In a good way.
Everly immediately throws her shoes off the second we’re inside.
“Hot tub,” she declares. “I need to boil myself like a lobster.”
“I am absolutely not hot-tubbing after a ten-course meal,” Faith says, unzipping her dress. “I will die. You’ll have to roll my corpse out of there.”
Caroline laughs, shrugging out of her coat. “Ten courses of art, but I’m still hungry. Robert’s right, we should order burgers.”
“I heard that,” Robert mumbles, already loosening his tie. “One burger and then I’m sleeping for fourteen hours.”
Charlie’s hand is warm on my lower back as we drift toward our room. “You want to hot tub?” he asks softly.
“Tempting,” I admit. “But I’m exhausted. It’s been a huge day.”
This makes him laugh. “You’re right. It feels like it’s been two days in one. Bed?”
“Yes, please.”
We say goodnight to his family, and as Charlie shuts the door behind us, he lets out a rather large exhale, his shoulders dropping as he slumps on the bed.
“Are you okay?” I ask, toeing off my shoes.
“Yeah,” he says quickly. “Just … my family. They’re a lot.”
I walk up to him and undo his tie, sliding it free, my fingers brushing his throat. “They adore you,” I murmur. “They adore us. That’s kind of the dream, you know.”
He leans into my touch for a second, eyes closed. “I know. I just … when they start talking weddings and babies and money, it’s like my brain short-circuits.” His eyes open again, finding mine. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m not all-in.”
My chest squeezes. “Hey,” I say, hands cupping his face. “Anyone with eyes can see you’re all-in. You love me. I love you. The rest is just … details. Loud, meddling, well-meaning details.”
He huffs out a quiet laugh. “You make it sound simple.”
“It is simple.” I brush my thumb along his cheekbone. “We’re us. They’re excited. Nothing has to happen before we’re ready.”
His gaze softens. “I really fucking love you, D.”
“I know,” I say, smiling. “I love you too. Now get out of that suit before I ruin it.”
We undress, fold our new expensive clothes carefully, and crawl into the ridiculously huge bed. We stare out the window that overlooks the lake, watching the snowflakes fall and the village lights flicker.
Charlie lies on his back, one arm under his head, the other thrown lazily around my shoulders as I curl into his side. “Best holiday ever?” he asks.
“High on the list,” I say. “Top three for sure.”
“What beats it?”
“Hard to say,” I tease. “I’ll need more data. We should probably take at least ten more extravagant trips, and then I’ll report back.”
He chuckles, that low rumble I feel in his chest. “I’ll see what I can do.”
He presses a kiss into my hair, and for a long time we just lie there, listening to the faint crackle of the fireplace in the other room and the distant hum of the hotel. Eventually, his breathing slows, deepening, his body heavy and warm against mine.
I let my eyes drift shut.
For a while, everything is quiet.
Soft.
