“Maybe next year, I will be doing this for you and Elle,” he comments.
I shrug because I don’t even know what will be happening after Christmas Day. The contract would be over, and then what?
A heavy hand hits my shoulder. “Listen to a man who has been married and been through a lot.”
I think of Mom and my grandfather, him going through a lot.
“It doesn’t matter how long you are with someone, just that it works. You love them, and they love you.”
I squint, wondering what he knows. “How do you know you love someone?”
My dad pulls me in closer. “Your mom’s flaws don’t scare me. When I think of the future, I always think of her with me in it. I always want her to be a part of my world.”
“What about possessiveness?” I ask.
“I am more possessive than you know. If you have any of those feelings for Noelle, then—”
Liam claps. “Hello, it’s my pre-wedding day. Focus on me.”
“Some things never change, do they?” My father says and leaves my side to go to Liam.
I take my phone out and begin to text Noelle.
Me: We need to talk after the wedding.
Princess: Okay.
NOELLE
I nibble on my lip as I read the message. I messed up.
“My God, if you sigh one more time, I will throw this sangria on you,” Tillie says.
I snicker and put my phone back on the table.
Tessa was supposed to join us for lunch, but she said she was waiting for a friend of hers to arrive.
Elizabeth decided that she would stay in, so Tillie and I are having lunch at a local Italian restaurant.
“What’s the problem?” Tillie asks as she pours more sangria in my glass.
“I don’t know where to start. Thank you.” I take a sip of the sangria, enjoying the fruity notes as it floats down my throat.
“Start from the beginning,” Tillie replies, like it’s that simple.
“I took this job with little expectation. I thought I would fulfill it and move on.”
Tillie chuckles. “But that old Voss charm got the better of you, and now you are in love.”
I nod. “Yes. Does that make me crazy?”
Tillie laughs, throwing her hair over her shoulders. “Girl, no. It makes you human. For what it’s worth, I think Roman loves you too.”
I perk up. “You do? Or are you trying to make me sound delusional?”
“Noelle, my cousin has smiled with you more than I have ever seen him smile in his life.”
That makes my insides warm. Maybe, just maybe, he actually does love me.
