Crane takes off toward his SUV, jumping in. He’ll get her. This dumbass Carlton is no match for Crane. He has no idea who or what he’s dealing with. Carlton is as good as dead. The sooner the better.
Without thinking, my feet are moving on their own accord, heading across the parking lot toward Eve. Clark heads for his patrol car.
“I think Crane is going to get her back. Not Clark,” Eve mutters. She’s still wringing her hands together.
“Yeah,” Mayor Grable agrees. I can see the worry in her eyes, but she’s trying to remain calm.
“Eve.” Her name comes out harder than I mean it to, but I don’t speak often. She turns around slowly to face me, her eyes filled with tears. She tries to fight them back, but they explode free. Her legs give way. I catch her before she can hit the ground, pulling her into my body.
I cradle her in my arms as she sobs in my neck. The mayor’s brows lift all the way to her hairline at the sight before her.
“I’ve got her,” I tell her. The mayor only nods before she too takes off. The search for Liza is in full swing.
“It’s going to be okay, angel. Crane will bring her back.” The soothing words come from somewhere inside of me I didn’t know was there. Then again, when it comes to Eve, I’m not quite myself. Or maybe I’m finding myself again. The person I was before I’d become almost a machine for the most part.
My humanity is coming back to me. I’m not sure what it is, but what I do know is that now that I have Eve cradled in my arms, there is no going back. Not that there ever was. There was going to be something sooner or later that forced my hand.
There is no going back. Ever.
4
Eve
Marco isn’t wrong. Crane finds Liza, but Carlton is dust like the rest of his house. At least that’s what I heard. The fire trucks raced out of town to try and put the fire out, but there was nothing left by the time they made it there.
The holiday party is kind of over, but everyone is still hanging around in shock over what went down. This will be the biggest news to ever hit Snow Hill. Not that we’ll let it get out. We might gossip inside our town, but it stops there. We don’t like outsiders knowing our business.
I think I must be in shock too because I have been in Marco's arms since he caught me seconds before I could hit the cold, hard ground. He doesn’t give a smug I told you so when word gets back that Liza is safe and sound with Crane.
“You doing okay?” Marco asks.
I nod my head that’s resting on his shoulder. He carried me back into the building saying it was too cold for me to be outside in a dress. I hadn’t protested. It’s been nice being in his arms. He’s been holding me close with a firm grip. There is no wiggling out of it. I’ll have to ask for him to let me go eventually. But for now, I let myself just be. For so long, I’ve wondered what it might feel like to be like this with him.
Liza has been my person since I moved to Snow Hills, and to think of losing her almost killed me. She’s the only person that gets me. I’ve got a tough exterior that formed from my childhood, but inside, I can be a softy that loves romance books and cries at Hallmark holiday movies. Doesn’t matter how many times I watch The Family Stone, I cry every time. I’m not talking a few tears either. I turn into a blubbering mess.
Now she has Crane. I wonder if our relationship will change. It will have to. I’m sure she’ll be knocked up and heading down the aisle in no time. With a dating record of zero, I don’t see myself getting that anytime soon. I also don’t think anyone knows I long for that—except Liza, but she’s my romance book hookup.
The smell of Marco is soothing. Outdoorsy is the only word I can think of to describe it. It’s a mix of snow, sun, and pine. My mouth is so close to his neck. If I moved in only a touch, my lips would be on his skin.
Now that I know my best friend is safe, reality starts to creep back in. I’m sitting in Marco’s lap. Not only that, I think he has a hard-on. I shift my ass because I have to be wrong. That’s too big but not big enough to be one of his giant thighs.
“Eve,” Marco grunts. I stop moving. Yeah, that’s his cock. “Ignore it.”
“Ignore it?” I whisper. How does one ignore that?