I don’t know what it initiated but that seems to really please Jace because he is rushing to me like a man with a mission. His strong arms and hands lift me off the floor and spin me around.
“Jace, what are you doing?” I giggle and hold on to him with all the strength within me.
“It’s Christmas, we have to make the day extra special even if I’m tired as hell. This is it. The best time of the year.”
“We still have birthdays and Easter or Valentine’s Day.”
“Just let me be happy for a minute.” He says cheerfully.
Of course, I say to myself as I squeeze him harder. My lips leave a kiss on his neck as he puts me down.
“Merry Christmas, Bex.”
Oh, okay. That simple. “Merry Christmas, Jace.” I bite on my lip. “I’ve got to check on the French baguettes.”
He nods, kisses me briefly and lets me go. “I’ll do everything pretty over here.”
Well, that will perk up the mood of my Christmas morning. Company is always nice. The doors are about to open and having him around even if it’s just for thirty minutes or an hour will help. Less running around for me.
With my arms full of cupcakes, breads, buns and such, I cross the street to the firefighters in charge and leave them some of my overstock. I have been doing this every year. There’s always too much for me to bring home and I know they’ll eat every bit of it.
Just as I step out of the station, my phone starts to ring.
“Hello handsome.” I say with a smile on my face. “Are you missing me yet?”
“Bex, every year, you give my guys your goodies. Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Wow, you have good source. I was there two seconds ago.”
“I do. They call to make fun of me because I won’t have any of it this year. That’s the only downside of being on vacation.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of what they can’t have. I’ll be home soon.”
Walking home in the middle of the day is awesome. It never happens on a regular day of work. I always work in the early morning to closing unless Cecelia volunteers to take the morning or closing shift. Jace will be home already so I’m planning on relaxing with him and plan a nice dinner. Of course, I didn’t get a turkey or anything special for Christmas but I’m sure I can manage. Right? I have enough food at home and plenty of sweet desserts.
When I reach the stairs of my small apartment, the smell of food cooking makes my mouth water. “Oh my God!” Jace is cooking for us. I run to the top of the stairs and swing the door swiftly open startling Jace. “WOW! You scared the hell out of me.”
Quite an amazing view greets me when I open the door. My handsome manly boyfriend is wearing my pink flowery apron and oven mitts. This is enough to make me pause and stare, trying to mentally assess the situation. I stifle a giggle and close the door behind me. “It smells so good in here, what are you doing?” I see pots, potatoes, crème and plenty of things laid out on my counter. It's hard to know what Jace is preparing.
“It’s a secret.”
I look at him with my are-you-kidding-me face. “Come on.”
“Nope. Give me the dessert and take your jacket off.”
I do as he says and I realize he isn’t going to tell me. It’s a surprise and that alone should make it all more interesting. When was the last time I had a surprise on Christmas Day? I think it was Derek and I’s first Christmas as a married couple. His sister came over to do my nails, my hair and make-up while he and his mom were planning dinner. Natalie had just graduated from beauty school at the time. It was fun. I remember how pretty I felt that day. Derek said I was. It went downhill after that. The Christmas after was the last one where my life still had a sense of normalcy. He still had some control and wasn’t entirely drunk at the end of the night. I’ve always wondered what triggered him. Was it me? I… I don’t know.
“Have you thought about the wishing well at all since that night?” Jace gets me back to us. Now. Present time.
“What do you mean?” I’m not sure I follow him.
“Your wish… well, my wish. I only asked for one wish and so far, it’s positive. I think it’s true what they say about the wishing well after all.”
I frown. “You know we can’t ever talk about our wish. It’s supposed to be bad luck.”
“Screw the bad luck, baby. I know what we have is real. It would’ve happened anyway but maybe the wishing well helped things along a little bit.”
I giggle. It’s hard not to fall for him when he’s debating if he should or shouldn’t believe the rumors of the wishing well of Hopeful.
“At least, now I know what you wished for.” I say walking toward the living room.
Jace scoops me up into his arms before I can sit on the couch. “Tired?”
“Maybe. Well, I’m always tired this time of year.” We sit closely on the couch. My head rests on his shoulder.
“I think you should hire more people or give more responsibilities to Cecelia. You open or close shop, but you can’t do both. It’s too much and you are going to end up sick or too exhausted to get up in the morning. I’ve seen it with some of the boys when they are burning the candle at both ends. It’s rough.”
“I know, but it’s hard. I like what I do so it’s extra hard to give away the hours. It’s a responsibility I gladly took on when I bought the bakery, but I can admit that it’s a lot of hours and having a little more freedom wouldn’t be so bad sometimes.”
Jace nods. “I know. We will figure it out.”
I like how he says we. It shows his level of commitment.
Jace cares.
Jace doesn’t want me sick.
Jace doesn’t want me tired.
Jace wants me to enjoy more liberty.
Jace wants to spend time with me.
Derek didn’t.
How can I explain that in the years I was with Derek, he never showed any sign of concern for my well-being, but Jace does after just days of us being together? Derek never took care of me the way Jace does.
It’s heartbreaking in a way. Moving on from my life with Derek and not thinking about it is my only choice or it’s going to haunt me and hurt me at every turn.
I cuddle closer to Jace and breathe in his cologne. He always smells so good. Fresh like laundry and strong nature or something. I haven’t figured it out yet, but I'm hooked.
“Don’t fall asleep on me now. I want to give you something.”
I look up at him. “What? You got me something?”
He laughs. “Of course, I did, silly.” He stretches out his arms to the small table next to the couch and grabs the square box in a red wrapping paper. “Here. I hope you like it.”
I sit straight to take a better look at the gift. “Thank you. You shouldn’t have.”
He doesn’t say anything but I know he’s watching me.
I shake the box a little bit, not much appears to be moving in there. “I’m curious but I have no idea what it is.”
“It’s just something that I saw and I had to get it but I don’t think you can guess it.”
“It’s heavy too.”
I unwrap the box like a little kid, the excitement is there. It is always fun to get a gift, no matter what age you are. Under the paper, I find a brown box that doesn’t give anything away. As I opened the box, I see it and it’s the best gift he could have given me. A snow globe with the Hopeful wishing well. “This is the perfect gift. The night it all started. The wishes. It was a great night and now, I’ll have this to remember the moment forever.”
He leans closer and kisses my temple. “I was hoping you were going to like it. I have more presents for you but I’ll keep them for later.”
“I got you presents too but I don’t think they will be quite as meaningful as this one. It really touches me.” I shake the snow globe with my hands and watch the little snowflakes swirling around the wishing well. “Thank you.” I say reaching for his lips. We kiss and it’s soft, loving and perfec
t. The mood between us is relaxed and comfortable, so is our kissing. The Christmas tree softly illuminates the room and the music playing in the background keeps my heart warm. Everything about now is what I’ve always dreamed of.
“I love you, Jace.” I say. It’s a deep feeling I have started to adjust to. Love is strong, powerful. It’s easy to get lost in, but with Jace, I’m sure he will hold my hand and guide me through it.
“I love you, Bexley.”
I smile and tears appear in the corner of my eyes.
A surprise dinner is awaiting. One that I haven’t cooked and it smells spectacular.
More presents are about to be exchanged.
I don’t think I could ask for anything better than this. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.
Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make the biggest difference. I don’t ask for diamonds or caviar, just a man who takes good care of me.
Just like Jace.
Life with him is a wish that came true.
The End
The Christmas
Fairytale
Corinne Mazille
Chapter One
TESSA
Looking in the mirror, I kiss my lips together, checking that my lipstick is on correctly as I adjust the curls showing under my headscarf, making sure there are enough out to cover my facial scar.
I rarely look in the mirror these days, because every time I do, it's a reminder of the night that changed my life forever. The scars on my face and body are a reminder of what seems like a lifetime ago. A time where I loved to wear make-up, do my hair, get dressed up, and go out. I always wanted to travel, but after the night that left me with these ugly scars, I don't go anywhere. I try to live a normal life, but everyone stares at me, making me uncomfortable. I know how bad I look but it was their looks of disgust that sent me out here.
Hopeful, Colorado.
A beautiful picturesque town that I stumbled across a few years ago, where everyone leaves me alone. Granted, I live off the beaten path, only leaving the house when something can't be delivered to me. I love the internet; it has made my life so much easier. Easier in the sense that I don't need to leave my house for much, but also because it allows me the freedom to work from home. I chose this house for the many large floor-to-ceiling windows which give the appearance of the outside world without having curious eyes wondering. The views of the mountains helped too.
Shaking myself out of these sad thoughts, I walk over to my bedside table, spritzing myself with some perfume before grabbing my purse and keys as I make my way out the front door.
I pause to take a few deep breaths.
It's okay. You are only going to visit old man Spencer. You can do this.
I say this a few times before rushing to my car and starting up the engine.
Spencer called me yesterday complaining that it's been too long since my last visit. He knows I don't like to leave my safe place, but he always gets me with his "but who knows how long I have left on this earth?" It gets to me every time. He uses it whenever he feels me pulling back; hence why I’m putting on my big-girl panties and leaving my house.
I met Spencer when I first moved out here three years ago. His brother owned this house. He must have sensed I was a bit of a loner because he made sure to check on me with surprise visits and, as much as it annoyed me at the start, I ended up enjoying his company. He's getting a lot older now and is living with his son and wife who have restricted him from driving after a few too many near-miss accidents. I think they had to replace their letterbox three times before they took his license off him.
Now he calls whenever he's home alone, knowing I don't like being around people.
And I don't have the heart to let him down. Being so far away from my parents, it's been nice having someone around, someone to talk to, someone to have human contact with. He took me under his wing, so to speak, telling me all about the gossip from town, but also helping me with things that needed doing around the house.
After spending a couple of hours with Spencer, I take the long way home to enjoy the beautiful scenery that is Hopeful. Spencer sent me back with some fresh fruit and veggies grown from their backyard. They own the biggest farm in this town, so I always come home with lots of fresh goodies.
I'm halfway home when I feel the car pull, making loud buzzing noises and spluttering smoke. God, please don't break down on me, please, not now, we're nearly home.
"Fuck," I shout, slamming a hand on the dash. My head drops to the steering wheel as I take a few deep breaths. This is not what I need today. I've already been out for a few hours. Why now? Getting out of the car, I pop the hood up as the smoke billows out. I have to take a step back, so it doesn't get me in the face. I fan the smoke away with my hands. Shit.
Looking around, I see I'm not too far from home. It's not like I've got any friends who I can call to come help me. It looks like I'm going to have to walk the rest of the way. Taking my purse, I lock up the car; the groceries staying in the backseat. I hope I can get my car towed soon; I don't want to be without it. I may not drive very often, but I need it there just in case.
Making sure the scarf is covering my scar, I continue along the muddy path, keeping to the side so that no one can see. Of course, the day I break down, it's a miserable cold and wet day in Colorado.
I decide to take a shortcut through the town park. I'm hoping with this weather people are at work and not many people will be out and about.
I keep walking past the stores, the temperature getting colder, and I shiver snuggling further into my jacket. Walking around the corner to the park, where the shops surround, I hear the beautiful sounds of water, almost like a waterfall. Surely there's no waterfall here in Hopeful. I've never heard of it and old man Spencer would've told me. He seems to like informing me of the town's history, and I must admit, I do enjoy him telling me all about this beautiful town I now call home.
Instead of turning right towards my house, I take a left and head towards the water. Breaking through the bushes, I don't see a waterfall, instead what I do see is a beautiful well. The water is running through it and all around a little pond.
"What a quaint little well," I say to no one in particular.
The well has stones of different shapes and sizes piled on top of each other in a circular shape.
I place my hands on top of the well and take a look down. Beautiful clear water shines beneath, which is where the sounds were coming from. It's so magical, I think as I take a step back. A plaque on the side reads “founded in 1858”, the same year the town Hopeful was founded.
Reading on I see it claims that if you throw a stone in it and make a wish, it will come true.
This wishing well has magical properties? Yeah right, I think as I chuckle.
As if something like that would work. But not wanting to risk it as I'm having the worst day with my car breaking down, I figure why not? Let's give this a go. I pick up a stone, the prettiest I can find, holding it to my chest while I think what to wish for.
I guess if there's one wish I want, it’s just to be normal. To be able to speak to people. To be able to look people in their eyes without them seeing me as ugly. To have someone love me. I've been alone for so long, but being a writer, I just want that happily ever after that I write about.
Closing my eyes, I picture my wish, whispering it out loud as I toss my stone into the water. It takes a while before it hits the bottom, but when it does, it makes the most bizarre musical tune. It's so charming that I stay for a few minutes to take in the water and breathe the fresh air. The rain has let off, letting me enjoy this moment.
Maybe I should think about getting a water feature in my backyard. It would be so great to be able to put my feet up, relax, and get all the words out. To have water running in the background would be heavenly. Putting it on my mental shopping list, I pick up my purse that I dropped before and head in the direction of home.
It starts raining again heavily, and I’m struggli
ng to see where I’m going. Oh gosh, can this day get any worse?
Finally, I see a clearing, and I'm pretty sure this road will lead me home.
Not many cars come past, which is great as I'm struggling. I didn't think my house was this far away.
I've gotten a bit lost, either that or it's this rain confusing my sense of direction. Looking around to try and find something familiar, I don't see where I'm walking, and I stumble over a log, crashing to the ground.
I fall over like a newborn foal.
"Ouch," I cry out loud.
I lift my leg, but the pain rushing up from my ankle tells me I'm in trouble. It's times like this when you're so far away from your family that you wish you hadn't moved so far away.
Or that you had some friends.
All of a sudden in the trees up ahead, I see some lights.
Car lights to be precise. I'm torn between wanting help and not wanting to be seen.
I try to adjust my scarf and curls but it’s no use, everything is soaked.
The car comes down the road, slowly coming to a stop.
I don't know many people here in town, but the logo on that truck looks like Hopeful Veterinary Clinic.
Noah.
Please don't let it be him; please let it be one of his workers.
I met Noah when I moved here; he is Hopeful’s vet. From day one, just seeing him did something to me. I get butterflies in my tummy, and he's always trying to get me to smile, which is why he’s the last person I want to see right now.
When the door swings open, I see his gorgeous face. He's wearing a beanie and a thick rain jacket, but it’s his chocolate brown eyes, strong jaw and the cupid bow on his lips that catches my attention.
"Are you okay there, ma'am?" I hear him say. That voice is the very same one that pops up when I'm writing those scenes in my books and, if I'm honest, in my dreams. Hey, I may be a hermit, but that doesn't mean I'm not still a woman. A woman who reacts to hot attractive men. Men like Noah.
As he approaches, I hold my hands up. "I'm okay. I'm fine; it's just a fall." But that doesn't stop his strides to me.
Country Wishes Page 60