A Long Winter's Night: A Four Seasons Novella by Lee Geneva

Author:Lee, Geneva [Lee, Geneva]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Ivy Estate
Published: 2020-05-12T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

The Christmas tree lights had been left on, bathing the living room in warmth. The aroma of dinner lingered, rich and spicy, and the quiet house looked as if it belonged in a magazine. The last few embers glowed in the hearth. It was past midnight, which meant it was Christmas morning and the world felt magical. Tara always kept the lights on for Santa, and maybe it was sentimentality but she’d continued to do so even when I was long past the age where I believed in Santa Claus. Now it filled me with a sense of peace that I wondered at. After our disastrous dinner and show down in the kitchen, it amazed me that I could feel so content.

Stealing down the last few steps, I slid onto the couch, hugging my knees to my chest and staring dreamily at the tree. Something stirred in the corner of my vision and I jumped up, surprised to find I wasn’t alone.

“You don’t look like a jolly old elf.” Liam’s mouth cracked into a sleepy smile. He was nestled under two blankets in the corner armchair, and he slid an arm out to beckon me over to him.

“Waiting up for Santa Claus?” I settled onto his lap as he drew the blanket back up over us.

“I must have missed him,” Liam said, “because my present is already here.”

“It is, huh?”

“You’re all I wanted for Christmas,” he murmured, his lips brushing my ear.

“You already have me,” I whispered. “Don’t you want something else?”

I didn’t have to say what I was really thinking—that he was crazy for sticking around. After Tara’s not-so-gentle reminder about our dubious future, I wouldn’t blame him for having second thoughts. I loved Liam, but even I couldn’t see a way for us to have a happy ending. Between my condition and his student visa, this was likely our first and last Christmas together, and he had to know that, too. Why waste time?

Liam rolled his eyes at the question. “From what I can tell, Christmas in America is about getting lots of new and shiny presents. That might be fun for a bit, but I’ve always played favorites with my…toys.”

“Toys?” I raised an eyebrow. “Are you comparing me to your Tonka trucks and action figures?”

“Oh, you are much more fun—you make so many noises when I play with you.” His hands slipped under the hem of my shirt, moving slowly across my stomach. “And like any favorite toy, I couldn’t fall asleep tonight without you.”

“Were you scared?” I asked playfully, twisting so I could see him face in the dim Christmas lights. In the warm glow the strong lines of his jaw, the straight line of his nose, the slight dimple in his chin were accentuated. I felt a familiar flutter at the sight.

“Aye, I was.” The grin fell from his face replaced by the hint of a frown. “Without your beautiful body tucked up next to me, I felt lost.”

The playfulness was gone now. Instead, there was an ache in Liam’s voice that sent tremors running through me.

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