by SJ McCoy
He lowered his lips to hers but stopped when the doorbell rang.
She pecked him and then pulled away. “We’d better let them in.”
They were right about Neil and Merry. They stayed less than half an hour, and when people started arriving, they only chatted with Mr. D and Chris for a couple of minutes before making their excuses and leaving.
Ivan smiled as he watched Chris and Abbie disappear into the kitchen. He had a lot of respect for Chris, and he was glad that Abbie knew and liked her, too.
“If you’d told me a year ago when we were in Montana that this is where we’d be today, I would have told you that you were crazy.”
Ivan turned to see Mr. D standing beside him.
“I wouldn’t have believed it myself.”
Mr. D smiled. “It’s amazing how much can change in twelve months. What if I asked you to predict where we’ll be this time next year?”
Ivan thought about it. “Hmm. I’d say that you and Chris will be married. I reckon you might even have bought a house here. You say you love her place, but I still think you’d be happier in a house like this. It feels weird that I live here while you live with her.”
Mr. D laughed. “You might be right on that one. I do love her house, but ever since I got interested in cooking, I’d love a bigger kitchen, if nothing else.”
“You could take over this place if you want.” Ivan didn’t like the idea of leaving the first house he’d ever come to think of as home, but Mr. D was the one paying for it, and it was more his style.
“No way. This is your place.”
“It’s not, though, is it?”
Mr. D gave him an odd look. “It is. You’ve made it your home. You and Abbie. This is where you’re starting your life together.” He smiled. “You didn’t finish your prediction. You said I’d be married this time next year—will you?”
Ivan smiled. “I hope so. I plan to be engaged, but the married part is dependent on a wedding—and that will depend on Abbie and what she wants to do.”
Mr. D smiled. “You should have a big wedding, whatever she wants.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Well, I guess we’ll have to check in this time next year and see how we each fared. For now, I’m going to have a word with Jack. I didn’t know you’d invited him.”
“We invited everyone. It’s kind of our house-warming party. Even though I’ve been here a while, Abbie’s agreed to live with me now, so …” He shrugged.
Mr. D gave him that weird smile again before he went to talk to Jack.
Logan came and slung an arm around his shoulders. “Damn, bud. I knew you lived in a big fancy house, but this place is something else.”
“Thanks. I like it. It’s not as though it’s mine, though. It comes with the job.”
“I’d take it any way it comes. It’s awesome. I told you you’d be one of the couples before long, and look at you, doing it in style. You’ve got the lovely Abbie tamed, and the two of you are setting up home together in this place. You’ll be in magazines next—beautiful people and their beautiful homes.”
Ivan laughed. “I don’t know about that, but I can tell you, I’m happy.”
“And you’re happy to stay here?”
Ivan gave him a puzzled look, and then he remembered what Logan had said about Abbie never leaving her mom. “I am. I love this town. But if you’re thinking about Abbie’s mom, that’s all changed. She’s got a job in Stanton Falls. She's talking about moving there permanently.”
“Wow.”
Roxy appeared at Logan’s side. “Did I hear mention of Stanton Falls? Are we going up there? We never did make that group trip happen. We should all go in the new year sometime.”
“That wasn’t what we were talking about,” said Logan. “But yeah, we should see who’s up for it. It’d be a fun trip if a bunch of us go.”
Ivan smiled. Their group of friends had talked about going up to Stanton Falls a while back, but it hadn’t come off. He hadn’t been keen on the idea at the time. Now, with Abbie, it’d be fun.
~ ~ ~
It was midnight before the last people left. Abbie was exhausted. She hadn’t expected it to go this late, but everyone had been having a good time. And she’d enjoyed herself.
Ivan came and put his arms around her. “I think we can say it was a success.”
She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. “I think we can. It was great. Is it weird that it feels like we’re official now? That somehow having this party was some kind of landmark—for us and for all our friends.”
His lips quirked up in the hint of a smile.
“What? Do you think I’m goofy for seeing it that way?”
“No. I’m smiling because I’m proud of myself.”
“Why?”
“Because I hoped it’d make you feel that way. Do you seriously think that I’m the kind of guy who sees himself as the host?”
“No. Now you come to mention it, I don’t. So, why did you come up with this?”
“For you, for us.” He held her closer. “You want to feel like you’re more respectable now, part of the community, not on the edges.” He planted a kiss on her forehead. “You thought you’d be getting a life like that if you married an accountant.” He smiled at her. “You wouldn’t have gotten it with Neil.”
She laughed. “No, I wouldn’t. But, Ivan, I don’t need it either. I don’t care about that stuff.”
“I know. I just wanted to show you that with me, you can have it if you want it. You can have whatever is in my power to give you. That’s how much I love you.”
“Aww. I love you, too. I …” She made herself stop. She’d been about to say that she didn’t deserve him, but she knew what he’d say to that, and more importantly, she knew it wasn’t true anymore.
Chapter Twenty
On Christmas morning, Ivan opened his eyes and smiled. Today was the day. He didn’t usually make much of an effort for Christmas. It was just another day for him. Not this year, though, and he hoped that for the rest of his life, Christmas would have a new meaning for him, a very special, very important one.
He put his arm around Abbie and pulled her closer. She gave him a sleepy smile. “Mm. Are you going to give me my Christmas present right now?” She wiggled her ass against him.
Damn, he wanted her. And there was no reason not to. “Is this what you want for Christmas?” he asked as he pressed his cock between her legs.
“Mm.” She rolled onto her back and held her arms up to him. “Yes, please.”
Her hands roved over his back and shoulders as he kissed her. She started out sleepy and slow, but before long, she was spreading her legs wider, rocking her hips against him and grasping his ass. “I want you, Ivan.”
“I’m all yours,” he breathed against her neck.
Her fingers closed around him, and he closed his eyes as she guided him inside her. He tried to take it slow; he liked the idea of long, slow lovemaking on Christmas morning. Abbie had other ideas.
She raked her fingers down his back and then dug her nails into his ass, urging him to move faster, harder, to give her more and more until all his pent-up desire found its release inside her. She gasped his name as she came with him, milking him for all he had to give as they soared away together. When he finally slumped down on her shoulder, she nibbled his ear. “I love you, Ivan.”
“I love you more, Abbs.”
It was ten o’clock by the time they made breakfast. They’d stayed in bed awhile, then had coffee and opened presents and showered. It was the most perfect Christmas day Ivan had ever had—and the best part was still to come.
She poured a glass of orange juice and set it down on the counter in front of him. “I had a text from Mom; she said she should be here at noon.”
“That’s good, and it’s warm out there. The roads should be clear for her.”
“Yeah. I checked the forecast this morning. There’s no frost.”
He smiled. He had a feeli
ng that they would always look out for her mom as if they were the parents. He didn’t mind that one bit. He liked her a lot. He could see himself growing to love her. She’d invited him to be a part of their family early on. A few days ago, she’d happily told him that she would love for him to make that official. Now all he needed to do was to wait for her to get here so he could. She’d told him that she didn’t need to be there, but he wanted to include her.
~ ~ ~
Abbie ran out onto the driveway when her mom pulled up and wrapped her in a hug. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas to you, too.”
Abbie stood back and looked at her. “Wow! You look amazing. Did you get your hair done?”
“I did. Do you like it?”
“I love it. But come on in. It’s freezing out here.”
“Give me a minute. Let me bring your presents in.”
Abbie helped her bring her bags up to the house and led her through to the kitchen, where Ivan was stirring a pot on the stove.
“Hey.” He came and gave her mom a hug. “Merry Christmas.”
She grinned at him. “Merry Christmas to you, too. I’m so excited. I didn’t think I’d enjoy this Christmas, but now—” She stopped short and shot a look at Abbie that she didn’t understand.
“Now, what?”
To her surprise, both her mom and Ivan looked guilty as hell.
“What is it? Will one of you tell me what’s going on?”
Her mom looked at Ivan. “Maybe you should.”
For a moment, she was scared. Ivan looked panicked. He shoved his hands in his pockets and then relaxed.
“What is it?”
He came and took her hand and led her through to the living room. Her mom followed.
“It’s nothing bad, Abbie. Don’t look like that. It’s something good—at least, I hope you’ll think so.”
She gave him a puzzled look. They both seemed so happy, it didn’t feel like something awful was about to happen.
“Okay.” She smiled. “Why don’t you just tell me, and I can decide for myself?”
“Okay!” He took a deep breath and dropped down on one knee in front of her. “I know the first night we went out I told you I wasn’t going to marry you. Well, I’m hoping I was wrong.”
Her heart pounded in her chest as she stared down at him.
“I got you this.” He held up a beautiful diamond ring. “In case you want to make this official. What I’m trying to say here is, I love you, Abbie. I want to spend the rest of my days with you. Will you marry me?”
She nodded happily as tears ran down her cheeks. “Yes! Oh, God, yes!”
He got up and slid the ring on her finger, then closed his arms around her and kissed her. When they finally came up for air, she remembered that her mom was there when she threw her arms around them.
“I’m so happy for you guys.”
The three of them hugged for a long moment, and Abbie felt as though they were cementing the foundation of their new little family unit.
Her mom stepped back and smiled. “I have to tell you that I do plan to move to Stanton, but I’ve been thinking. If you want the house, you can have it.”
Abbie smiled and thanked her, but she didn’t love the idea. She could tell that Ivan didn’t either. She didn’t want to start her married life in her childhood home. And besides, they both loved this place so much.
Ivan went and pulled a bottle of champagne from the fridge and popped it open. Abbie laughed. “I wondered what that was for.”
They all turned at the sound of the doorbell, and Ivan went to see who it was. Abbie was surprised to see Seymour Davenport out there. She expected Ivan to bring him in, but instead, he stepped outside with him and closed the door.
Her mom came and hugged her. “I’m so happy for you, Abbs. He’s a wonderful man. I know you’ll be happy together. Now. Let me see that ring.”
Abbie held her hand up, and they both admired the gorgeous ring that her gorgeous man had given her. Her fiancé. She tried out the word and discovered that she loved it. But not as much as she loved him.
She glanced at the door, hoping that everything was okay. She’d have to go and check in a minute.
When he came back in, she went to him; he looked as though he had tears in his eyes. “What is it?”
He smiled. “Sorry. I … I’m … kind of blown away right now.”
“Is Seymour okay?”
Ivan half laughed, half hiccupped, as though he was trying not to cry.
“Ivan, tell me!”
He swiped his sleeve over his eyes. “Everything’s fine. I’m being a soft ass. These are happy tears, not sad ones. See this?” He held up an envelope.
“What is it?”
“Mr. D. He knew what I was planning to do today, and he wanted to give me a little Christmas gift to help get us started on married life. This …” He waved the envelope. “This is the deed to this house. That’s my Christmas present.”
Abbie shook her head in disbelief. “He gave you the house?”
Ivan nodded and wrapped his arms around her. “He sure did. I wasn’t sure that I had enough to offer you, Abbie. All I had was a heart full of love and the determination to make our life together good.” He smiled. “Now, I can give us a home, too.”
Abbie snuggled against his chest. “I don’t need you to give me anything other than yourself and your love. But if you want to love me here in your amazing house, I’m not going to complain.”
“It’s not my amazing house, Abbie. It’s our home.” He dropped a kiss on her lips. “We’ve come a long way since the day I told you that I’d be there for you if ever you needed a friend to help you chase the blues away, huh?”
She smiled up at him. “We have. You chased them away yourself just by being you.”
It was true. She knew how lucky she was, not just that she’d found him, but that he’d been prepared to wait for her and love her through until she saw his worth and finally learned her own. She wasn’t perfect, she never would be, but she’d come a long way. And she planned to spend the rest of her days being the best version of herself that she could be, for him;
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A Note from SJ
I hope you enjoyed Ivan and Abbie’s story. Please let your friends know about the books if you feel they would enjoy them as well. It would be wonderful if you would leave me a review, I'd very much appreciate it.
Check out the “Also By” page to see if any of my other series appeal to you – I have a couple of freebie series starters, so you can take them for a test drive. You’ll find a list of all my books – complete with reading order and Freebies here.
If you’d like to keep in touch, there are a few options to keep up with me and my imaginary friends:
The best way is to Sign up for my Newsletter. Don't worry, I won't bombard you! I'll let you know about upcoming releases, share a sneak peek or two and keep you in the loop for a couple of fun giveaways I have coming up :0)
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And I’m always in the process of updating my website at www.SJMcCoy.com with new book updates and even some videos. Plus, you’ll find the latest news on new releases and giveaways on my blog.
I love to hear from readers, so feel free to email me at [email protected]. I’m better at that! :0)
I hope our paths will cross again soon. Until then, take care, and thanks for your support—you are the reason I write!
Love,
SJ
PS – Project Semicolon
You may have noticed that the final sentence of the story closed with a semicolon. It isn’t a typo. Project Semicolon is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and love to those who are struggling with depression, suicide, addiction, and self-injury. Project Semicolon exists to encourage, love, and inspire. It’
s a movement I support with all my heart.
"A semicolon represents a sentence the author could have ended, but chose not to. The sentence is your life and the author is you." - Project Semicolon
This author started writing after her son was killed in a car crash. At the time, I wanted my own story to be over. Instead, I chose to honour a promise to my son to write my ‘silly stories’ someday. I chose to escape into my fictional world. I know for many who struggle with depression, suicide can appear to be the only escape. The semicolon has become a symbol of support, and hopefully a reminder – Your story isn’t over yet
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Also by SJ McCoy
Summer Lake Seasons
Angel and Luke in Take These Broken Wings
Zack and Maria in Too Much Love to Hide
Logan and Roxy in Sunshine Over Snow
Summer Lake Silver
Marianne and Clay in Like Some Old Country Song
Seymour and Chris is A Dream Too Far
Summer Lake Series
Emma and Jack in Love Like You’ve Never Been Hurt (FREE)
Holly and Pete in Work Like You Don't Need the Money
Missy and Dan in Dance Like Nobody's Watching
Smoke and Laura in Fly Like You've Never Been Grounded
Michael and Megan in Laugh Like You’ve Never Cried
Kenzie and Chase in Sing Like Nobody’s Listening
Gabe and Renée in Smile Like You Mean It
Missy and Dan’s wedding in The Wedding Dance
Ben's backstory in Chasing Tomorrow
April and Eddie in Dream Like Nothing’s Impossible
Nate and Lily in Ride Like You’ve Never Fallen
Ben’s Story in Live Like There’s No Tomorrow
Smoke and Laura’s wedding in The Wedding Flight
Remington Ranch Series
Mason (FREE)
Shane
Carter
Beau
Four Weddings and a Vendetta
A Chance and a Hope Series
Chance Encounter