Heart of Christmas (Curiosity Bay #4)

24. Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

MacGregor

Last night with Audrey was sensational. I never returned to the hotel, but I woke up and made her breakfast before she had to go in to the antique store for the day.

It was hard to shake the memories from last night. I’ve probably replayed them a thousand times since I woke up, and seeing her lie in bed, looking so beautiful this morning, only made me crave her more.

Last night felt like a dream in some ways where the vivid detail gave way to soft realness, almost like it was too perfect to be real.

But everything about spending last night with Audrey had been more real than anything I’d ever experienced, including that night with her so many years ago.

It didn’t make it any less special, but it felt like a continuance of something that was meant to be. I smiled and poured myself a cup of coffee as I thought about Audrey leaning over me last night, her hair draped along my chest as her eyes looked dreamy. She’d rested her head on my shoulder, breathing quickly as I pulled her close. The smell of her shampoo turned into an intoxicating drug as I pulled her closer and explored all of her curves for the second time that night.

We’d started on the couch and ended in her bedroom.

I looked out her kitchen window to see rain tracing down the glass. Dottie went in with Audrey, leaving Jasper and me to our own devices. I’d planned on stopping by the hotel and getting showered and changed before I killed time until tonight when I got to see Audrey again.

Of course, there was a shot that I might surprise her with lunch. That was always an option. I smiled and shook my head in surprise.

My phone rang, and I picked it up to see Owen calling.

“What’s up?” I answered.

“Coming back soon?” he asked.

“In a day or so.”

“She hasn’t kicked you off the island yet?” he joked.

“Not yet.”

“Well, Mom and Dad are beside themselves. They’re certain you’ve found The One .”

“They haven’t met her yet.”

“Doesn’t seem to matter.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Why don’t you tell me the real reason you called?”

“Ah, you got me.” He laughed. “I couldn’t find the keys to the snowmobiles.”

“And here I thought you called because you love and miss me.”

“I do. I especially love that you have plenty of toys to keep me busy so I don’t die of boredom during the holidays.”

“You’re impossible. They’re in the drawer by the fridge.”

“Awesome. Thanks. Have fun getting the girl.” He laughed. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Thanks. Talk to you soon, and don’t forget to water the tree.”

“You’re such a lost cause,” he mumbled, hanging up.

I looked over at Jasper. “Ready to go for a drive to check out the island?”

Jasper glanced outside and looked reluctant with all the rain.

“It’ll be fine,” I explained. “We’ll be in the car.”

I rinsed out my cup and put it in the dishwasher before leashing up Jasper and heading out to the car.

It wasn’t an exact downpour. There was more of a mist in the air as I climbed into the car and put Jasper on the front seat.

“What do you think about Dottie?” I asked.

He looked over at me before curling into a ball as I backed out of the driveway.

I didn’t have any particular place to go, but I wanted to see what the island was like beyond Curiosity Bay.

As I drove along the main road that wound along the cliffs of Marigold, I spotted an apple orchard to my left with a large home sprawling on top of the gentle hill. As I drove along the windy road, I thought about the island and what it must have been like for Audrey to grow up here.

It seemed like there would have been many places to explore as a kid and a lot more places to get in trouble as a teen. I chuckled, imagining Audrey doing anything that would get her in trouble.

But the one thing I needed to do was to let her know about my ex-fiancée. Tyler’s words stuck with me about coming clean with any details with Audrey. I meant to do it last night, but we’d gotten a little preoccupied.

I saw a car parked alongside a road, butting up to a fence. A woman got out of the car and wandered toward a gate.

Slowing down as I got closer, I recognized the sister and rolled my window down.

“Hi, Amelia,” I hollered.

She spun around and waved, pointing to the side of the road.

I pulled behind her car, cracked the windows for Jasper, and got out as she made her way over. It was in the forties, so hopefully, he wouldn’t freeze in only a few minutes.

“I’m surprised you’re not with Audrey,” she said with a smile.

“She’s at Baubles,” I explained.

“That’s right. Brad and I are headed over in a little bit to take over.”

I looked around the pastureland and noticed the mist had stopped. “Are you eyeing this piece of land or…?”

“Oh, it’s James’ land. It backs up to his family’s apple orchard. They’ve been trying to figure out what to do with it.” She held up her phone. “I was just taking some pics to send to a friend in Atlanta.”

My interest piqued. “Really? It might be up for sale?”

She shrugged. “We’ll see. James seems to think it would be more hassle than he wants to bother with.”

I nodded as my mind raced with opportunities. Nothing I could voice to Audrey’s sister, or she’d think I’d cracked.

But since last night, I couldn’t stop thinking of ways to make it feasible to stay on Marigold Island, at least some of the time.

The thought of leaving Audrey for any length of time didn’t seem like the direction we should go. How could we possibly build and nurture a relationship if I jet off to Wyoming? She needed to be here. She loved what she did for a living, and I was still hammering out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Sure. Being involved with my brother’s business in my twenties didn’t hurt my pocketbook in any way, and I could be financially set. But I wanted to do something with my life beyond being lucky to have a money-hungry brother at my side.

I knew I was getting ahead of myself, but the island was a mecca for tourists, and this piece of property wasn’t too far out of town.

“How much land is here?”

She eyed me and smiled. “About forty-five acres, but it backs up to some of the island’s trails.”

My brows shot up. “Trails?”

“Yeah, for hiking or horseback riding.”

“No kidding.” My fingers tingled with possibility.

“Yeah.” She nodded, taking some shots with her phone. “Anyway, I highly doubt James and his family want to plant more apples. I guess we could donate it to the island.”

I bit my bottom lip and glanced over at Jasper, barking excitedly from the car.

“I know this might sound crazy, but would you mind not sending the photos to your friend just yet?”

She frowned and shrugged. “Sure. I suppose. Timing doesn’t really matter.”

“Thanks. Something just occurred to me, and…”

Jasper barked again.

“I need to get back to Jasper, but maybe we can talk more.”

A twinkle surfaced in her eyes, and she nodded. “Sounds good.”

“See ya around,” I said, looking at Jasper’s paws on the driver’s side window. “Duty calls.”

“Fatherhood is real.” She chuckled as I jogged back to my car.

She walked back to hers, climbed in, and pulled away as I attempted to get Jasper settled. He jumped on my lap, excitedly licking the window and my face.

“You like that land?” I teased, rubbing his ears. “Is that what this is about?”

I let out a sigh and wondered if I’d gone crazy.

But as I sat back in the seat and looked at the beautiful acreage, I imagined horse stables, riding arenas, and trail rides. I loved all these things back in Wyoming but never had the opportunity to do them.

I laughed and shook my head, realizing that last night was making me think crazy thoughts, and I didn’t care.

Between the holidays and being with Audrey, my head was spinning. I couldn’t wait to see her today.

“Okay, Jasper.” I tapped the seat next to me. “Time to go see Dottie.”

Once he heard the name, he quickly changed seats and let me drive toward town. Even though the snow had since melted, the town of Curiosity Bay was fully decorated and made me feel at home. It wasn’t a stretch to think about staying here, but I wasn’t going to get ahead of myself.

I also wasn’t going to let Audrey talk herself out of seeing me, so it was a delicate balance.

My mind drifted to last night and how I pulled her closer to me. She rested her head against my chest, sighing contentedly.

It was a sound and feeling I’d never forget. The small, barely audible sigh made something in my chest tighten, and an unexpected emotion welled inside me.

When I’d told Audrey earlier that I was falling in love.

I’d lied.

I already fell in love with her, and I just hoped she’d feel the same someday.