‘Well, you’d better eat up then.’ The grin that touches her lips also touches something deep inside my chest.
Something I never thought I’d let anyone touch again.
ChapterEighteen
NATE
Twenty minutes later, we’re nestled among the villagers of Ballybowen in the tiny town square, a couple of hundred yards from the pier. The night is clear and cold. Frost bejewels the ferns and our breath fogs before our faces.
We loiter at the back, out of the way.
‘Can you see from down there?’ Holly’s tiny frame next to mine stirs up protective urges I no longer thought I was capable of.
‘Very funny. If only an action hero would sweep me up onto his shoulders. Ha.’
‘I would, but I’d hate to attract any unwanted attention. Here, how about this instead?’ I guide her towards a small embankment. It’s a little further away than I’d like, but its height definitely offers a better view.
Holly snuggles closer to me, and I wrap my arms around her, pulling her in front of me until her back rests flat against my chest. ‘Is that better?’
She shimmies her backside against my crotch. ‘It certainly is.’
I have to agree.
There can’t be more than two hundred people here, but the excitement is palpable. Especially from the woman squeezing my arm like she’s never seen a Christmas tree before.
It is an impressive tree for a small town. At fifteen-feet-high, punctuating the centre of the square, its thick branches are bushy and luscious. We listen as one of the locals tells the crowd how the annual switching on of the Christmas lights has been a pleasure bestowed on his family for three generations.
It makes me think of my own family. Despite lavishing cash on my parents and sisters, I haven’t been the best son in the world.
They never wanted my money. They wanted my time. And that was something I couldn’t give them. Not with Sally-Ann and Niall playing happy families next door.
It was easier to allow everyone to think I was too busy leading the high life to come home, than to admit I haven’t felt at home, even in myself, until now.
I swore I’d never date a ‘normal girl’ again, yet here I am, getting over myself. Maybe there’s hope for me yet.
It’s different with Holly, though. There’s a time limit on this.
I’m not going to fall in love.
No way. Never going to happen. We’re worlds apart.
So why does it feel like we’re the only two people in the universe when I’m with her?
A gaggle of small children gather at the front and begin to singAway In A Manger.They’re enthusiastic, if not pitch perfect. Tiny fine hairs prick on the back of my neck. The atmosphere’s charged with positivity, normality, a sense of community that I’ve never experienced outside of this country. I soak up every second of it.
Parading around with the rich and famous has its perks, but it also has its drawbacks. It’s a relief to be anonymous. To not have to watch every word that comes out of my mouth in case someone has an iPhone pointed at me. To spend time with someone who seems to see me, rather than wants to be seen with me.
I pull my phone out of my back pocket and snap a quick selfie of the two of us. Holly glances up at me. ‘You’re not going to share that with the world, are you?’
‘No. We’ve already established you’re ashamed to be seen with me,’ I tease.
‘No, just ashamed to be seen.’
Curiosity flares inside me, but the countdown begins.
‘… three, two, one.’ The tiny square bursts alive with multicoloured twinkling lights. We clap and cheer along with the rest of the crowd.
The tree erupts into an impressive display complete with a gigantic gold, glowing star. Row after row of glimmering white fairy lights dangle overhead, providing a glistening pathway all the way to the pier.
