He nodded as he relaxed against her strong fingers.

“You’re right. But . . .”

She shook her head.

“I know you don’t want to apologize for how you reacted on Christmas. But he’s a proud kid, and you mocked him for his dreams.” He started to respond to that, but she put her finger on his lips. “I know you didn’t do it on purpose, but don’t you think that’s how he sees it?”

He nodded again.

“You’re probably right about that.” He put his arm around her. “I’m sorry you’re in the middle of all of this. You only have a few days left in London, and I’ve involved you in my family drama.”

She kissed him on the cheek.

“Don’t worry about it. When I take the new job, I won’t be in the trenches in family dramas anymore; I’m going to miss it.”

He laughed and pulled her closer.

“Now that I’ve helped you have a bit of a busman’s holiday, we should make the most of our remaining time together.”

She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Did you have something specific in mind, Mr. Hudson?”

He whispered in her ear. She let out that explosive giggle again, right before he kissed her.

Chapter Thirteen

Vivian woke up on New Year’s Eve and held back a sigh. It felt like Sunday night and the last night of summer vacation, all rolled into one. The next day, she would fly back to California, and this surprising, magical, unprecedented interlude would be over. She would be back to everyday Vivian, the one who didn’t get to wander around a city on a whim, the one who didn’t go to museums often, even when they interested her, the one who didn’t go out with men very much, even though she wanted to.

She opened her eyes and looked at Malcolm. He was still sound asleep. She wanted to reach out and trace the smile lines around his mouth, and his slightly pouty bottom lip, but he looked so peaceful she didn’t want to wake him up.

She was going to miss him. Yes, she would miss the England Vivian, who was carefree and had decided not to worry about her new job until she got home, who thought about having fun and not what was prudent or checked all the right boxes, who made snap decisions instead of weighing pros and cons. But she would also really miss Malcolm. She’d clicked with him in a way she hadn’t clicked with anyone in years—not just romantically, but as a person. They laughed at the same things, they cared about the same things, and when they had a conflict, one or the other of them would give the other a metaphorical shake, and they’d figure it out. How had they managed to figure out how to fight well together in less than two weeks?

She shook her head, and a sigh finally escaped her. His eyes immediately popped open, and she laughed.

“I thought you were still asleep,” she said.

He put an arm around her and pulled her close. She leaned her head against his shoulder. They even agreed on the correct way to sleep—with just enough space between the two of them so they could sense the other one was there, but never enough to touch during the night. She loved being held by him and the way he touched her, and she was so glad he never did it while she was trying to sleep.

“What do you want to do today, on our last full day?” he asked.

She looked over at him—and marveled that his face was already so familiar to her. The creases around his lips when he smiled, those tiny freckles along his cheekbones, the cleft in his chin, the gray hairs in his morning stubble.

“I just want to spend time with you,” she said.

His smile dazzled her.

“That’s exactly what I want to do, too.” He pursed his lips together, then held up a finger. “I have a tiny surprise in store for later, but if you want to know what it is . . .”

She laughed. Of course he had.

“Your first surprise was so good that now I have no choice but to say yes. You know that, right?”

He brushed his finger against her cheek.

“That’s so kind of you to say, but really, I’m happy to tell you if you want.”

She shook her head. She had no idea what had gotten into her during this trip, but now she was actually looking forward to his surprise.

“Nope. As long as it’s not going to some huge New Year’s Eve party, or standing outside to watch the London equivalent of the ball dropping, I’m okay.”

He shuddered.

“I promise you, it’s definitely neither of those things, nor anything like them, as a matter of fact.”

She smiled and kissed his cheek.

“Perfect.”

He bent down to kiss her, and she pulled him closer.

“Mmm, just one question,” she said after a few minutes. “Just so I’m clear—is this your surprise?”

He ran his hand down her body and sucked her bottom lip into his mouth before answering. As it happened, when he did that, she no longer cared what his response might be.

“This is just the first thing on the agenda,” he finally said. “Well, it might be the fourth thing, too, and possibly the eighth thing, and definitely the last thing, but not the only thing.”

She laughed and kissed his shoulder.

“Like I said, whatever your plan is, I’m in.”

Malcolm went into the kitchen while Vivian finished getting dressed. He couldn’t wipe the smile from his face when he thought of what they’d already done that morning, and of spending the whole day with her today.