three to four weeks to complete. Then I have several photo shoots set up in both Paris and Rome for Harper Bazaar Paris. Due to the various location changes, they figure it will take at least four months.”
He nodded, taking a sip of his wine. “When will you return to the States?” He told himself he was asking merely for conversational purposes.
