The Christmas Triplets
Page 18
“Don’t go.” She clutched at his hand. What was an abstract, possible future pain compared to the absolute certainty of devastation if he walked out the door right now?
He was right, life didn’t come with guarantees. But, judging by how his words had made her feel, it came with miraculous happiness. You just had to be brave enough to take the risk. Her mother had tried to convince her to stay in a bad marriage because she’d been afraid single life would be too hard. What did Megan want to cling to—fearful resignation, or courageous joy?
She took a deep breath. “I love you, too.” Despite her past hurts, despite her fears, the words weren’t hard to say at all. They tumbled out freely, and as soon as she’d said them she felt relieved, lighter. Ecstatic.
He crushed her against him for a hungry kiss, and her happy tears dampened both of their faces.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured across his lips. “So sorry...”
Pressing his forehead to hers, he smiled down at her. “Quit apologizing, woman, and kiss me back.”
She did, fervently. With a groan, he dropped his hands to her butt and pulled her closer. Need sizzled between them, but she couldn’t act on it in front of the window for all of Cupid’s Bow to see. A Mistletoe Moment was one thing; Florist In Flagrante was quite another.
“What if I lock up early?” she asked, nipping at his bottom lip. “And give you a tour of the back?”
He straightened. “You know, I have always wanted to see the back of a flower shop.”
“Then it’s about to be your lucky day.”
* * *
“ARM’S LENGTH,” WILL called across the dark yard. “Make sure you hold the sparkler at arm’s length, Luke. And when it goes out—”
“We know,” Jace interrupted with a groan. He set his beer on the deck railing and gave Megan a long-suffering look. “Can’t you make out with him and distract him from boring us with the same safety lectures he gives every year? We get it—wear the gloves, put the extinguished sparklers in the bucket of water, only let children over the age of five hold one.”
Megan’s triplets didn’t seem upset over not handling sparklers. Lily and Iris were happily coloring with Alyssa at the picnic table, beneath the glow of tiki lanterns and twinkle lights. Daisy was down in the yard with Luke and Mandy, but the attention from the older kids seemed to be more of a draw than the sparklers. They’d all gathered in the backyard of Kate and Cole’s new house to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The newlyweds were barely moved in, all of their belongings still in boxes, but Cole said they’d have a decent view of the town fireworks display.
Will put his arm around her and tugged her against his side. “You heard the man. Care to make out with me and prevent me from being tedious?”
“You are never tedious. But I’m happy to make out with you anyway.” She reached up to press her mouth to his, a soul-deep sense of belonging filling her. Behind her, Alyssa and Iris giggled, reminding her that they had an audience. “Maybe we should find a darker corner.”
“Maybe we should leave immediately after the fireworks,” Will whispered against her ear, “and make sure the girls are asleep well before midnight. I have very specific ideas on how I want to ring in the New Year.”
She blushed, hoping it was too dark for Will’s family to notice. “You’re good with holidays. You made the girls’ Christmas season magical, and this is the best New Year’s Eve ever.”
“Just wait until you see what I have in store for you on Valentine’s Day.” He winked at her. “And on Saint Patrick’s Day. And the Cupid’s Bow Centennial. And International Talk Like a Pirate Day. And Arbor Day!”
She laughed but knew that beneath the silliness of his words was a promise. They had a future together, countless holidays to share and memories to build. He stood by his word, and he would stand by her, loving her faithfully—even at her most prickly.
Kate glanced across the deck and raised her glass of wine in an unspoken toast to their happiness. “Remind me, who caught my bridal bouquet, again?”
As recently as last week, Megan would have blustered that she didn’t know if she’d ever remarry, that she was certainly in no hurry to jeopardize her heart again. Now she merely smiled, snuggling against the man she loved, basking in hope and possibilities.
* * * * *
EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT
Crown Prince Armando enlists Rosa Lamberti to find him a suitable wife—but could a stolen kiss under the mistletoe lead to an unexpected Christmas wedding?
Read on for a sneak preview of
WINTER WEDDING FOR THE PRINCE
by Barbara Wallace
“Have you ever looked at an unfocused telescope only to turn the knob and make everything sharp and clear?” Armando asked.
Rosa nodded.
“That is what it was like for me, a few minutes ago. One moment I had all these sensations I couldn’t explain swirling inside me, then the next everything made sense. They were my soul coming back to life.”
“I don’t know what to think,” she said.
“Then don’t think,” he replied. “Just go with your heart.”
He made it sound easy. Just go with your heart. But what if your heart was frightened and confused? For all his talk of coming to life, he was essentially in the same place as before, unable or unwilling to give her a true emotional commitment.
On the other hand, her feelings wanted to override her common sense, so maybe they were even. As she watched him close the gap between them, she felt her heartbeat quicken to match her breath.
“You do know that we’re under the mistletoe yet again, don’t you?”
The sprig of berries had quite a knack for timing, didn’t it? Anticipation ran down her spine ceasing what little hold common sense still had. Armando was going kiss her and she was going to let him. She wanted to lose herself in his arms. Believe for a moment that his heart felt more than simple desire.
This time, when he wrapped his arm around her waist, she slid against him willingly, aligning her hips against his with a smile.
“Appears to be our fate,” she whispered. “Mistletoe, that is.”
“You’ll get no complaints from me.” She could hear her heart beating in her ears as his head dipped toward hers. “Merry Christmas, Rosa.”
“Mer…” His kiss swallowed the rest of her wish. Rosa didn’t care if she spoke another word again. She’d waited her whole life to be kissed like this. Fully and deeply, with a need she felt all the way down to her toes.
They were both breathless when the moment ended. With their foreheads resting against each other, she felt Armando smile against her lips. “Merry Christmas,” he whispered again.
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WINTER WEDDING FOR THE PRINCE by Barbara Wallace
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Copyright ©2016 by Barbara Wallace
ISBN: 978-1-474-04192-8
THE CHRISTMAS TRIPLETS
© 2016 Tanya Michaels
Published in Great Britain 2016
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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