But I close down so everyone can enjoy the parade.
“It’s so…quiet,” Callum remarks. “Peaceful. It must look gorgeous in the fall.”
“You have no idea. All the oranges, yellows, and reds. It’s probably my favorite time of year.”
“Not Christmas?” he teases, nudging me.
“No,” I draw out as we walk past the inn and down the path toward Main Street. “I do love Christmas, too. But I’ll always have a soft spot for those first few weeks of fall. When the weather cools down and you can pull on a big sweater and fuzzy socks. And that first fire of the season.” I briefly close my eyes, almost able to smell leaves burning in the air.
A part of me wishes I could show him how beautiful this place is in the fall. Could snuggle up next to him after a long day of work in front of a roaring fire. Could fall asleep in his arms as he keeps me warm.
Suddenly, a pair of lips cover mine, and I stiffen, inhaling a sharp breath.
“Sorry.” Callum pulls back. “You just… You looked so damn gorgeous, Parker. I couldn’t help it. I forgot where we were for a second. Forgot whereIwas.”
“It’s okay. You can kiss me. You don’t have to, of course,” I add quickly. “We can still keep this quiet. I just wanted to keep any overt displays of affection under wraps at Holley Ridge.”
“But here?”
“Technically, this is the property of the Town of Sycamore Falls.”
“So we’re not on Holley Ridge?”
I slowly shake my head. “We’re not on Holley Ridge.”
Callum doesn’t waste any time in enveloping me in his embrace and crushing his lips back to mine. As much as I hate the barrier of our heavy coats between us, there’s something intoxicating about kissing Callum outside, considering I normally insist we keep this sort of thing behind closed doors.
I love kissing Callum in the open. Wish I could do it more. But we agreed. No expectations. No promises for a future.
“Come on,” I say, fighting to free myself from him. “If you keep kissing me like that, we’ll never make it to the parade.” I grab his hand, tugging him toward downtown. The sound of excited voices and Christmas music gets louder the closer we get. “And you definitely don’t want to miss the skateboarding pugs.”
“Skateboarding…pugs?”
“They’re a Sycamore Falls tradition. Mr. Jensen saw a pair of surfing pugs on television a few years ago and decided to train his dogs to skateboard. They’re rather good.”
“I have a feeling this is going to be quite the experience,” he remarks with a heartwarming smile. It’s so different from the cold, heartless man I thought him to be just a few weeks ago.
Back then if someone told me I’d be walking down Main Street holding Callum’s hand as we waited for the Christmas Parade to start, I would have nearly died with laughter. Then I would have asked for some of whatever they’d taken to cause such an improbable hallucination.
But there’s no one else I want to be with right now.
There’s no one else I can picture doing this with.
Which is only going to make it harder to say goodbye when he leaves in a few short days.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
CALLUM
I haven’t spent much time in downtown Sycamore Falls since arriving here over a week ago. Sure, I’d done my research on the area before making an offer on Holley Ridge. I knew it was a historic downtown area with all the amenities one would expect in a small town. Diner. Coffee shop. Bookstore. Hardware store. Even a brewery.
But walking along the sidewalks with Parker on my arm is a completely different experience.
There’s something magical about this place. It’s like I’ve stepped back into a simpler time. A slower time. There are no disagreements about politics. No discussions about the latest headlines. Everyone here seems to genuinely like each other.
And they all adore Parker.
I don’t blame them.
