Chapter 17
MARCUS
He’d made a mistake.
That was the only reasonable explanation for the sick feeling he couldn’t shake.
Marcus had never been the kind of guy who had to hide who he was or what he wanted out of life. He’d always gone after it with two eyes wide open. Which was why he’d told Wynter he’d have her anyway he could.
Had it been a lie?
Yes.
One he felt guilty over?
Nope.
And yet he felt like he was being raked over the coals when he spent time with her.
Why couldn’t Wynter grasp that she meant more to him?
She was intelligent enough. He got the feeling that she knew exactly how much she meant to him, but she was refusing to allow herself the happiness that came with it.
Hiding his affection for her in front of Nora stung. He knew that Wynter’s grandfather wouldn’t approve of that sort of behavior either. And maybe that was where all this frustration was stemming from. Marcus wanted to shout to the world that he was falling in love with Wynter.
No, that wasn’t quite right.
He’d already fallen for her. But if he told her that, then he’d end up losing her.
He was stuck. And there was no fixing it.
Wynter held all the cards. He felt like a rubber band being stretched taut.
One side was over the moon, happy about how far he’d come with her.
While the other side was solidly miserable.
“You might want to smooth your expression. I’ve heard it can stay that way if you’re not careful.”
Marcus’s head snapped up. He’d decided to drink his coffee in the coffee shop today if only to gather his thoughts before seeing Wynter. Standing before him in a pair of scrubs was Jason’s brother. Theirs was a new and somewhat strange friendship, but one that Marcus gladly accepted.
He couldn’t exactly talk to his siblings about Wynter. Isabelle was over the top when it came to pushing them together. Mateo was wary. The others would likely pick sides, and then he’d end up being pulled even tighter.
Marcus peered up at Mathew Klein and offered a wan smile. “Hey, Doc. Heading to work?”
Mathew shook his head and then rubbed his eyes. “Just got off a sixteen-hour shift.”
Marcus’s brows rose. “Some of us get all of the luck,” he said with a shake of his head.
The doctor gave him a look of incredulity. “Not sure if I’d call working sixteen hours luck.”
He gestured toward the doctor with a wave of his hand. “If I looked that good after an all-nighter at work, then…” He didn’t have to finish the statement. It wouldn’t matter if he had all the girls’ attention. He only wanted the attention of one in particular.
Understanding dawned on Mathew’s face and he slumped down into the chair across from Marcus, coffee in hand.
“If you don’t mind my asking, why the coffee? You should be going home to bed, right?”
Mathew snorted out a derisive laugh. “Christmas festivities being what they are, I have a family activity with my cousins in a few hours. Leave it up to a bunch of women to insist on brunch.”
Wincing, Marcus motioned to the cup. “Drink up. I don’t think I envy you anymore.”
This time Mathew chuckled. They sat there in silence for a few moments before Mathew’s inquisitive gaze had Marcus shifting in his seat uncomfortably. When he couldn’t stand it anymore, he straightened.
“What?” Marcus snapped. Then he flinched inwardly.
Thankfully, Mathew didn’t seem to mind. “You need to talk about it?”
“Talk about what?” Marcus scoffed.
The man shifted his focus to his cup. He turned it around on the table, humming to himself. Then he flicked his eyes up to Marcus. “Like I said before. That line between your brows. Might stay that way if you’re not careful.”
“I thought that was an old wives’ tale.”
A smile stretched across his friend’s face. “Who’s the doctor here?”
Marcus’s eyes narrowed, and Mathew laughed.
“Okay, you got me. But it could make the wrinkles worse over time. Less scowling, more moisturizing. Then you can look like this after a sixteen-hour shift, too.” He flashed Marcus a bright smile.
Marcus couldn’t help himself. He huffed a laugh.
Then he grew serious. “I don’t know what to do.
Wynter’s keeping me at arm’s length. There are moments when I feel like we’re on the same page.
Like I can tell she wants what’s developing between us to be real.
But then in a flash, those moments are gone and she’s putting up walls.
We’re close. Then she’s making up rules so we can continue to sneak around. It’s driving me crazy.”
Mathew sighed. “That’s tough.”
“Yeah.”
“Sorry. But I don’t have any advice for you. All I can say is to keep prioritizing what’s important to you. This girl. She makes the cut, right?”
“Of course she does.” There wasn’t a question in his mind whether or not Wynter made the cut. If he could convince her to stay, he’d be in front of her right now doing it.
“Then keep it up. Some people need a little push. For whatever reason, she’s nervous. Be there for her. Do what you have to in order to make her feel secure. Eventually, she’s gotta accept it. And when she does, she’ll either walk away or stick around.”
It was the walking away part that had Marcus terrified.
He stared down at his peppermint coffee and frowned.
There was no pushing pause on the trajectory of his life.
Either they’d end up together or she’d leave.
He nodded, though he didn’t feel at all better about any of it.
So much for his sister and Nora doing what they could to push Wynter in the right direction. None of it was working.
“Thanks for the chat.” Marcus stood up. “I’ve got to get going. Good luck with your brunch.”
Mathew nodded, curt and short. The guy sounded like he knew what he was talking about. He’d made mistakes and learned from them. Maybe Marcus could take what he’d said to heart and just pray that everything would end up the way he wanted it to.
“Still my all-time favorite Christmas movie,” Nora said with a dreamy look on her wrinkled face.
Marcus glanced over Wynter’s head to where her grandmother rocked while the credits rolled for White Christmas.
“My friends always swooned over Bing Crosby, but I was always a sucker for Danny Kaye. Now that man is handsome.”
“Grams!” Wynter laughed.
“Tell me I’m wrong,” Nora insisted. “Put those men side by side and tell me that Danny isn’t cuter.”
Wynter laughed again with a shake of her head.
“Your grandfather looked a lot like him, you know.”
This time Wynter’s mouth dropped open.
“When he was younger.” Nora sighed, her smile still dreamy.
Marcus watched the interaction with amusement.
He’d had to fight the urge to wrap his arm around Wynter’s shoulders to pull her close during the movie.
There had been a couple of times when their fingers had grazed one another while they ate the caramel popcorn they’d made for their movie night.
He looked down at where Wynter’s hand rested on her lap, and he wanted nothing more than to grab it and kiss each fingertip.
Nora yawned, getting to her feet. “I’m going to turn in. You two don’t stop your little marathon on my account.” She winked at him, and Wynter stiffened. Marcus could already sense her irritation.
Not only was Nora perceptive, but she’d also been actively trying to push them together. But Wynter wouldn’t be happy to hear it. He watched Nora take her leave, and only when her bedroom door clicked shut did Wynter round on him.
She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, he framed her face in his hands and pressed a kiss to her lips. The surprised squeak that escaped her lips turned into something resembling a moan as their kiss deepened. She melted into his touch, clearly as affected by him as he was by her.
These stolen moments were what he lived for. Time was running out, and he’d take every last one he was allowed. When he finally released her, she appeared to be stunned. Her eyes had fluttered closed, and her breathing had grown erratic.
He traced her lower lip with his thumb. He wished he could ask her to stay. He wanted nothing more than to tell her he was falling in love with her. But he did none of that.
Wynter’s eyes opened and she stared at him. Emotion flashed in those depths, but she didn’t utter a single word. All she did was sigh.
Marcus grinned, kissed the tip of her nose, then got to his feet. “I’ll get us a refill on some popcorn. You pick the next movie.”
She nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
Whew, they’d managed to avoid that hard subject—the one he knew he didn’t have the strength to work through.
Priorities. That’s what Mathew had said.
Right now, the future wasn’t as important as the here and now.
No matter how hard it was to accept that, Marcus would.
He’d show Wynter that she was important to him.
How he felt about her. All of it without putting it into words.
He returned to the living room just as Wynter pressed play on the film. “It’s A Wonderful Life, huh?”
She flashed him a grin. “Are you surprised?”
He settled onto the couch beside her and shook his head. “Nope. You always loved this movie.” This time he didn’t hesitate. He pulled her against his body, holding her close. Wynter didn’t fight him. Instead, she seemed to relax.
Marcus traced his fingers up and down her arm, then he turned his head so he could kiss her temple.
It was moments like this one when she was willing to give in to him that made him love her even more.
He knew it was hard for her to be vulnerable.
They’d discussed it when they were younger.
Wynter had never been able to give any piece of herself to another person. Not even him.
And yet here she was, offering a small part of herself. She was giving in to him and showing him love in her own way, even if she didn’t realize it. Hope flickered in his chest. He could be patient. Little by little, Wynter was starting to trust him.
“Wynter?”
It wasn’t until she twisted around to look up into his face that he realized he’d said her name aloud.
Curiosity flared in her eyes, and he stiffened. “Marcus?” she questioned.
He couldn’t drag his eyes away from her. It might be a big mistake, but he couldn’t stop himself from putting at least a part of it out there. “Do you think if you were ready for something more…”
She sighed, and he fought the slice of pain in his chest. “Marcus.”
“Because I’m here for it.”
Wynter didn’t look at him when she whispered, “If that was something I wanted…” She shifted but didn’t pull away. “Maybe I could see this going further.”
He didn’t dare breathe. This was yet another crumb.
If she wanted it. If she wanted a relationship, then he’d be a reasonable choice.
He had a chance. Neither one of them spoke after that.
They were each locked in their own minds.
His was whirling with the fact that he was one step closer to winning her over.
She simply needed to see that dating him could be good for both of them. That wasn’t impossible.
His hold on her tightened as if he expected her to move away from him.
Thankfully, she didn’t. Her hand came up across her chest and she linked her fingers with his. He exhaled a breath he’d been holding and smiled to himself.
Definitely not impossible.