Christmas Ever After (Puffin Island 3)

Emily touched her arm gently. “Sky—”

“I do it all the time.” Alec’s voice was calm and steady. “The last thing you want when you’re thinking is to be disturbed by technology. You don’t have to apologize.”

“But it’s irritating, I understand that. I should pay more attention to the real world and—” She gasped as Emily hugged her. “What?”

“Don’t. Don’t,” she said fiercely. “Never apologize for being who you are.”

Was that what she’d been doing?

She closed her eyes, drenched in embarrassment. “I know it’s irritating when you can’t reach someone, that’s all.” She was barely able to look at them. “You didn’t need to come looking for me, Alec. I’ve been coming to this island since I was eighteen. I’m sensible and I’m hardly likely to fall down a hole in the middle of the day.”

There was a pause.

“It’s dark, Sky.” His voice was as dark and soothing as rich chocolate.

“Dark?” She looked from his sympathetic gaze to the window and realized that at some point while she’d been talking to Emily and playing with Lizzy the sun had gone down. She let out a breath and pushed her hair back from her face. “I lost track of the time. Didn’t realize it was so late. But you didn’t need to worry. Em would have given me a ride home.” Crap, she’d called his house “home.” “I mean to your house. Obviously it’s not my home, it’s your home. Where I’m staying. For a short time.” Shut up, Sky.

Caught in the beam of Emily’s astonished gaze, she looked away just as Lizzy piped up in an innocent voice.

“You wouldn’t hurt Sky, would you, Alec?”

Sky froze.

So did Alec. His shoulders tensed and his gaze fastened on her like a laser. “Why do you think I’d hurt her?”

“I don’t know, but Emily said she was afraid you might.”

Emily made a sound in her throat, somewhere between disbelief and acute embarrassment. “Lizzy—”

“You said he wasn’t capable of happy-ever-after. I don’t understand.”

Sky and Emily were both mute and it was Alec who dropped to his haunches in front of the little girl.

“Emily is very wise,” he said quietly.

“But why aren’t you capable of happy-ever-after?”

“Because happy-ever-after is for fairy tales, not real life.”

Lizzy looked him in the eye. “You’re not happy?”

“Yes,” Alec breathed, “I’m happy. But no one can be happy ‘ever after.’ Stuff happens. Life happens. Things change.”

“I know. My mom died and now I’m living here with Aunt Emily. Did something sad happen to you?”

Alec held her gaze. “I hurt someone once. Your aunt Emily is worried I might do it again.”

Lizzy stared at him. “Were you sorry?”

“Very sorry.”

“So you don’t want to hurt Sky?”

Alec hesitated for a fraction of a second. “No,” he said gruffly. “I don’t want to hurt Sky.”

“I knew you wouldn’t.” Lizzy wrapped her arms round him and squeezed. “Come and see my painting. I did a picture of the Captain Hook.”

Alec returned the hug and when he rose to his feet his face was blank of expression.