Christmas Ever After (Puffin Island 3)

She was so pleased to see him she wanted to hurl herself across the room like Cocoa, wag her tail and lick him all over. Instead she gave him a smile that she hoped was natural, and then turned to Ryan.

“Champagne! Great idea. Just hand me the bottle and a straw,” she said and then gave a weak smile. “Just kidding.”

Emily shot her a concerned look and she realized that both her friends appeared more jumpy than usual.

They were probably worried she was going to cause a scene with Alec.

Had it been unfair of her to be honest with them?

“In a minute.” Alec’s gaze was fixed on hers. “First, I want to talk to Sky alone. Could you all give us a moment?”

“No, we couldn’t.” Brittany sat down on the sofa with a determined thump. “It’s Christmas, Alec. I don’t see what you could possibly want to say to Sky that we can’t all hear.”

Sky wondered why Brittany was glaring at him. “Have you two had an argument or something?”

“No.” Alec turned to look at her. A muscle flickered in his jaw and his eyes were dark and serious. “If they won’t leave, then we’ll leave. Come into the kitchen.”

She had no idea why Alec wanted to be alone with her, but she knew she didn’t want to be alone with him.

He was far less likely to notice a change in her when they were surrounded by people.

“Why the kitchen? I like it here, with the lovely tree.”

His gaze was steady. “I need to talk to you, Sky. And I’d rather do it in private.”

“It’s Christmas,” Emily said desperately. “This is family time. Friend time.” She stumbled. “Whatever you have to say, Alec, can wait.”

“Time to open that champagne, Ryan,” Britta

ny said brightly, but Ryan didn’t move.

“What they’re not telling you,” Alec said slowly, “is that I overheard your conversation.”

Sky frowned, puzzled. “What conversation?” And then she knew and her knees turned to water. “You mean—?”

“Yes, that conversation. The one where you told them that you love me and you didn’t want me to know.”

All sounds faded into the background.

If she’d ever been in a more hideous, uncomfortable situation she couldn’t remember it.

She felt the hot scald of humiliation darken her cheeks. “But how—?”

“I put you on speakerphone,” Brittany muttered. “Em wanted to listen, too. We didn’t know we had a third pair of ears. You can kill us anytime you want. Advertise for new friends. I’ll pay for the ad myself.”

Sky dug her nails into her palms. “You heard?” Her mouth was dry. “How much?”

Alec held her gaze. “All of it. Every word.”

She wanted to crawl under the Christmas tree and hide among the presents. She felt more exposed than she ever had in her life before. “Right.” Trying to maintain her dignity, she gave what she hoped passed as a casual shrug. “Well, we said we wanted an honest relationship, I guess that’s what we have. You know how I feel.” And she knew how he felt. “And I’m sure hearing that scared the crap out of you.”

“Is that why you went home? Because you were in love with me and you were afraid you couldn’t hide it?”

“To begin with.” If he’d heard the conversation then he already knew everything. She figured that more honesty couldn’t make her feel worse. “I was afraid you’d guess, and that wasn’t fair to you. But five minutes with my parents was all it took for me to realize that avoiding you would mean losing the most important people in my life. Don’t feel awkward, honestly. It’s fine.” She turned to Ryan, desperate to shift the focus. “Let’s open that champagne. Em can’t drink so I’ll have hers, too.”

“Not yet.” Alec stepped toward her. “You’ve told me the truth, so now it’s my turn.”

That was one thing she really did not want to hear. She could just about cope with telling him the truth of how she felt, but she couldn’t cope with hearing how he felt spelled out. “I know I broke the rules,” she said. “I know I said this wouldn’t happen and I really believed it at the time—I didn’t lie. None of this is your fault, and I promise it won’t be awkward. After Christmas I have to go back to New York and you’re off to Antarctica so we won’t even see each other for months.”