What if I just told him that I’d been dying to kiss him for years?
The thought made my stomach twist. If I told him now, on the first day of our trip, and he didn’t feel the same way? Things would be awkward the whole time.
Neither of us dealt well with awkward.
“How doyouwant me to be?” I asked, which was about as vulnerable as I could manage just now.
Kit was silent for a few moments, but I could practically hear the cogs turning in his brain.
“Ah, well. I, umm... I’m not...”
A knock on the door stopped him in his tracks.
“Are you boys decent?” his dad’s voice called through the door.
Kit looked at me, and I nodded. His mom was on my shitlist, possibly for life, but I liked his dad so far.
“Quite,” Kit called back.
The door creaked as Teddy slipped into the room, closing with a soft thud behind him.
“Sorry to disturb you, and I know you must be tired. But I was about to escape down to the local pub for the evening and I thought you two might prefer to eat there than here. Not sure what you did, Kit, but you’re in the doghouse.”
“At this point I’m thinking about moving into the bloody doghouse,” Kit grumbled. “Andy?”
“I like the dogs, but I’d rather you just brought them in here,” I said.
“I was asking about the pub,” Kit responded dryly.
“I know.” I grinned. “I think we should go.”
“You’re not too tired?”
“I’m okay, but ifyou’retoo tired you’re just gonna have to say, because Iamtoo tired to pick up one of your hints right now.”
Kit chuckled, sitting up with a groan. “It wouldn’t do if I dragged you all the way to England and didn’t take you to even one pub,” he said.
I sat up as well, just in time to catch Teddy beaming at the two of us.
“Perfect. I thought we’d walk down, work up an appetite. Meet you in the hall in five?”
“We’ll be there,” I said, already excited.
Six minutes later, we made it down the stairs bundled up in coats, scarves, and gloves.
Teddy called out to no one in particular to say he was taking us out, and then we stepped into the cool evening air.
“Look back at the house,” Teddy advised, pausing to let me.
When I turned, the breath caught in my lungs.
The front windows were all glowing softly, most of them with twinkling Christmas trees silhouetted against the curtains.
With the chill in the air, it looked so warm and inviting that I was almost excited to get back. It wasbeautiful.
“Charming, isn’t it?” Teddy asked. “One or two benefits to this estate business.”
“One or two,” I agreed, heartbeat picking up a notch as Kit’s fingertips brushed against mine. A silent question that I answered by grabbing his hand, curling our fingers together in a deliberate grip.
