The Broody Brit for Christmas (Holiday Springs #1) - M.J. Fields Page 0,80

says from behind Raff.

He smirks down at me. “She is, aren’t you?”

I nod. “Yeah. Yes,” I sigh like an enormous weight has been lifted off my back. And then I say the words that have been locked up for months. I swing the gates open and exclaim, “I’m moving in!”

Rule Number Twenty - Five

The map to home, is written in your heart

Raff

Two weeks later

I pull into the small parking lot in front of Nikki’s office and park my new vehicle next to hers. She opted to buy my black Audi from me, at the same price I was going to get for trade.

She didn’t know that I set it up, knowing damn well she wouldn’t let me buy her a car, so I had my buddy Kolby make a bullshit call where he pretended that he had a buyer for fourteen grand and he was going to take it when I mumbled, “Bloody hell, that’s a steal.”

“I’ll give you fifteen grand,” she whispered to me.

And that is how she bought my one-year-old sixty-thousand-dollar car a quarter of the price, which is how I know she’s safe on these roads when she’s driving alone or with Nathaniel.

Grabbing the bag containing our lunch— homemade squash soup and grilled chicken sandwiches—the daily special for both Nikki and me from my place in Vail, and slide out of my white RS Q8, which is what I wanted her to be driving.

Regardless, crisp air smells cleaner than ever before, the sun brighter, the moon more seductive than ever, and my heart is so fucking full there are moments I don’t think I’m really on the same earth that I’ve been on for all my years.

It’s Tuesday, the day the office is empty and we have a standing lunch date. And it’s the week before my favorite holiday—Thanksgiving.

I walk inside, the bell on the door ringing with my entry.

“Red, I’m home!” I call out, watching her face light up.

It’s a silly line, but it makes her laugh, which means I’ll keep on saying it until it loses its luster.

“I missed you today.” She stands from her large oak desk, hurries to me, and wraps her arms around my neck.

Ever since the incident with that arsehole, Townes, and her moving into the loft, things have been fucking amazing. However, I want more. I want her in my bed every night, not sneaking in or out of each other’s before Nathaniel wakes up.

“Missed you, too.” I grab the back of her neck and pull her close enough to kiss her forehead, whispering against it, “If I kiss your lips, we know where this will lead, and you and I need to talk about some things.”

She steps back and looks up, concern etching her features. “Is Nathaniel okay?”

“Christ, I love how you love our boy, and yes, he’s fine.” I take her hand and walk us over to the small conference table. I pull out a chair, and she sits down.

I set the bag down and watch her eyes widen with excitement as I pull the food out and set it in front of her.

I wait until she starts to take a bite of the sandwich to tell her. “I love Raúl’s soups, but nothing, and I mean nothing tastes as good as you.” I sit down beside her.

She pauses mid-bite, a lock of her hair falls in front of her face, and I push it away.

“Thank you.”

She sits back and takes a bite, chews it, and swallows. “I think I made some progress with Shep today.”

“You’re so damn gorgeous. You know that, don’t—”

“Are you listening?”

I smile, loving when she gets all serious about work.

“Yes.”

“Okay, so...?” Her voice trails off, obviously waiting for a reply.

“So, property values...” It’s a shot in the dark, but I know I hit the jackpot when she exhales. “They’ve obviously been rising,” I continue. “Not just during tourist season, but beyond that. Beckett is right about this hotel. If he buys it and fixes it up right, it will be a huge success.”

“I think I have a way to get Beckett and Shep to agree on a sale.”

“Talk nerdy to me, Red.” I wink as I take a bite of my sandwich.

“He obviously wants nothing to do with the resort, he’s letting it fall apart, but the land is everything to him.”

“So?” I think I know where she’s leading but loving the passion she has for everything she does.

“Shepard Granger keeps the land and rents it for fifty years to Beckett, aside from what