Free If I Had You (Christmas In Harper Falls) by Mary J. Williams Page B

want him to stay. One night might be all
    she wanted.
    “I don’t want to push myself on you, Lila. I want to
    stay; if you’ll have me.”
    Lila didn’t know what to say. She left her bed this morning
    prepared to say goodbye. Resigned. Sam was never meant to be more than one
    wonderful night. A memory to savor. Suddenly, he offered her a few more days.
    Her first impulse was to shout, YES! She would take
    as much of him as she could get. As she opened her mouth to do just that, the
    words wouldn’t come out. By nature, Lila was not an impulsive person. She
    thought things through. The longer she thought, the more she knew this was a
    bad idea.
    Her heart was already hovering between like and love.
    Another week with Sam was bound to cement her firmly on the side of love. If
    she let him walk away now, no harm done. A tinge of regret, that’s all. If he
    stayed, she faced a broken heart for the New Year.
    Tell him no , her rational side urged. No, no, no,
    no, no.
    Lila looked up at Sam. Sweet, sexy, complicated Sam. In the
    end, there was only one thing she could say.
    “Yes.”
     
    “YOU SAID HE was leaving today.”
    “That’s what I understood, Alex.” Dani exchanged
    eye rolls with Rose. “I’m not responsible for Sam Laughton changing his
    plans.”
    “One night,” Alex grumbled. He gave Jack an accusatory
    look. “What is it with one-night stands? No one honors them anymore?”
    “If you’re referring to my one-night stand with Rose
    —”
    “Exactly,” Alex exclaimed. “She asked for
    something very specific. One night, no strings attached. Simple. Traditional.
    Jack screwed all that up by refusing to give her what she wanted.”
    “Traditional?” Rose almost choked on her sweet
    roll. “What is traditional about non-committal sex? And may I remind you,
    he did give me what I wanted — eventually. My one-night stand turned into
    forever.” She laid her hand on Jack’s, the ring he placed there shining
    bright. “No complaints here.”
    “Sam Laughton isn’t sticking around Harper Falls. No
    happily ever after for Lila.”
    The friends were meeting for a post-Christmas breakfast at Harper
    Falls newest eatery. Let Them Eat Croissants followed in the footsteps
    of other businesses in town. The cuter and punnier, the better. This French
    patisserie was sandwiched between Eye Saw You Coming, an optometrist and Take Me Out To The Ball Gown , a shop specializing in formal wear.
    Alex was five minutes into his rant, the hot coffee in front
    of him going cold, his chocolate croissant forgotten. Jack, believing in waste
    not want not, snatched the roll from his friend’s plate, taking a hearty bite.
    “There is an age-old covenant,” Alex grumbled.
    “One night means one night.”
    “Where is that written?” Drew asked. He slapped
    Tyler’s hand when she tried purloining his coffee. “Patience, Ty. The
    waitress is making the rounds. You can wait thirty seconds for a refill.”
    Tyler wasn’t sure. She needed her morning caffeine. One cup,
    delicious as it was, didn’t cut it. She gave Drew her sweetest please smile.
    “Fine,” Drew sighed. What could he do? He loved
    this woman. Feeding her addiction came with the territory. He pushed his cup in
    front of her. His reward? A big, enthusiastic kiss. Who needed coffee? Tyler
    was enough to jump-start his day.
    “What is wrong with all of you,” Alex demanded.
    “My sister is in the clutches of a world-famous letch. You’re calmly eating
    pastry and arguing over coffee.”
    “First,” Rose said reasonably. “No one is
    arguing. Jack stole your roll. Drew gave Tyler his coffee.
    Second,” she continued before Alex exploded again, “Sam Laughton is
    not a letch. He likes women. Treats them with respect.”
    “But —”
    “Anything,” she continued, “that is going on
    between him and Lila, is one hundred percent consensual.”
    “She’s right, Alex.”
    Dani squeezed his hand. She understood why he was worried.
    All the