time to think of it now. First thing next week, she’d look into the entity that bought the land. For now, she had a Christmas lighting to attend.
It was often that families from neighboring towns would come to the lighting, making it a day-after-Thanksgiving tradition. This meant Burke wouldn’t be the only outsider at the town’s event. Still, she figured he’d stand out no matter how big the crowd. At least to her.
And just why couldn’t Justine squelch this sudden onset of nerves? Nerves that only grew and swelled as she got ready for the event. Even as she stood before the mirror, her crown in place with minutes to spare, her anxiety kicked up an extra notch.
“What?” she finally blurted aloud. What was she afraid of? Losing Burke? Being humiliated? Making a fool of herself if the town somehow found out they hadn’t known each other prior to his trip to Piney Falls?
Yes. She guessed it was all of those things.
Plus, she and Burke would be in the spotlight as Piney Falls’ Pie Prince and Princess for the first dance of the evening. She suddenly wished very much that they could pass the honors on to Brittany and Trevor and just fade into the onlookers.
A knock came to her door. The sudden noise—as expected as it was—startled her enough to make her jump.
Sheesh. Justine pressed a hand to her heart as she hurried through the front room. She could hardly wait to be in Burke’s warm embrace. She flung back the door, excited to lay eyes on him, and grinned once he came into full, magnificent view. Deep blue eyes, thick dark hair, and a smile that threatened to stop her heart.
“Hi there, princess,” he said, stepping in and wrapping her in his muscular arms.
She breathed him in and felt her head go light. “Hi,” she said.
Burke pulled back and lifted his hand, revealing the crown in his grip. “I can’t put this on. Help?”
“Of course.” She waved him in to stand by the fireplace where a mirror hung adjacent on the wall. “I’ll grab some bobby pins.” Justine moved down the hall, into her bathroom where she grabbed the pins, and then hurried back into the front room. She’d been away from him for the last two days—that had been more than enough. Now, as cheesy as it might sound, she just wanted him close to her.
Burke hunched down as she set the crown on his head. “I missed you,” he said.
Her heart did a backflip. “I missed you too.” She couldn’t help but admire him as she slid the bobby pins into place, securing his very fitting crown.
Once she was finished, Justine trailed her hands down the back of his head, giving into a moment of adoration.
Burke glanced up at her through his lashes.
Oh, how she loved the heat that his gaze revved within her. The longing. The need. The hunger for more. Even now, with his blue eyes fixed on hers, new flames sparked to life. He cupped his hands around her hips as he straightened up. And then, without a single word or pause, he wrapped his arms securely around her and pulled her in close.
“I really missed you,” he assured.
She giggled. “Same.”
Justine let her eyes close as she took in the warmth of his embrace. The solid feel of his arms tightening around her. The sensation of his firm chest so flush against her that she felt the blessed beat of his heart.
She breathed in deeply the scent of cologne that would—in her mind—forever belong to him. An odd sense of desperation pooled in as she squeezed him tightly, wishing they could somehow stay like that forever.
She might not want what awaited them. Not if it threatened to tear them apart. Justine wasn’t sure what exactly that something might be, only knew that a dark and swelling dread was seeping into her bones.
“We better get going,” she said in a whisper.
She tried to get out of her own head as Burke led her out the door, down the porch steps, and into the BMW she’d been in so many times before, but Justine couldn’t help but see something akin to a carriage instead. One that, like the crown and the contest and the engagement too, was more like a fairytale than reality—too good to last.
Was it paranoia over losing someone she was giving her heart to, or was it simply a realistic glimpse at what lay ahead?