12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Harris looked up from his spot, nestled in the couch’s corner. It was past midnight, the living room softly illuminated by the television and string of lights that framed his windows. The lights fell in swoops, draped and secured on the curtain rod. He and Gigi had hung them together, using a stepladder, zip ties, and plenty of laughter. The ornaments were perfectly spaced out, dangling at the low point of each drape, and his mom’s snow globe took center stage, casting a warm, nostalgic net over the room.
Harris had to admit, the decorations were both beautiful and comforting, and the woman who slept beside him had orchestrated it all, with her touches and presence. Gigi lay stretched out on the couch, her mahogany hair piled on top of her head in a messy, adorable bun. She was half-covered by a blanket Harris had carefully tucked around her.
Earlier, after enjoying bowls of the hearty, rich soup Harris couldn’t get enough of, they had laughed through Home Alone and nearly made it through Elf before Gigi’s eyes fluttered shut during the last scene. Now she clung to a pillow, breathing deeply. Harris didn’t want to move and wake her, especially since she’d tucked her toes under his thigh.
Instead, he lay his head back, resting it against the cushions to enjoy the view. Beside him, Rudy was curled into an orange ball and settled into the crook of his elbow.
“Do you think I should wake her?” he whispered to Rudy, slowly petting his tiny head. Rudy purred, never opening his eyes. “She’s going to get a crick in her neck if we let her sleep there all night.” Cause she certainly wasn’t going home. Harris had been watching the weather, and the storm wasn’t supposed to let up until the morning.
Continuing to pet Rudy, Harris’s gaze shifted between Gigi’s peaceful face and the strand of twinkling lights. Was this what it was like to have someone to care for and come home to? To have someone to look forward to? Could this be his every day? It couldn’t be that easy.
The thought unsettled him, stirring up emotions he wasn’t sure how to process. For so long, he’d buried himself in his work, convinced he didn’t need anyone else to be happy. His previous girlfriends had all come to the same conclusion—that he was unavailable and unworthy of their time. He couldn’t commit. And maybe they were right. He had never put them first. But he’d also never met someone like Gigi—someone that deserved a man’s full heart.
But love could be painful.
Harris knew too well the ache of losing loved ones. His mother wasn’t the only important person taken from him. He’d lost his best friend Adam too. Life was tough, unpredictable. It could be unexpectant in the worst way. But work was always there for him, ready to fill every minute and thought. Had it become his shield? His way of keeping love and eventual heartbreak at bay?
Harris rubbed the back of his neck, inner turmoil running rampant. After tonight, he couldn’t deny the feelings that had been lurking and growing since he’d met Gigi. He hadn’t realized how lonely he was until she burst into his life, filling it with joy he’d either been avoiding or hadn’t known existed.
He looked at her now, peacefully asleep, her presence a balm to his hardened soul. Could he be the man she deserved?
As much as Harris knew he could fall in love with Gigi, a big part of him feared he wasn’t capable. He was too firmly set in his ways, too focused on his work to make room for someone else. And Gigi deserved an all-encompassing love.
With a heavy heart, Harris sighed, the weight of uncertainty pressing on him. But one thing was certain: through all his travels and all the money he’d made, he’d never truly known what it meant to have a room with a view—not until tonight.
Reaching out, he put a hand on her leg, waking her with a gentle shake. “Gigi? Can I show you to the guest room?”