Chapter 22
WYNTER
It had been a week since that strained dinner. Wynter hadn’t been brave enough to ask Marcus what he’d been doing by her room. He could have been coming out of the bathroom for all she knew, but something told her not to be surprised if he’d been snooping.
After he’d left, she’d scanned her space, but nothing was out of place. Then she’d caught sight of the letter she’d left on her dresser, and her stomach had bottomed out.
Wynter had stressed for three full days straight after that, expecting Marcus to corner her and ask her about it. But when he hadn’t brought it up, she started to relax.
That didn’t stop her from feeling the guilt associated with not sharing that particular piece of information with him.
She probably should have told him the second she’d been asked to stay.
The longer she stared at the letter, the harder it was becoming to make excuses as to why she couldn’t relocate back to Copper Creek.
This was her home. She’d only been here four weeks, and she already couldn’t stand the idea of leaving again. It wasn’t only the town, either. It was her friends. It was Grams. It was Marcus.
Her feelings for him had grown exponentially out of hand.
And maybe that wasn’t an entirely bad thing.
Wynter was starting to have second thoughts about returning to California.
It was a small voice in the back of her head telling her that she didn’t have to run.
She was stronger now. She could brave this new experience.
And if Marcus was there at her side, then that was all she could ever want.
Unfortunately, the doubts quickly ate up those bright and happy thoughts. It was difficult to stay the course, especially when everything in her past screamed for self-preservation.
Today she’d gone into the office to handle some paperwork she couldn’t do over the computer. It had been nice to be in that environment again. Remote work was nice when she needed to keep an eye on Grams, but there was nothing like going into the office.
A thought flickered to life as she stepped out of the building of Colorado Crop Science. If she stayed, this would be where her office was located.
She paused and looked around her. It was dark, but the parking lot was bathed in lights from the streetlamps.
The sun didn’t have to be up for her to visualize what surrounded her.
The building was located just outside of the small town.
It was a large building but tasteful so as not to detract from the beauty of the Colorado fields that surrounded it.
She’d loved driving into work this morning.
The mountains were covered in snow. The fields glistened with it, too.
A few pastures within viewing distance had horses or cattle wandering through. It was nothing like the city.
California had beauty in its own right, but Copper Creek was heavenly.
She’d almost forgotten what it was like to live out here where the world seemed so much larger.
Where she could breathe in the crisp air and revel in knowing she was but a single star in a great big universe.
There was a peacefulness about Copper Creek that couldn’t be replicated, and it was even better around Christmastime.
Wynter shivered, the cold finally seeping into her bones.
She closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sky with a small smile touching her lips.
Maybe it was time to get out of her head and talk to Marcus.
She wouldn’t be able to promise him anything.
He’d know better than to ask. But they could talk.
She could tell him about the job offer and why she was nervous about staying—though she had a feeling he already knew based on the sorts of conversations they’d had as kids.
She might not have told him everything in excruciating detail, but he knew she had a hard time planning for the future when nothing was ever certain.
It would be something she’d have to work on.
Then she felt it. A speck of cold landed on her cheek.
Then another and another. She opened her eyes and blinked rapidly as more snowflakes drifted lazily around her.
It felt like a sign. She could do this. She could have an adult conversation with Marcus and find out exactly where he stood.
What did he want? Where did he see them in the future?
It wouldn’t take away the guilt she had in shutting him out, but she would work on that, too. If anyone could understand her, it was Marcus. She could trust him. She had to.
Wynter hurried to her car. It was only one of maybe six in the parking lot. When she got behind the wheel, she pulled out her phone and stilled when she saw a message from Marcus.
Marcus: Have a surprise for you. See you at your place when you’re off work. Drive safe.
A flutter of nerves exploded in her chest. He didn’t seem upset. He would have been if he had found the letter, right? Sure, it had been a few days, but he would have said something. Her thumb hovered over the keyboard, unsure if she should respond or how she should respond.
Ultimately, she chose to leave the message as read and head home. If he was waiting for her, then she’d have her chance to talk to him. A nice, quiet evening where they could hash out everything they needed to say.
Those nerves went into overdrive as she continued to consider what his surprise could be. Marcus was the best at giving gifts. He’d always had a knack for picking the perfect one. She couldn’t wait to find out what it could be.
Wynter pulled her car to a stop and stared in confusion at all the cars that were surrounding the house. She recognized a few of them. Rose and Morgan were there. Strange. There was also a truck she recalled seeing when Jason and Isabelle had come by. But there were so many others.
Did she even know this many people?
Did Marcus?
Slowly, she climbed out of her car. She grabbed her purse and shut the door, a feeling of trepidation washing over her. This wasn’t good. Why were her instincts telling her to get back in that car and drive far, far away?
Because she didn’t like surprises like this one. She didn’t like being put on the spot. Clearly, Marcus had planned a party. That was the only logical explanation as she peered around at all the vehicles.
The front door opened, and Christmas music filtered into the air. The couple who had emerged didn’t see her as they stood on the front porch and chatted. It was too far away for Wynter to catch what they were saying, but she could make out a female and a male voice.
Her eyes flitted to the window where the blinds had been drawn, and she could see people milling around.
They were all smiling and enjoying themselves.
Something told Wynter that this party was Marcus’s way of doing something nice for her, and while it was a little misguided, she couldn’t bring herself to be angry with him.
He was being the sweet Marcus she was falling for.
With trepidation, she headed toward the house. When she drew closer to the couple, she recognized Isabelle and Jason. Both smiled, but it was Jason’s tense expression that couldn’t be hidden beneath his grin. It gave her pause as she stood at the bottom of the steps.
“Wynter! You’re home. Come in, get out of the cold,” Isabelle’s words drew Wynter from her stupor, and she forced a smile as she turned her attention to the woman she considered a friend. They’d gotten a little closer over the last couple of weeks than they had been when she was in high school.
“What’s going on?” Wynter hedged, making her way up the stairs.
Her eyes darted to the window again, and she swallowed hard.
“Please tell me Marcus is the one responsible for all of this.” It hadn’t even occurred to her that Grams might have come up with this idea, but it was possible.
Her grandmother needed to be taking it easy.
“Yep.” Isabelle said. “He thought it would be fun to have a get-together with your friends.”
Wynter arched a brow at that. “My friends?”
Isabelle laughed. “Well, some of them. It’s mostly our family in there. I have five brothers and sisters, and some of them have kids. He also invited Rose and…” Isabelle tilted her head in thought.
“Morgan,” Wynter offered.
She snapped her fingers. “That’s right. Morgan. There’s food. Music. Everything you could think of needing for a Christmas party.”
Wynter couldn’t help but glance over to Jason again. The lines on his face confirmed her earlier suspicions. He knew something, and he was concerned. Why did that suddenly put Wynter ten times more on edge? She didn’t even know Jason all that well. Maybe he was having a bad day.
Not even two steps into the house, and Wynter was pulled into a tight hug. Marcus’s scent enveloped her, putting her somewhat at ease. There was something about being cocooned into his arms that made it easy to forget she had something to be worried about.
She pulled back enough to glance around the room, and sure enough, most of those in attendance were Marcus’s siblings.
His warm breath tickled her ear when he leaned in close to speak to her. “Surprise.”
Forcing a smile, she met his gaze, and then he frowned. That frown was followed by a huff, and he blushed.
“I totally forgot you don’t like big crowds.”
She placed a hand on his forearm. “It’s fine. I know your heart was in the right place.”
He grinned, his earlier disappointment fading.
“Hey, can we talk… later?” she asked.
Marcus peered at her, the seriousness returning. “Sure, sweetheart. Whatever you want.”
Before she could come to terms with his term of endearment, he turned to the crowd of people.
“The guest of honor has arrived.” He smiled broadly and the sound of chatter dissipated.
She tightened her hand on his forearm to warn him not to make a big deal about her or draw attention, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“A lot of you know about Wynter. Some of you know her really well. But did you know that she came back to Copper Creek to take care of her grandmother while she recovered from her injury? She up and left her life in California. She’s always been the smartest, most caring woman in the world, and we finally have her back. ”
Wynter gasped, her fingernails practically digging into his arm, but he only continued.
“I don’t know how many of you know this, but back in the day, we were thick as thieves. There wasn’t a day when we didn’t spend time together.” Marcus turned to her and took both of her hands in his. “I didn’t know it then, but this amazing woman would end up stealing my heart.”
The flutter in her chest turned into an all-out brawl.
Her lungs seized. Her heart beat out of rhythm.
She could feel the flush crawl up the back of her neck and flood her face and chest. What was happening?
Why couldn’t he see the terror she was certain was written all over her face?
Gone was the peace she’d felt only twenty minutes ago.
Now all she felt was a lack of control, and based on her rapid breathing and dizziness, she might be having a panic attack.
It only got worse when Marcus slowly lowered onto one knee. He still held one of her hands as he pulled something out of his pocket with his free hand. Then he flipped the lid open with his thumb.
Gasps erupted in the small space. Even though the Christmas music still played, she couldn’t hear anything but the roaring of blood in her ears.
No.
No, no, no.
This wasn’t right.
“Wynter Delaney, will you marry me?”
Lord, please don’t let this be happening right now.