“What is it, Snow?” Lachlan’s hand caressed the back of her head as he surveyed her eyes.
“It’s nothing. It’s just that I haven’t—” she sniffled, feeling pathetic for even finishing the thought.
“Haven’t …?” Lachlan pressed.
She rolled her eyes briefly, looking away from him. At last, she worked up the courage to speak her mind. “It’s just that I haven’t had this much fun in a really long time.”
But it was more than that. She loved Lachlan and Puffcake’s presence. She wasn’t ready to venture back into the mundane reality of her bleak and boring life. Sure, she now had the money to at least help start her new bakery, but it still wouldn’t feel right.
It wouldn’t feel right without them.
And it felt like each day the hour hand on the clock ticked by faster. Her remaining time was wearing thin.
“I don’t want to leave this place,” she whispered.I don’t want to leaveyou, she wanted to add.
“I don’t either,” Lachlan admitted at last. His hand drifted around to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing her jawline. The movement felt so natural that Eliza wasn’t even nervous now that he was this close. She just felt …Ready. Eager. Willing.
Lachlan’s brown eyes swept down to her lips. He gently brushed a hair away from her face. Puffcake covered his eyes from inside his designated mixing bowl as Lachlan leaned forward.
Eliza’s heart raced wildly in her chest, anticipation and yearning seeming to freeze every cell in her body. Ever-so-slightly, his lips pressed into hers. Their kiss felt like the joy of Christmas morning, the start of something magical and new. Like running down the stairs to find heaps of gifts and the smell of fresh biscuits.
Lachlan moved his hand to the back of her neck, their breathing mixing and mingling. He kissed her thoroughly, exploring every facet, taking his time. She didn’t think about the future, but only the here and now. She wouldn’t rush this moment. Wouldn’t let it slip by. She needed it to last forever, even though she knew all things came to an end.
This time, she hoped—believed, even—that it might last.
The house even seemed to glow a brighter shade of amber, and the colorful lights on the trees twinkled a more vibrant hue. At last, they looked up to see the same emerald green piping with icing berries the color of crimson.
They both laughed, resting their heads together.
Then, there was an abrupt knock on the door that startled them both. Eliza rose to answer it, but Lachlan motioned for her to stay put. He swung the door open, and Eliza saw the dark blond cropped hair even in the dim porch light. His green eyes looked between Lachlan and hers, fury written on his face.
“Davis?”
Davis didn’t bother with pleasantries. He never had, because he was apparently above them. He perused Lachlan up and down, and back up again, his lip curling in disgust. “Really, Liz? This was the best you could do for a rebound?”
Lachlan didn’t flinch. If he was hurt, he did an amazing job at covering it. He gave Davis a friendly grin, but there was a cold recognition in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, mate,” Lachlan responded coolly, stepping slightly in front of her. “But I think you should leave.” His posture wasn’t threatening, only protective.
Davis’s eyes darkened. “I don’t answer to you.”
“Maybe not,” Lachlan shrugged, “But you’ve done enough. She came here to get away from everything, not for it to follow her.”
Davis’s gaze cut to Eliza, sharp as broken glass. “So that’s it?” You ran away to your nan’s fairytale cottage to play house with the first guy who smiled at you since I broke up with you? To forget about real life and big girl responsibilities?” His voice dripped in mockery, his jaw set. “Too busy with him to answer your mobile?”
A lump formed at the base of her throat, and she was unable to reach his eyes. “Signal’s been spotty,” she murmured. Her voice wavered as she spoke, but she still said, “You need to leave, Davis. Now.”
Davis ignored her completely. His focus tunneled in on her, and his tone shifted as if on cue, like he didn’t just tell her off for having company at her supposed-solo spot. “Liz, can we just talk in private?”
Lachlan glanced over toward Eliza. He looked worried for her, yet acquiescent to her decision nonetheless. She swallowed hard. The idea of being alone with Davis made something in her stomach twist. “I think whatever you have to say, you can say in front of us both.”
Davis narrowed his eyes, jaw flexing again. “You’re joking, right? You leave for holiday for a week, and suddenly this guy is making decisions for you?” He laughed bitterly. “Unbelievable.”
“Look,” Lachlan interjected, running his hands through his hair. “I’m not making decisions for her. She clearly was the one who said she didn’t want to be alone with you. So just respect it, mate.”
Davis shot him a glower. Then he blinked slowly, turning his attention back to Eliza. “Well, I came this way to tell you some news. I guess I’ll have to deliver it in front of both of you since you don’t want to be alone with me.”
Her stomach took another nosedive in anticipation. She couldn’t handle any more bad news this year.
