“You cannot be serious.” Tilly was incredulous. “You’re actually offering to come home with me for Christmas and pretend to be my boyfriend?”

“We could make it work,” he said. “It might even be fun. What do you say?”

Harry’s smile stretched into a cheeky grin. It made Tilly imagine what this man had been like as a kid. A happy, mischievous little boy who probably got away with almost anything because he’d been born with the ability to charm those around him and make the world feel like a better place.

Her father deserved to feel like that. Especially at Christmastime.

A tiny shiver ran down Tilly’s spine as she thought of that heat Harry had conjured up from nowhere with just the touch of his hands and the tone of his voice. And for a heartbeat, it had made Tilly remember a time when she’d believed that dreams could come true.

And...maybe it would be nice to feel like that again. Even if it was just a pretense. Even if it was only for Christmas.

“I’ll think about it,” she said.