Lydia's Pine Harbor Christmas, стр. 24

Jack lean forward. “Well, if he ever hurts you, you just let me know.”

Lydia couldn’t help but smile. She’d never had a father to stand up for her. It was sweet, and it made her feel cared for. “Thanks, Jack. That means a lot.”

As Lydia drove home, Bryce called, and they talked about the upcoming party. It sounded like fun. It was a big company party that filled their whole house. She was beginning to realize what a large house it must be. They would have musicians and a full staff on board to attend to everyone’s needs. She’d glimpsed that world from afar, but Bryce offered a closer look. If things worked out between them, that world could be hers. She had never dreamed of wealth or glamour—although she wouldn’t mind season tickets to the ballet and the opera—and when she was with Bryce, it almost felt like she was living someone else’s life. Still, it was a good life, and she would enjoy it because Bryce was there with her.

Every evening at the brewpub had been busy lately, especially during the Christmas season, when so many were off for the holidays. Marco poured himself into the spirit of things, chatting up guests at the bar and trying to forget about Lydia. The thought of her trip to Bryce’s house had been nagging at him all week. The closer it got to her trip, the more Marco fought to forget it. But the next day would come, and Lydia would go. Life could be cruel like that.

Too late, he’d discovered he liked Lydia as more than a friend. Poor fool that he was, he loved her. Although it was his first time falling in love, his failure at it was in keeping with his track record with women. He sometimes thought he might tell Lydia his feelings were changing. While he was able to admit to himself how he felt, conveying his feelings to her was another story. He occasionally suspected that she felt the same, but then she pulled back and put distance between them. Marco hadn’t planned to kiss Lydia. He’d tried to tell her how he felt. The kiss should have gotten her attention, at least. But even then, her thoughts were on Bryce. She was determined to get back to him, so Marco let her go.

Caroline’s party had sealed the deal. When Bryce handed her a ticket to his version of paradise, Lydia was his. It didn’t matter whether Marco thought she was making a mistake or that he didn’t like Bryce. Lydia did like him, and that was all that mattered. Bryce had won. She would meet Bryce’s family, which would level up their relationship significantly. In the end, Lydia made her choice. But oh, what a waste of a kiss. No one could convince him that she kissed Bryce like that. In fact, he’d had the misfortune to see them kiss. They had no passion between them, but that didn’t matter because they were together, passion or not.

Marco grabbed a rag and wiped down the bar, which was already clean. No matter how much he tried to rationalize things, in the back of his mind, a nagging suspicion that Lydia returned his feelings on some level persisted. That made it hard to let go and even harder to watch her in someone else’s arms. But real love was unselfish, which meant he would step back from Lydia’s life and watch her find happiness with Bryce Rumsey.

At least real love didn’t mean that he had to like Bryce. No love was that strong.