The Perfect Holiday by Debbie Macomber

Author:Debbie Macomber [Macomber, Debbie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-10T00:00:00+00:00

Grady continued to stare at her, his eyes dark and haunted. He ran a weary hand over his face and looked away. “Don’t leave me.”

Did he think she was playing games with him the way Pam had done, packing her things, threatening to leave?

“Why?” The question was bitter.

“I need you.” He sounded gruff, almost defensive. “I know how much you love Steve, but—”

“Steve!” she cried, dropping the suitcase. “How can you think I want Steve when I’m in love with you?”

The dark, tortured eyes deepened, followed by a short, bitter laugh. “Cathy, don’t lie to me,” he murmured, in a hoarse whisper.

“Lie?” The muscles of her throat were constricting so tightly that she could barely swallow. “I love you so much that if you push me out of your life any further, I think I’ll die.”

Disbelief drove creases into his brow. “But I love you.” The words were issued in an aching whisper as he advanced a step into the room.

Cathy didn’t need any encouragement to meet him halfway. She walked into his arms, knowing how much the words had cost him. Grady’s arm closed around her so fiercely that she couldn’t breathe. Not that it mattered when he told her of his love.

His breathing was ragged and uneven as he buried his face in her hair, and she felt him shudder against her. For a long, breathless moment he did nothing more than hold her. Never had Cathy felt such peace, such contentment.

His kiss was filled with so much need that the single meeting of their lips was enough to erase all the pain and uncertainty of the past month.

“I need you,” he breathed into her hair. “I didn’t mean to fall in love with you. I thought we could marry and I’d remain detached from any emotional commitment.”

Her hands reached to his face, gently caressing the proud line of his jaw. “I love you so much, how could you have doubted?”

Grady broke the embrace and took several short steps before pivoting back to her. “We’d only seen each other a couple of times before I guessed that you’d been deeply hurt by another man. It didn’t take much longer to realize you were still in love with him.” He paused and ran his fingers through the curly hair at the side of his head. “I think I almost preferred it that way. You had a relationship you were trying to forget, and so did I.”

“But the past is over,” she whispered. “I confess I thought I was in love with Steve when we married. But I wasn’t. Not until the night Peterkins died did I realize that I couldn’t love Steve when I was in love with you.”

She saw the look of surprise that flashed over his features, and moved to his side, lifting her lips to his lean jaw.

He cupped her face with his hands, his thumb tracing her lips, his mouth following.

With her arm wrapped around his waist, Cathy laid her head on his chest and heard the rapid, staccato beat of his heart.

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