Chapter 18 Scarlett
EIGHTEEN
SCARLETT
I step out of the shower and dry off, pulling on the lounge pants and t-shirt Connor left for me.
Before I put on the t-shirt, I can’t help staring at the marks he’s left all over me.
It’s barbaric, but I also enjoy it because he’s my barbarian.
The same way I enjoyed him telling me that he’s going to knock me up.
I flush at the reminder and don my t-shirt.
Stepping out of the washroom, I pick up my phone and speak to my family, letting them know I’m alive and well, and Connor will drop me home once the roads clear.
Sienna reports that Luke surprised her last night when they got back to the Inn and luckily, he managed to get in before the roads got really bad.
“So, what’s this I’m hearing about you dating Connor Hayes?” Luke asks, when Sienna gives him the phone. “Do I need to fight him?”
I frown at myself in the dresser mirror. There are knick knacks scattered over the top. A half empty bottle of cologne, Connor’s wallet, a couple of loonies, a five-dollar bill, his watch.
“Have you ever fought anyone, ever?” I ask.
Luke is silent for a second. “I thought I’d offer as your brother. But I can also stand back and hold your earrings while you fight him.”
“Thanks, Luke. I really appreciate it,” I say with a laugh.
I hang up and open one of the dresser drawers to look for socks. I find them in the third drawer and when I take a pair off the top, there’s a blue box nestled amongst its brethren. My heart slams into my chest. The box is small, definitely some kind of jewelry, like earrings…or a ring.
I shouldn’t check it.
I still don’t know how I feel about Connor and me getting back together. But, I think I’m ready to forgive him, knowing that whatever happened, it wasn’t because he wanted to leave me. It eases the burn inside my chest when I think about the last year and a half.
Because I’m apparently a masochist, I pick up the box and open it. A beautiful marquise diamond ring is tucked inside. I swallow, tempted to pull it out and try it on. I do the sensible thing and close the box, putting it back where it belongs and closing the drawer.
It’s way too soon to be thinking about marriage. Last night it was children. Today it’s marriage. Tomorrow I’ll be deciding I want to move to Silverpine. Objectively, I can do my job from anywhere, but I can’t live in Silverpine. The small town vibes are too weird for me.
I leave the room and halt in the hallway, my mouth dropping open in shock.
Connor decorated for Christmas.
Garlands hang over the banister and as I follow the stairs down, I notice there’s garlands and lights around the fireplace mantel.
The fake plant next to the window has been replaced with a Christmas tree which has been decorated to perfection.
The arched entry to the living room has string lights strung along it. A mistletoe hangs in the middle.
“Baby girl.”
I turn to look at Connor. He’s standing outside the kitchen, his hands in the pockets of his lounge pants.
“Why?”
“Because you’re the only person I’d do this for. The only person I want here to celebrate the holidays with.”
I don’t want to cry, but I feel like I might. Tentatively, Connor walks forward, as if expecting me to lash out. He pulls me into a hug, and I wrap my arms around him, breathing in his clean scent.
I can’t believe he did this for me. I can’t believe he handled everything with my sister’s wedding that this town messed up. But I should because this is what Connor does. He’s always been good with taking care of things.
“When did you wake up?” I wonder.
“Around six.”
I pull back to look at him. “Are you telling me I’m not good at sex, Connie? Because there were two people who had explosive sex all night long and only one of us needed to recover from it.”
“Don’t worry, baby girl. Your sex-starved barbarian is definitely going to need a day to recover.”
“You say that, but if I offered sex right now, you’d take it.”
Connor laughs. “I’m not dead, hellion.”
He wants to marry you, my subconscious whispers at me.
Taking my hand, Connor leads me into the kitchen. He’s made us breakfast for lunch; pancakes, bacon, and eggs. We sit down at the table to eat.
“Did you grow up here? In this house, I mean,” I ask, looking around the kitchen.
It’s modern, with cream countertops and sage green cabinet doors. The appliances all look new, as if the place was recently renovated. The walls are painted a soft white with plenty of light coming in through the windows and backyard door.
“We used to live in town when my parents were alive,” Connor says.
Every time he talks about them, a sadness enters his eyes.
It’s been years since their death, but I imagine that’s not a thing anyone gets over.
I can’t imagine life without my parents.
“My brothers and I came to live here with my grandfather when they died.”
“What was he like?” I ask.
A distant look enters Connor’s eyes. “Strict. Harsh, sometimes. Difficult to deal with. Old-fashioned. He believed that a good man is one who takes care of his responsibilities without complaint. One who doesn’t run away.” His eyes meet mine.
“He saw my NHL career as me running away from my responsibilities, which are to this family and Cedar Creek Ranch. It’s why he left me the ranch and made me the executor of my brothers trust funds. So I could never go back.”
I sit back against my chair. From the way Marion and the townspeople talk about him, I thought Connor’s grandfather would be some kind of saintly man. I’m sure he was a good one, but one who clearly saw the world his way and couldn’t imagine anyone else’s perspective being right.
“What about your brothers?”
Connor barks a harsh laugh. “I don’t even know where they are. Finn is too busy partying, and Wyatt hates this family and couldn’t wait to get far enough away. I’m sure Finn will come back when he gets bored and runs out of money. Should be any day now.”
“What about your jerseys at the lodge? Hannah suggested your grandfather hung them up,” I say. Why would he hang them up if he hated Connor’s career?
Connor shakes his head. “Those were gifted to him by the city council in return for some favor he did them. He had to hang them up in a prominent place.”
I hate this. I hate him being trapped here with responsibilities that he didn’t want. I hate that his grandfather saw his career as Connor leaving the family instead of being proud of him.
“I don’t know a thing about hockey, but I am so proud of everything you accomplished, Connor,” I say. “You did something you loved, and you did it well.” I cover his hand with mine. “You should be proud of that, baby.”
He takes my hand in his and raises it to his lips, placing a kiss on the back of it. Some darkness in his eyes disappears at my words and I realize he needs to hear them. Everyone deserves to know someone is proud of them and I don’t think anyone has ever told Connor they’re proud of him.
“You’re taking things well,” he says, as we get up to clean the plates.
“We’ve had sex before, Connie. Did you expect me to leave here running and screaming?”
I rinse out the plates and hand them to him to put in the dishwasher.
“Running and screaming, yes. But not because of the sex.”
I shrug, crossing my arms as I lean back against the counter.
“I guess I’m just tired of fighting,” I say.
“No! You, tired of fighting?” Connor looks at me with wide eyes. “I can’t imagine it.”
I stick my tongue out at him.
“Is that an invitation?” He asks with a smirk.
“There’s the sex-starved barbarian.” I look out the windows at the snow covered Rockies. The snow is almost halfway up the house. “Are you sure they will clear the snow today?”
“Usually, they don’t. But I placed a call to the council and made sure they will.” Connor comes over to me, kissing the top of my head. “I know you have to get back to your family.”
I close my eyes and lean into him. He thinks of everything. Including a wedding ring. My eyes pop open.
“Give me a tour of the house. I want to see where you grew up.”
Taking my hand, Connor leads me out of the kitchen.
“This is the living room,” he says, waving his hand around it. “And that is where you made me kneel in front of you and beg for a taste of your pussy, rewiring my brain chemistry.” He points to the rug in front of the fireplace where we had sex last night.
I blush at his words. “I enjoyed that.”
His heated gaze meets mine. “I did, too, baby girl.”
He shows me to the den which he’s using as his office, where he shows me the plans of what the lodge will look like in the next two years, he shows me the mud room, the laundry room. There’s a locked door between his office and the laundry room which catches my attention.
“What’s this?” I ask.
Connor looks at the door and I swear his cheeks turn a faint pink.
“It’s nothing.”
“Do you have a sex room in your ancestral home, Connor?”
He looks at me through narrowed eyes. “It’s not a sex room.” With a deep sigh, he pushes open the door and leads me inside.
Bookshelves line the walls with wide windows overlooking the front yard.
There’s a big, comfortable chair by the window and a couple of eclectic chairs around the room.
There’s another fireplace, smaller than the one that’s in the living room.
At first, I can’t see what’s in this room that will make Connor blush, but as I look around, I see it.
On one side of the room, across from the windows, is a wood structure which has a rectangular window.
As I walk closer, I see that it’s big enough for one person.
There’s a desk with a raised ledge to rest a tablet, a mike and recording equipment set up.
I open the door and step inside, closing it behind me.
All noise disappears. Soundproof padding covers the walls, and I guess the window is soundproof as well.
I stare at Connor through the window.
He bought me a wedding ring and he built me a recording studio in his house.
I open the door of the studio and step up, directly into his arms. Pushing up onto my toes, I grab the back of his neck and pull him down for a soul sucking kiss. He pulls me up and against him and I wrap my legs around his waist.
“This is crazy, Connor,” I whisper.
“This is love, baby girl. You don’t have to move here for us to be together, but on the off-chance we come back, even for a couple of weeks, I want you to be comfortable. I want you to have everything you need.”
He’s already decided we’re going to be together. He’s ready to build a life for us, whether it’s here, in New York, or anywhere in the world. And I think I’m finally ready as well.