“And…now that she’s here,” Norah took Isabella by the hand, “we have wedding stuff to do. C’mon, I’ll show you the dress. I think you’re really gonna love it.” As Norah dragged her into the house, Isabella glanced over her shoulder again, training her eyes on him like she was scared she would never see him again. Which was ridiculous.
In an instant, he was reminded of the night before. His hands on her hot, naked skin, her wet lips sliding against his as she straddled him, the soft lace of her bra—and the almosthugemistake.
“Oh, Leo.” Mrs. Whitley took his hand, sticking an ice pick into his thoughts. “How can we ever repay you for getting Izzy home safely?”
“No payment necessary, ma’am.” He turned to head back down the steps when a gentle hand gripped his shoulder. He spun around, and Mrs. Whitley gathered him in a tight hug.
“Thank you,” she whispered into his ear.
He tried not to cling to the woman like a lifeline, but she had been the closest thing he had to a mother since he lost his own six years before. He inhaled her scent of cinnamon and jerked away.
“Like I said, not a problem.” He rushed down the steps, making a beeline for the rental car to grab his duffel bag.
“So we’ll catch you later then?” Mr. Whitley hollered while Leo had his head stuffed inside the car.
He retrieved his bag and locked the rental. “Here, would you mind giving these to Isabella?” He tossed the keys to Mr. Whitley who caught them in the air.
“Youareplanning on joining us for day one, aren’t you?”
Leo started to cross the distance between the two homes considering how to respond. A constant shoveled path kept it clear for Landon and Norah to quickly travel back and forth. Why hadn’t he and Isabella thought to do that when they dated?
“Yeah,” he finally called over his shoulder. “I’ll be there.” Under his breath, he muttered, “with frickin’ bells on.”
Chapter Seven
Isabella
Isabella eavesdroppedfrom the front entryway as her mom crooned all over Leo. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Leo had always been Mom’s favorite Hoffman, and apparently that hadn’t changed.
“Are Mom and Dad always like that? You know, with Leo?” Isabella asked as she slipped off her designer boots.
“Like what?” Norah asked.
“Never mind.”
She took in the familiarity of the home. The scent combination of gingerbread and cinnamon warmed Isabella’s body and assaulted her mind with about a million memories. Christmastime at the Whitley home had always been a magical season. While Dad worked on decorating the outside, wrangling Finn to help him, Mom transformed the inside of the home. Her collection of snowmen figures covered every square inch of surface.
Matching stockings for each family member hung over the mantle above the wood burning fireplace. Reading over the names—Finn, Nina, Ava—Isabella’s chest tightened. It had been two years since she’d seen her brother, sister-in-law, and niece when they’d visited her in New York. Ava was five already. Her throat went thick. Watching her niece grow up on FaceTime suddenly didn’t sit right. “Izzy?” Norah called from the stairs.
Disoriented, Isabella shook her head. “Right.” She followed Norah up the stairs and down the hall. In a way, it felt as if she hadn’t ever left. And when she stepped into the bedroom she grew up in, she didn’t think she had.
Isabella turned in a 360-degree spin. The same pink comforter with red roses and red ruffled bed skirt covered the daybed. The pink walls had posters from popular bands from the 2000s, and a heart-shaped bulletin board displayed photos of her and her friends. And Leo.
Valentine’s cards and birthday cards sat in an inch of dust on the bookcase. She picked up a card and read the signature, “Love, Leo.” A bubble of nostalgia arose in her gut. Her old bedroom looked as if it threw up Leo all over it.
Besides the treadmill crammed in the corner, the wedding decorations piled around it, and a plastic-protected dress smoothed out on the bed, the room looked just how she left it ten years ago. When she left, she’d been naive in her assumption that she’d be back and someday planning her own wedding. She figured she’d pack all this stuff and take it to the home her and Leo would share. Literally nothing had gone the way she’d planned.
“Okay, I think you’re gonna love this.” Norah slipped the white plastic off the dress and held up the long, frilly gown. “What do you think?” She bit her lower lip, her eyes wide, anticipation beaming.
The dress—while in Isabella’s favorite color, red—was a nightmare. Asleevelessnightmare at that. It was an outdoor wedding; the giant white tent and standing heaters would do little to block out the cold. Standing outside and exposed to the Colorado winter conditions during a wedding ceremony in a sleeveless dress had to have been Norah’s craziest idea yet.
“It’s um…it’s pretty.”
“Right? I knew you’d love the color. But don’t you love all the material?” Norah ran her dainty hand over the frills.
“Um, sure.” Isabella touched the dress. It felt scratchy. Whatwasthis material? Rayon?
Norah smoothed the dress across the bed gently, gazing longingly at it. “Oh, Izzy, I’m just so glad you’re here.” She yanked her sister’s hand and pulled her onto the bed, sitting next to one another. “I’ve missed you. There’s so much I’ve needed you for.”
