When We're Thirty Casey Dembowski (the chimp paradox .TXT) 📖

bacon Renata was filling. A fresh batch of coffee—Jonathan’s sludge—brewed noisily on the other counter.

Her father-in-law appeared at the other side of the kitchen. He must have come through the back entrance Renata had shown her. Hannah had never seen him in anything but his Sunday best, but there he stood in a dressing gown and slippers, looking like every TV dad she’d ever seen. His ever-keen eyes took in the spread before him. His face, which never softened, relaxed a fraction, and she swore she saw nostalgia in his eyes.

When Will had told her the story about making French toast with the biggest smile on his face, Hannah had the idea to bring back the missed tradition. His smile had been followed by an onslaught of emotions she’d never seen out of him before. She hadn’t considered that the unexpected reminder might be too much for the Thorne men, that they had been repressing their emotions about their mother’s death for a long time. But Will had been excited by the idea, texting Renata to pull out the old recipe book before she’d even finished her sentence.

Standing in the kitchen, Will was relaxed and happy. As Daniel slung an arm across his shoulders, Will’s eyes stayed on his father, but not in the tense way they usually did. “Merry Christmas, Dad,” he said, waving toward the spread.

It wasn’t Jonathan who spoke next but Jon. “Man, I’ve missed that smell.”

The spell broke with those words. The silence dissipated into conversation and the clinking of plates as everyone gathered around the counter.

Will pulled Hannah in and kissed her among the chaos. His eyes were light, his expression open and hopeful. “Thank you.”

“It was nothing,” she said, stealing a piece of bacon off his plate. “You did all the work.”

He kissed her temple, leaning his forehead against hers. “It’s everything.”

Chapter 34Will

“Ouch. Ouch, Will.” Hannah stopped walking and rubbed a hand over her hip. “Can I please look now?”

He maneuvered her out of the path of the table and urged her forward, his hand still covering her eyes. “Two more steps. Nothing’s in front of you, I promise.”

Will dropped his hand as they entered their bedroom. It looked perfect in the dimmed lights and the glow of the little Christmas tree he’d acquired from Kate. Kate had added Christmas lights around the doors and windows. Under the tree sat presents and a bottle of wine with two flutes wrapped together with ribbon.

“How did you get the tree?” Hannah asked, her eyes taking in the space.

“A courier.”

“Courier?”

“Yes.” He straightened a bent branch, making the light come into full view. “I made a few calls to a certain mutual friend of ours, who brought the tree to our apartment while we were in the Hamptons.”

“Kate brought the tree all the way uptown for you?” Hannah sat down and trailed her hand across the plastic branches. Will could almost imagine what she was remembering because he was remembering it too.

“I earned some goodwill by letting her watch football here a few Thursday nights while you were covering shows,” he said. “And promised her she could stay and watch Sunday Night Football on the big screen.”

“You know, if you weren’t you, it would be really creepy that you hang out with my best friend without telling me.”

“Kate’s my friend too,” he said, meaning it. He had missed both Hannah and Kate separately and together, each in their own way. “Technically, I think I was her friend before I was your friend.”

Hannah turned a betrayed glance at him. “You did not just go there.”

He laughed. “After this morning, getting the tree back hardly seems like an effort.”

Her cheeks flushed at the compliment. “So, it was a good Christmas?”

“It was the best Christmas.” He sat down next to her, letting their toes touch. “I think you may have made a believer of Jonathan.”

“That’s because it’s undeniable.” She climbed onto his lap. “I’m crazy about you, Will Thorne.”

He loved when he said his name like that. “And I you, Hannah Abbott.”

She cupped his face, and her expression softened, becoming shy. “Hannah Abbott-Thorne.”

Wow. His heart skipped a beat. “Really?”

She looked up, and their eyes locked. He understood everything—everything they hadn’t said, didn’t need to say. Her lips came down to his, and in all his life, Will had never felt so loved. Hannah had seen behind the curtain. She understood the burden that came with the Thorne name, and she wanted to bear it with him.

“Really,” she said, a gleam behind her eyes.

“Best. Christmas. Ever.” He grinned and planted a giant, wet kiss on her forehead. “Can I give you a present now?”

He leaned over and picked up the small jewelry box wrapped in red Santa paper.

“Clara wrapped this for you, didn’t she?” Hannah said, pulling at the fold gingerly as if she didn’t want to mess up the wrapping paper. It was pristine, after all.

He shook his head at her accusation. “‘Only neat corners will earn you a buck.’” He pitched his voice high and affected a Southern accent, wagging a finger at her. “Miss Lauraine’s gift-wrapping crash course.”

Her nose scrunched as the memory came back to her. She laughed and shook her head. “Is there anything you don’t remember?”

“Not when it comes to you.”

Another blush crept up her cheeks. She turned her focus to the box in her hands. The discerning look in her eyes made it clear his disguise had worked—she was expecting jewelry. She pulled the lid off, her eyes narrowing at the two laminated sound check passes. It had taken a lot of phone calls and owed favors, but he knew what it would mean to Hannah to meet Leonard Nulty. For all the times they’d seen Wilderness Weekend, for all the merch they’d bought, they had never met him.

She ran a finger over the passes, a smile lighting her face. “No freaking way.”

“I figured we might as well make a day of it,” he said, grinning. “Go to sound check and meet Leonard