by Mary Smith
His Aunt Alice made sure he didn’t come all this way empty-handed. After all, he was showing up at Lily’s family’s home on Christmas Day. Uninvited. She sent him armed with a container of her famous sugar cookies, a box of her homemade dinner rolls, a traditional German Christmas cake for Lily’s family, and some homemade chocolate fudge. She may have gone a bit overboard, but he wasn’t going to be the one to tell her.
Thankfully, since it was Christmas Day, and folks were traveling for the holiday with bags full of gifts, he wasn’t the only person on the train with a shopping bag full of goodies.
On top of all the goodies sat a beautifully wrapped box, again, thanks to Aunt Alice, which was his gift for Lily. They weren’t a couple, so he wasn’t sure about getting her a gift, but when Aunt Alice suggested it, he knew it was the right thing to do for her. Even if she didn’t want a relationship with him, he still wanted her to have it.
Finally, ringing the doorbell, he sweated as he waited for someone to answer. With any luck, it would be Lily, and he wouldn’t have to explain who he was yet—
“Hello?” a woman asked as she opened the door. She was dressed like she was headed to court, but her flour-covered apron said otherwise. “Can I help you?”
She glanced down at his shopping bag full of boxes then back up at him.
“Hi. I’m looking for Lily?” his voice cracked as he spoke. He cleared his throat, feeling like a young boy in puberty.
“Zane?” Lily’s voice was music to his ears as she rushed to the door.
“Lily?” the woman questioned, raising an eyebrow. “Do you know this boy?”
“Mom, this is my...friend, Zane.”
“Hi.” He extended his free hand to her. “I’m Zane, a friend of Lily’s like she said.”
“Zane, what are you doing here?” Lily asked as they all still stood at the door.
“Lily, you could at least invite the boy in,” her mom stated. “Don’t be rude.”
Zane looked around the spacious foyer and an exceptionally decorated interior, with soft Christmas music playing and the delicious aroma of food in the air.
He tugged at his collar, feeling like he was going to have a panic attack. Why did he think it was a good idea to interrupt their Christmas dinner? “I don’t mean to interrupt your holiday. I just wanted to deliver these desserts and something little for Lily.” He held out the bag and considered that if he hurried, he might be able to catch the next train home.
“Don’t be silly! You’re staying,” Lily’s mom demanded.
“I don’t—”
“Zane, I know you didn’t sit on a train for four and a half hours just to drop off cookies and go back home,” Lily said with a determined look on her face.
“We have plenty of food. Please join us,” her mom added, ushering him through the foyer toward the living room. “Here, let me take your coat and make yourself at home, dinner is not quite ready yet.”
“Mom, you’re embarrassing me.”
“Well, your friend came all this way to see you,” her mom argued. “Do you go to school with our Lily? Are you a political science major too?”
“No. I mean, yes, we go to school on the same campus, but I am a biomedical engineering major.”
“We met each other off campus at a local coffee shop.”
“Zane.” Lily’s dad focused on him from the doorway. “Do your mom and dad not have Christmas dinner? Won’t they be missing you?”
“Dad!” Lily groaned. “Zane, this is my dad.”
“Hello, Mr. O’Connor.”
Lily’s dad folded his arms over his chest and stayed in the doorway, glaring at Zane. Maybe he wasn’t exactly glaring, but Zane felt like he was.
“Um, well…” This wasn’t the first time he dealt with this, and it didn’t make him as uncomfortable as it used to. He cleared his throat and gained composure as he continued. “I live with my aunt and uncle. They raised me. We do a big Christmas lunch, it’s our tradition. But the more I told my aunt about Lily, the more insistent she was that I stop by and bring you cookies.”
“Speaking of that, you can hardly just stop by New York City. Why did you come all this way?” Lily asked.
“I needed to see you.” He may have been blunt, but there was no other way to put it. “I figured there was less of a chance you’d ghost me if I rode a train five hours to see you.”
“Four and a half,” she corrected him.
“Well, you two visit.” Lily’s mom gently guided Lily to the couch until she sat down. Grabbing her husband’s arm, she added, “We need to go finish getting dinner ready.”
“Why do I need to go?” her dad asked then glared at Zane.
“Dear, I need your help.” Lily’s mom then looked at Lily. “I think our daughter has this.”
With a huff, Mr. O’Connor followed his wife into the kitchen.
Lily moved back a few inches so there was room for a third person between them. “What did you bring?” She pointed at his bag.
“Oh, my Aunt Alice sent me with enough goodies to feed an army. I’m not sure how many people she thought was going to be here. One of those cakes I was telling you about is in there.” He chuckled. “She means well. And no one ever goes hungry at our house.”
“So you came all this way to see me? I thought our twelve days were over.” Her voice appeared strong and matter of fact, but there was a hint of sadness in it.
“Whoever said we had to limit our time to the twelve days? I read that whole agreement, and that was a stipulation, not a requirement. Am I missing something? Do you not want to see me again?”
“Lily.” Her dad’s voice startled Zane, making him jump. “Everything okay out here, honey?”
Lily rolled her eyes. “We’re fine, Dad. Isn’t Mom calling you?”
He looked around when he heard her mom’s voice. He gave Zane one more look before returning to the kitchen.
“I am so sorry about my dad. He’s a bit overprotective.” She looked down at her hands. “So, I heard you talking to Harley at my apartment that night.”
“Oh, you heard that? I didn’t mean for you to know about that yet. I was trying to find the perfect moment, and Harley said there was no bad time.”
“No bad time? It’s Christmas! All of it would be bad.”
“Wait, what?” It was starting to feel like they weren’t talking about the same thing.
“I love Christmas, so don’t you think that breaking my heart at Christmas would ruin my holiday?” Lily said, a tear slid down her cheek. “We should’ve added a no feelings clause to the contract. But that was my fault.”
He shook his head. “Lily, I think we are having two different conversations.” He wiped the tear from her cheek. “I wasn’t going to break your heart. Where did you get that idea from?”
She twisted up her face in confusion.
Zane pulled the poem out of his pocket. It had been folded for so long, the paper was well creased. “I wrote this for you, I was going to give it to you that night, but when you came back downstairs, you rushed me out the door.”
Lily took the paper and looked it over. Her breath caught as she read it.
“That is why I came all this way to see you. It was important for me to give it to you regardless if you shared my feelings or not. That’s why I traveled four and a half hours on a train on Christmas Day just to see you.”
Chapter Nineteen
Lily
The words on the paper stared back at her. Lily couldn’t believe what she held. This was more than just words. This was his love. His love for her. She was almost dizzy from everything spinning in her head.
“Wha…what?” She knew he had said something, but she couldn’t be sure now.
“I came all this way to see you. I don’t want us just to be Christmas buddies or just friends.” He covered her hand with his. “I want more.”
She stepped back from him and sat down on the couch. Zane followed her, taking the place next to her.
“Is t
his something you don’t want?”
Shaking her head slightly, she turned to him, still holding onto the paper. “No. I mean, I thought there was something between us, but when I heard you and Harley talking, I…” She shrugged trailing off her words.
“What did you hear?” he questioned.
“You said you were only in it for the twelve days.” Lily could almost feel the tears burning behind her eyes, remembering the heartbreak from that night.
“I did say that, but I said more. Harley knew about it.” He nodded down to her hands. “She didn’t read it.”
There were several seconds of silence hanging around them.
“Haven’t you spoken to her?”
“Not really,” Lily confessed. “I had been a bit heartbroken and spending a lot of time in my room.” She hated to tell him, but at this point, she felt extremely foolish she hadn’t spoken to Harley. Lily knew Harley would never lie to her.
“It now explains why you acted so strangely our last night together and why you didn't answer my texts.” He smirked.
Just as she was about to tell him how crazy she’d been, her mother had called them for dinner. Zane quickly stood and held out his hand for her. With ease and comfort, she took it and led the way into the kitchen. Her mother gave a big smile when she saw them holding hands then asked Zane what he would like to drink.
“I’m not picky. Anything is fine.”
“Eggnog it is then,” Mr. O’Connor stated firmly, pouring a glass.
“Do you like eggnog?” Mrs. O’Connor spoke up, being the good hostess.
“I do,” Zane said, still holding onto Lily’s hand.
Together they made their way to the table. He then released her hand as they took their seats next to each other. Lily could feel her father glaring at Zane, but she knew he was just being the overprotective father that he always had been.
Mrs. O’Connor set the turkey down in the middle of the table and took her place next to Mr. O’Connor. She explained to Zane last night’s dinner was a small ham, but Christmas dinner would always be a large turkey they’d eat for days. For the first time, Lily found it slightly embarrassing as her mother told him about the two massive dinners they ate back-to-back. On the other hand, it sounded so warming to have her family around her during her favorite holiday.
With the food being passed around, the conversation was light between them all. Her father kept giving Zane the side-eye, but Lily gave him a nudge under the table to stop being mean to him. Finally, his frown and glare softened slightly.
“Zane, tell us what you’re studying.” Mr. O’Connor stabbed the turkey with his question.
He went on to tell him he was studying biomedical engineering and about his future plans. Lily hung on his every word and her parents seemed to be impressed with his goals. The more he talked, the more she couldn’t believe he was here. He traveled all the way to New York—for her. It felt like a dream.
The dinner continued with good conversation, even better food, and laughter. For the first time in the past several days, Lily didn’t feel sad. Her smile was real, and her heart was full of love. Dad seemed to like Zane too. He even slapped him on the back a couple of times throughout the evening.
Together they sat in the living room for one more family tradition. Mrs. O’Connor’s favorite movie. Miracle on 34th Street came on the screen and everyone watched while eating the desserts from Zane’s aunt.
When the happy ending finished, her parents said goodnight to Zane and went off to bed, leaving Lily and Zane alone. Something she’d been craving all night.
“Your parents are great,” he commented.
“They really are. Sometimes, I just wished they didn’t work so much.” Lily sighed. “I know that sounds silly.”
“No, it doesn’t sound silly at all.” Zane, who held her hand, rubbed the pads of his thumb across her knuckles. “If my parents were still here, I’d wish the same thing.”
Lily gave his hand a slight squeeze. He hadn’t said much about his parents, even though she knew they had passed, he never talked about it.
“I was eight years old,” he began. “My aunt and uncle were going to take Spencer to the zoo, and I begged my parents to let me go. Spencer and I had always been close, almost like brothers, and I wanted to do anything he did.”
She listened intently, knowing this wouldn’t be a happy ending story.
“They let me go, and they decided to have a weekend away as well.” He paused. “I had the best day with Spencer and my family. It’s silly looking back at it now. We spent the entire day at the zoo and when we got back to their house, I went to sleep.”
Again, he took a small break as Lily watched his face sadden with each word as the memory hit him.
“In the morning, my aunt and uncle were sitting at the kitchen table. I remember my aunt crying, and I felt the hairs stand on end all over my body. When she raised her head and looked at me, I knew my parents were dead. She never had to say a word.”
Tears slowly slid down Lily’s cheek, and she moved closer to him.
“It was a car accident,” he explained. “After the funeral, I moved in with them and lived with them until I was eighteen. Then I left for college. I thought the further I moved away, the more the pain would fade away, but it hasn’t, and it won’t.” He raised his head and stared into her eyes. “However, when I’m with you, I don’t feel the pain as bad because I love you. You’ve made me smile more in the past twelve days than I have in the past thirteen years.”
Lily smiled. He told her he loved her. She never thought she’d hear those words from him. “I’ve fallen for you as well.”
Zane leaned in, and she instinctively licked her lips. As their lips touched, a shock raced through her just like their first kiss. His gentle, loving touch took her breath away. When they broke apart, she had to take several deep breaths to fill her body with air again.
“I have something for you,” she finally managed to say and got away from the warmth of his body and moved over to the tree. She’d tucked his gift far back under the tree.
“You got me a gift?” he questioned as she handed it to him.
“It’s nothing major. I purchased it several days ago, and I thought it would have been a nice reminder of our time together.” Heat rushed to her cheeks as he opened the gift.
When he opened the box, his eyes widened. When he pulled out the snow globe, she saw his face pale. Lily worried he hated the gift and just when she was going to take it back from him, he spoke.
“This is incredible. I absolutely love it,” he said, looking at her with love in his eyes.
“I know it’s nothing—”
“No.” He cut her off. “It’s truly the best gift I’ve ever gotten. I’m taken aback because of this.” He set the box down and went over to his backpack and pulled something out that was wrapped in cloth. “My aunt gave me this today, and I truly thought it was lost.”
He handed it to her, and it felt heavy. Carefully, she removed the cloth and her mouth dropped. She stared at a snow globe, similar to the one she’d given Zane. Clearly, it was older and had some wear to it, but it was still stunning.
“It was my mom’s,” he answered her unasked question.
“It’s stunning.” She turned it around in her hands. “How funny they both have Christmas trees?”
“Almost as if it were a sign.” He had mumbled the words, but she heard him clearly.
“A Christmas sign,” she said, leaning in and kissing his lips.
When they pulled back, a smile crossed both of their faces. This was more than a Christmas sign. It was love.
It was true love.
Stay tuned for Holiday Book 2 – Making a Match! Coming February 2020!
About the Authors:
USA Today Bestselling Author, Melody Heck Gatto was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband, son, dog, and two cats. The whole family is avid Pittsburgh Penguins fans and like going to hockey game
s when they get the chance. Melody enjoys taking her son to meet the players on game days. It's no secret that meeting the players is just as exciting for her as it is for her son, especially when it comes to her favorite player!
Having met a handful of hockey players, she likes to adopt features of their personalities into her characters. And going to games and practices is where she gets her ideas for her fictional on-ice scenes.
Melody is a Hallmark movie junkie. She adores the Christmas movies and all the cutesy (and sometimes cliché) romance and loves to get swept away in it all. She also enjoys binge-watching her favorite tv shows BONES (with hunky Agent Booth), SUPERNATURAL (she have a "secret" crush on Sam Winchester), and CHICAGO PD (sexy cops Halstead and Ruzek!).
USA Today Bestselling Author, Mary Smith, has been coming up with stories her whole life. She has written over forty romance stories involving hot sports stars, strong willed females and everything in between. When not busy writing or rooting for the Chicago Blackhawks you can find her with her nose stuck in her Kindle.