they’d shared last night—and again this morning before he’d left—she still didn’t know where they stood.
Until he stepped inside and dragged her into his arms for a body-melting kiss that left her dizzy.
“Nice to see you too,” she said when he let her go. “I missed you today.”
“I worked for a while at the office, then had the obligatory help-the-parents-get-ready-for-Christmas Eve thing. How was your day?”
She loved that he asked as she went to grab her coat. “I did a little writing. It was a productive day.”
He helped her put her coat on and they walked outside. It was cold and the skies were dark, no sign of stars. Maybe it would snow for Christmas, which would be delightful.
“Glad it was a good day for you.”
She slid into the car and waited for him to get inside. “I don’t think it could have been anything but a perfect day after last night.”
The smile he directed at her was dazzling. And promising. “I’m glad.”
Still, they hadn’t talked about last night or what it had meant or where they’d go from here. Riley tried not to make more of it than what it was—really great sex between two people who’d known each other for a very long time.
And maybe it had seemed like more at the time—more of a soul-type connection. But she was both a woman and a songwriter, a lethal combination. Women were emotional by nature, and artists tended to throw their hearts and souls into everything they did, whereas Ethan had probably just wanted to get laid.
So she should probably stop turning last night into the holy grail of lovemaking experiences, when to Ethan it had likely just been a night of decent sex.
“You’re kind of quiet over there,” he said as they pulled into his parents’ driveway.
“Oh, just thinking of some lyrics. Hard to turn off the job sometimes.”
He laughed. “I know how that is.”
They went inside and Riley was assaulted by a three-foot whirlwind with dark hair in a ponytail. “Riley Jensen! You’re here!”
Ethan took her coat with an apologetic look and leaned in to whisper. “Sorry. You’ll get no peace tonight. She kind of adores you.”
She grinned and whispered back. “It’s okay. The feeling is mutual.”
“Miss Zoey. How are you tonight?”
“Did you know Santa is coming tonight? You have to go to bed early or he won’t come to your house. Where is your house, Riley Jensen?”
“I’m staying at the bed and breakfast over on Conner Street. Do you think Santa will be able to find me?” Riley said as she and Zoey wandered into the living room.
“Santa can always find you.”
Everyone was there already. Wyatt and his scowling face, Brody and his amused one, and Ethan’s parents, who grinned and enveloped her in a huge hug.
They had dinner, then spent the evening playing board games and cards, then watching How The Grinch Stole Christmas , both the half-hour cartoon version and the movie version because Zoey loved both. And so did Riley. She and Zoey snuggled together on the sofa, laughing at the Grinch, then feeling bad because he was misunderstood.
As Zoey scooted closer and held Riley’s hand, it occurred to her how much she’d missed out on, and how much she craved a family of her own someday.
Or now.
Family. She fell into it and welcomed it for as long as she had it.
This wasn’t her family. Zoey wasn’t her daughter, and Ethan wasn’t hers to keep. After Christmas she had to head back to Nashville, and Ethan and Zoey’s lives were here.
She couldn’t have everything.
***
There were no television cameras, no photographers, and as Ethan watched Riley snuggled up on the sofa with his daughter, his heart clenched. Riley had scooped her hair up into a ponytail, kicked off her boots and thrown a blanket over her and Zoey, both of them yawning as they watched television.
She’d wriggled into his family as if she belonged there, as if she’d never left. She threw Brody’s zingers right back at him, ignored
Until he stepped inside and dragged her into his arms for a body-melting kiss that left her dizzy.
“Nice to see you too,” she said when he let her go. “I missed you today.”
“I worked for a while at the office, then had the obligatory help-the-parents-get-ready-for-Christmas Eve thing. How was your day?”
She loved that he asked as she went to grab her coat. “I did a little writing. It was a productive day.”
He helped her put her coat on and they walked outside. It was cold and the skies were dark, no sign of stars. Maybe it would snow for Christmas, which would be delightful.
“Glad it was a good day for you.”
She slid into the car and waited for him to get inside. “I don’t think it could have been anything but a perfect day after last night.”
The smile he directed at her was dazzling. And promising. “I’m glad.”
Still, they hadn’t talked about last night or what it had meant or where they’d go from here. Riley tried not to make more of it than what it was—really great sex between two people who’d known each other for a very long time.
And maybe it had seemed like more at the time—more of a soul-type connection. But she was both a woman and a songwriter, a lethal combination. Women were emotional by nature, and artists tended to throw their hearts and souls into everything they did, whereas Ethan had probably just wanted to get laid.
So she should probably stop turning last night into the holy grail of lovemaking experiences, when to Ethan it had likely just been a night of decent sex.
“You’re kind of quiet over there,” he said as they pulled into his parents’ driveway.
“Oh, just thinking of some lyrics. Hard to turn off the job sometimes.”
He laughed. “I know how that is.”
They went inside and Riley was assaulted by a three-foot whirlwind with dark hair in a ponytail. “Riley Jensen! You’re here!”
Ethan took her coat with an apologetic look and leaned in to whisper. “Sorry. You’ll get no peace tonight. She kind of adores you.”
She grinned and whispered back. “It’s okay. The feeling is mutual.”
“Miss Zoey. How are you tonight?”
“Did you know Santa is coming tonight? You have to go to bed early or he won’t come to your house. Where is your house, Riley Jensen?”
“I’m staying at the bed and breakfast over on Conner Street. Do you think Santa will be able to find me?” Riley said as she and Zoey wandered into the living room.
“Santa can always find you.”
Everyone was there already. Wyatt and his scowling face, Brody and his amused one, and Ethan’s parents, who grinned and enveloped her in a huge hug.
They had dinner, then spent the evening playing board games and cards, then watching How The Grinch Stole Christmas , both the half-hour cartoon version and the movie version because Zoey loved both. And so did Riley. She and Zoey snuggled together on the sofa, laughing at the Grinch, then feeling bad because he was misunderstood.
As Zoey scooted closer and held Riley’s hand, it occurred to her how much she’d missed out on, and how much she craved a family of her own someday.
Or now.
Family. She fell into it and welcomed it for as long as she had it.
This wasn’t her family. Zoey wasn’t her daughter, and Ethan wasn’t hers to keep. After Christmas she had to head back to Nashville, and Ethan and Zoey’s lives were here.
She couldn’t have everything.
***
There were no television cameras, no photographers, and as Ethan watched Riley snuggled up on the sofa with his daughter, his heart clenched. Riley had scooped her hair up into a ponytail, kicked off her boots and thrown a blanket over her and Zoey, both of them yawning as they watched television.
She’d wriggled into his family as if she belonged there, as if she’d never left. She threw Brody’s zingers right back at him, ignored
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