You for Christmas by Madeline Ash

Author:Madeline Ash
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Published: 2015-12-14T05:00:00+00:00

The ritual of the Christmas tree held Regan’s anxiety at bay. A temporary fix, but she wrung it of every distraction it offered. First, there were big decisions surrounding which decorations to buy. Much consideration required. Then there was hauling the tree from Felix’s car up to the apartment and setting it up on the balcony. Lots of attention needed there, especially after she locked her watery-eyed assistant indoors to start hanging up the lights. After that, decorating the tree demanded her complete focus. Tiny golden bulbs had to be strung evenly, flickering both close to the surface and buried deep in the pine needles. On went the red and silver baubles, then the strings of red beads, cascading just so, and the loose ribbon bows that dripped down the branches. She even hung a couple of ribbons from the kumquat to drag out the process.

It took most of the afternoon, broken up with cool glasses of ice water and several coats of sunblock. For those few hours, she almost thought if she just kept her back turned, she could avoid the thoughts queuing up impatiently behind her.

Then Felix appeared at the balcony door, holding up the plate of toasted sandwiches he’d made for dinner, and she was suddenly nose-to-nose with the most demanding thought of the bunch.

He was falling for her.

Regan’s eyes skirted his as she took from the plate. “Thank you.”

“It’s looking good,” he said with a gesture towards the tree. Then he sneezed.

She winced. “I’ve just realized the extent of my selfishness. We only got the tree for me. And now I’m going to Byron Bay. So we cut it down for one night.”

“I’ll give it to my neighbor. Her kid will go mad over two trees.” Even as he smiled, wariness curbed his gaze. He’d confessed his feelings and received no indication of Regan’s in return. Served him right. She tried to hold down panic. Surely he knew better than to become emotionally invested in someone like her. He was supposed to be smart.

When he sneezed again, she used the excuse to shut the balcony door with him on the inside. Confused, she sat shakily on the bench and ate. The resinous scent of pine tried to calm her, as did the peach and lavender sunset out towards the bay, but she ended up with her knees drawn to her chest and her forehead pressed between them.

God, this was a mess.

Felix wasn’t supposed to fall for her. Just as she wasn’t supposed to glow with pleasure that he had, but no man had put her desires before his own before. None had actively wanted her to be happy, but Felix had taken her to buy a tree, despite his allergies, and had spent the afternoon syncing lights to a song he’d rather didn’t exist. She wanted it, and he could cope, so that was that. Small acts on the outside, but they meant the world to her. Add the fact that he’d turned his holiday season

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