Page 107 of To Know Miss May

They shared a smile, then joined the others as they shifted a few seats closer to the fire.

Livvy thought August had been teasing before about finally capturing his sisters’ favors, but as the evening progressed, she found a marked difference in how the girls treated her. She wasn’t sure if it was the flattery she’d given them or the fact that their parents were watching them closely, but either way, she was happy with the change.

As such, Livvy felt her defenses lower little by little as she joined in the family’s conversation. She could see how well Emma fit in with them, and were it not for Livvy’s knowledge of Emma’s love for Nicholas, she, herself, might’ve felt a keener jealousy at how greatly the Moons had accepted the woman as their own.

And yet, as the night progressed, Livvy began to feel that she, too, belonged with the Moons. Or was that simply how everyone felt around the congenial family? Either way, Livvy embraced it as they remained awake until well-past midnight, speaking, laughing, and conversing like old friends.

Livvy found herself piping up in the conversation, as well, even when it wasn’t centered around books. Father’s pride would swell when he heard of this.

Would he be just as pleased when she told him she found someone to love—even if it was someone from the Mount? For all Father’s faults, she believed that he truly did love her, so why would he not be happy for her?

With her hope flourishing brighter than the fire in the hearth, Livvy continued to enjoy the rest of the evening until one by one, the others fell asleep around her, heads drifting to rest against shoulders and upon the walls.

Livvy sat behind a small table next to Emma, who had fallen asleep with her head against the wall of the inn. Livvy, however, remained awake, propping her head on her hand as she rested her elbow on the table and leaned onto it, staring at the fire.

August and his father had left the women a few moments before, clearing the tables free of their empty cups and depositing them near the bar. There, the two men had remained, sitting away from the others in continued conversation.

Livvy missed August’s presence instantly, and though she longed to join him and his father and speak the rest of the night away, she remained where she was. It was enough to hear his deep laughter drifting toward her every so often as she stared at the warm flames lapping the walls of the hearth.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, listening to August’s comforting tone, feeling a peace she’d not known since she was a child, until footsteps thumped softly against the floor nearby. She raised her head from her hand and looked up to see August standing nearby.

“Did I wake ye?” he whispered.

She shook her head, glancing back to the bar, where Mr. Moon spoke with a few other men. Had August left to join Livvy specifically?

“No,” she replied. “I was simply restin’.”

He stood, staring into the fire then on the opposite side of the table from her. “Are ye comfortable enough?”

She nodded. “Not as much as your sisters, but I’ll manage.”

She motioned to the other Moons, Ophelia sprawled out across a bench along the wall, a guttural snore escaping her nose with her head in Portia’s lap. Portia, though seated upright, leaned most of her weight against her mother, her head on Mrs. Moon’s shoulder and her mouth propped open as she maintained a deep sleep, as well.

August smiled. “Charmin’, they are.”

Livvy grinned in response. August looked down at the chair beside Livvy, then pulled his gaze away when she saw him staring.

If he wasn’t the most adorable man.

“Would ye care to sit ’ere?” she asked, motioning to the seat beside her. The chair was a solid foot apart from hers, not to mention the fact that it was the only one left aside from Mr. Moon’s seat next to Mrs. Moon. “I could use the company.”

“Will ye not try to sleep?” he asked, clearly hesitating.

She shrugged. “I ain’t very tired.”

After another moment, he relented, taking a seat beside her, half-hidden behind the table. As he settled on the chair, it creaked, and the intoxicating scent of his cologne slipped beneath her nose.

How she wished to swim in that scent for the rest of her days.

“’Ow ye be farin’ with all o’ this?” August asked in another whisper, his eyes still on the fire as he rested his arms across the table.

He’d removed his jacket and rolled his sleeves midway up his forearm, her eyes instantly drawn to the ridges of his muscles.

“Livvy?”

She pulled her eyes up, finding him watching her.

He’d asked her a question. “I be fine, now that I be warm.”