Stella linked her arm through Lux’s elbow and hauled her off. “Excuse us, please,” she called over her shoulder as they hurried out of earshot.
“Don’t be long!” He began to pace behind the sleigh, far away from Dunder. He didn’t have a backup plan. Following Lux home to her Christmas-cult family was his only option. If this didn’t work out, he was a dead man.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Lux, what in the bells is going on?”
Lux yanked her arm free from Stella’s grip. Stella had dragged her halfway to the Tea House, where donuts were a dollar. The sun was in earnest now, turning patches of snow into puddles. Main Street was sad, the colors dimmed by the low light and the street full of mud. No one wandered from the diner to the Trading Post, and the mayor’s wife wasn’t out looking for volunteers for her latest project.
“Dad’s tinsel is twisted—he’s been out looking for you. Mom’s called the four corners of the earth, and Ginger is pacing the floor. Robyn has made one welcome-home meal per hour, and Frost is starting a missing sister campaign with your picture.”
“But—”
“Your phone is off—nitwit.” Stella shoved Lux’s shoulder.
Lux glanced back at Quik. “You have to buy me ten minutes. This shouldn’t take long.”
Stella shoved her shoulder. “Are you seriously getting married?” Stella glanced at Lux’s left hand.
Lux cupped her left hand with her right. “It’s not like that. I need him to help me build the substation, and he can’t go to the North Pole unless we’re married. And since you and Axel broke up—”
Stella’s lips clamped together and then went slack. “I tried, he—”
“No.” Lux waved her hands to ward off an explanation. “It’s okay. This works out well for everybody.”
“But the whole point of us getting married is to provide true love to feed the magic. If you guys aren’t in love, then this is pointless. You don’t even know if the magic will let him in.”
“It’s going to work.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I love him.” Lux shook Stella’s arm. “He doesn’t have to love me back to feed the magic. My love is enough.”
Stella yanked her in for a hug. “Is it enough for you, though?”
Lux leaned into her sister. A kissless marriage wasn’t exciting nor thrilling, but there would be good things—there had to be. “I can’t let Christmas, the family, or the children down.” Lux’s throat tightened again. She let Stella go. “Let’s get this over with.”
Stella linked their arms together. “You should try to smile. It’s your wedding day.”
Lux laughed, though she felt more like crying. She pulled Stella back toward the church. “I’ll smile when the substation is running and we’ve averted disaster.”
“Talk about a bridezilla,” Stella teased.
That brought a smile to Lux’s face. Sisters were awesome! She headed back to her intended and found that looking him in the eye was difficult at best. “Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.” Quik rubbed his palms on his pants.
“Just what every bride wants to hear.” Stella glared daggers.
“I didn’t mean … I’m a little nervous.” Quik threaded his fingers together and laid his hands on the back of his head. “What’s the plan?”
“Stella is going to buy us a few minutes time to get back home.”
“I wouldn’t like to be in your shoes.” Stella gathered up the basket and cookies that weren’t ruined. “I’m going to text Robyn that I found you and I’m bringing you home.”
“Good idea.” Lux’s stomach ached at the thought that she’d caused her parents worry. She’d never done that before.
“It’s going to be okay.” Quik touched her elbow and then jerked it back when the Mini-Sub hummed.
Lux stared at the contraption. “I certainly hope so.” She twisted her fingers together. “This is either the smartest thing I’ve ever done or the dumbest.”
“How will you know which it is?”
She glanced at Quik out of the corner of her eye. “Um, our palace will explode.”
“No pressure, then,” he quipped. He waved for her to go first up the steps.
Lux set her jaw in determination and took the first step toward life as a married woman.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sweat trickled down Quik’s back. For the first time since he’d met her, Lux’s skin was cold, and he had a feeling he’d caused the change. He didn’t like that—not one bit. A husband, even one as unconventional as he was, should bring joy into his bride’s life. He’d have to work on that when assassins weren’t hot on their tail.
Thankfully, they hadn’t seen anyone carrying a rifle—yet. If Pastor Willis didn’t get the vows going, they’d be sitting ducks.
He held both Lux’s hands in his while Pastor Willis spoke about sickness and health, better and worse. With those words, the marriage aspect of his plan got real—like deep down in his heart real. He stared at Lux, her long and luxurious red hair glistening with golden highlights, like tinsel woven into the strands. Her spectacular green eyes were guarded and hard to catch. She’d hardly looked at him after talking to Stella. No, her avoidance went back to the moment he’d suggested they marry. No, it went back to the night before, when he’d mocked her belief that she was Santa’s daughter. There wasn’t much he could do about that one. Feeding into delusions wasn’t a good idea. He just wouldn’t talk about it.
He brushed his thumbs over the back of her hands, eliciting a small gasp. Her eyes rose ever so slowly to meet his, and he poured sincerity into his gaze, praying she would feel just a hint of what he felt in this moment. That there was more to this ceremony than a bargain. That he did care for and about her. That he wanted to help in whatever way she needed.
He wished things were different. Wished they could have met at a time when he was free from the threats that hung over him, free from worry, free to just hold her as his wife.
“You may now kiss the bride.” Pastor Willis grinned.
Lux’s brown lashes brushed her dusted cheeks.
Quik had promised not to kiss her. He now believed that was the stupidest decision in his thirty-two years. He cupped her cheek, leaned down, and pressed his lips to her soft skin. The words I love you, wife caught on his tongue. He closed his eyes and hugged her tight, soaking in the warmth only Lux could provide and breathing her minty cocoa scent.
“Well, that was … interesting.” Stella pulled Lux out of Quik’s arms and hugged her as well.
Willis shook Quik’s hand. “I have to say, I didn’t think I’d be marrying this one off any time soon.” He slapped Quik on the back.
Quik forced a chuckle.
“Congratulations, you two.” Willis shook Lux’s hand and then moved to Stella. “It was wonderful of you to come. I hope we see a lot more of you in the future.”
Stella stared. “I—I came at Easter.”
“I noticed.” He winked. Quik’s jaw dropped open. Pastors don’t wink. At least, not the pastors he’d grown up with. Willis wished them all a good day and headed back to his office.
“Are pastors supposed to wink?” Stella asked, still staring at the closed door.
Lux and Quik exchanged a look and lifted their shoulders in unison. Quik’s cheeks burned—they’d been married less than five minutes, and they were already reading one another’s thoughts.
“Stella?” Lux touched her arm to get her attention. “We’ve got to get going. Quik needs to be out of town ASAP.”
Quik nodded. “They will have been through my house by now. They might already be at the cave.”
Lux nodded. “Be careful when you fly out. Military planes are all over the place.”
Stella’s eyebrows disappeared beneath her heavy bangs. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”
Lux nodded. “I’ll catch you up at home.”
“Let’s go.” Quik put his hand on Lux’s lower back
to escort her out of the building. He’d done the same thing at his cabin without thinking much about the action. It was amazing how a few words spoken by a man of God could transform even the slightest touch. Heat ran up his fingers, his arm, and across his chest. A wonderful, warm, inviting heat. As if that was where he was supposed to be, and his body knew it—his mind was just slow to catch on.
He didn’t like feeling slow, and so, when they went through the door, he didn’t touch her again. For all he knew, the mini-Sub was humming away and ready to add another energy pulse that would give away their position.
As he headed to the sleigh, he realized he didn’t feel cold. Pausing mid-step, he bent down and put his palm on a pile of snow. It was scratchy, the tiny crystals catching his hand, but there wasn’t a chill. He grinned, picking up a handful and making a ball. His skin didn’t change colors, his hands didn’t burn, and the snow didn’t melt into a puddle. “Ha!” he laughed.
“Are you coming?” Lux called from the sleigh. She had the reins in her bare hands. If this was how she felt all the time, he could understand why she smiled easily. His steps slowed; she had smiled easily when they first met. Now she wore a slight frown as she watched Stella’s sleigh head east.
He stepped into the sleigh, riding on a high he’d never known. He had to grab the side of the sleigh as he tamped down the urge to grab Lux, dip her low, and give her a real first kiss as husband and wife.
She eyed him warily. “Why are you so happy?”
“We just got married.” He chuckled, lifting his hands in front of his face. “My skin’s tingling. I feel like I’ve been dropped into a bowl of Christmas punch.”
She pressed her lips together as she slapped the reins and steered Dunder south. “You’ll get used to it.” He watched her, wondering why she was so serious when the world was so beautiful—she was beautiful.
She took them out of town, over one mountain, and into a clearing in no time at all. Dunder chewed up the landscape with his powerful legs. Trees whooshed by.
“Please keep your hands and arms inside the sleigh at all times,” Quik joked.
Lux rolled her eyes. “What is with you?”
“I don’t know. I feel drunk, but I don’t drink.”
She considered him. “It must be the magic, Quik. You’re becoming part of it.”
“Christmas Magic?”
She nodded.
“You mean I’m becoming jolly?” He snickered. That was funny.
“You should probably sit down.”
“You should probably call me Matthew.”
She chewed her bottom lip but didn’t respond.
He lounged in the velvet-lined seat and threw his arm over the back. He could hear the wind but only felt a light, pleasant breeze.
“Hold on!” Lux called over her shoulder. She lifted the reins high and gave them a mighty slap. “On, Dunder!”
With a powerful leap, Dunder left the ground, taking the sleigh with him.
Quik swore and pressed himself into the seat. Lux glared at him. They rose high enough to clear the mountaintops and leveled off. In the distance, a plane dropped behind the horizon. “I don’t think they saw us,” Quik said.
“We’re in the clear. I don’t see Stella, though. She’s probably halfway home by now.” Her cheeks paled and her overall color tinted green.
“Are you okay?”
“I hate flying.”
“Do you want me to?” He reached for the reins. Dunder bellowed and turned right and then left and then spun in a full circle, sending Quik back to his seat.
“Dunder!” Lux yelled. “You’re killing me.” He straightened out, snorting loud and long. “I’m driving, okay? Geeze. Chill.”
Quik laughed.
“It’s not funny.” Lux’s hand went to her stomach.
“You just told a flying reindeer to chill.” Quik bent over, laughing.
“Laugh it up, jolly man. We’re in for a bumpy landing. If Dunder doesn’t let you drive, you can bet our reception at home isn’t going to be smooth.” She muttered something about her dad.
That sobered Quik—a little. “I should have talked to your dad before we got married.” He’d seen Lux’s father at the wedding pageant for Ginger and Joseph last Christmas. He was a large, imposing man, but he looked reasonable enough. “We’ll explain the situation, and I’m sure I can win him over.”
Dunder made a strange noise in his throat.
“What’s that?” Quik asked.
“He’s laughing at you.”
Quik’s heart sank.
Lux pulled hard to the right and they circled down, down, down toward the ice and snow. “Welcome home,” she said as they flew into a small opening in the ice.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lux set the reins in the loop and stepped out of the sleigh. The stables were in a flutter. Reindeer stomped their hooves and butted their antlers against the beams, making the stables shake. Kennedy, who was being led to his stall by Selora, kicked his back legs like a bucking bronco. Selora expertly dodged his antlers as she rubbed his nose and spoke in low tones.
Stella was nowhere to be seen. She couldn’t have had that much lead time on them if her reindeer was just unharnessed.
Quik—no, Matthew stared at everything, his mouth hanging open. He slowly got to his feet. “It’s real,” he whispered. Lux watched him take everything in. This shouldn’t have been a surprise; she shouldn’t have married a man who was surprised to see a stable full of flying reindeer. When Ginger brought Joseph home, he was overwhelmed but not because it all existed—her family could be a lot to take in. She cringed. Matthew had a big dose of Kringle coming his way in a short amount of time. Perhaps she should have warned him, but a part of her—the part that should be on the Naughty List—believed he deserved what was coming after the way he’d not believed in her.
“Of course it’s real.” Selora stomped up to the sleigh and shooed Matthew out. “Unbeliever,” she muttered under her breath as she began brushing the velvet seat as if it were full of crumbs.
Bumble hurried forward, tsking his tongue and sniffing intermittently. The elf was Dad’s best elf-friend, and he didn’t look at all happy. “You’ve done it now, Miss Lux.” He picked up her left hand and huffed. “Not even a ring.” Tsk. Tsk.
Quik ran his hand through his hair and turned in a circle. “They’re angry elves.”
Lux put her hands on her hips. “You bring out the best in all of us.”
“Sarcasm does not become you, my dear,” Quik—Matthew—quipped. Calling him by his first name was going to take some getting used to. “You’re much too beautiful when you smile. You should smile all day every day.”
Lux’s eyebrows climbed her forehead. Matthew had been Christmas punch-drunk since the ceremony. She’d have to ask Joseph how long that lasted. Her brother-in-law had seemed normal when he and Ginger came back from their honeymoon. He was happier than he’d been alone in his woodshop in Alaska, but she’d attributed that to him having Ginger in his life. Maybe there was more to his good mood than love. Because Quik’s compliment wasn’t from love. He didn’t love her, not like she loved him. If he did, he wouldn’t have promised not to kiss her.
Instead of feeling twitterpated that her new husband called her pretty, she was angry. His words mocked her. “Don’t call me that.” Lux took her bag from Selora and headed for the door. She needed to find her family and set the record straight. Rumors could grow like icicles up here.
She was a couple feet from the door when it burst open, her dad filling the whole frame. Seriously, he looked much bigger. He could shrink to get down chimneys, but she’d never seen him grow. Wow! That would be an interesting study. She could see how small he could get and contrast that with how big—
“You!” He pointed directly at Quik. His face was as red as his flannel shirt.
Lux’s eyes widened. Angry Santa was not to be trifled with. Quik stood his ground, strong and straight-backed like a soldier, with his arms stif
f at his side and a half smile spread across his face. Lux wanted to warn him to tread carefully, but there was no time before Dad was in his face.
“You’re on my list,” Dad growled.
Quik snorted a laugh like he just couldn’t hold it in. “I’m on the Naughty List?”
“No.” Dad got even closer. “You’re on my list.” Dad’s chest expanded, overshadowing his cookie-jar belly and making him bigger than the Abominable Snowman.
The rest of the family piled through the door at a run. They stopped short when they saw Dad towering over Matthew. Mom’s hand went to her mouth. Frost ducked behind Stella. Robyn narrowed her eyes, and Ginger said, “Whoa.”
“Remind me never to tick you off.” Joseph turned his niece, Layla, around and shoved her ahead of him as he left.
“Dad!” Ginger snapped.
Dad whipped around in time to see Layla leaving. He let out a deep breath and his face returned to its natural color. He might have shrunk a little, too, although he managed to stay the same height as Quik, whom he poked in the chest. “You—”
A deep rumbling interrupted Dad’s warning or tirade or lecture.
“The cave’s expanding.” Mom stepped to Dad’s side. “Christmas Magic has accepted him. He’s part of the family now.”
Dad poked Quik again, hard. Quik didn’t flinch, didn’t move. He just stood there and took it, but he took it like a soldier getting dressed down by his superior officer. He didn’t shrink into himself; his shoulders were square, proud even. He set his jaw firm. Lux’s stomach took a sugarplum-fairy leap at the sight.
“Come on.” Frost waved to Lux. “I think it’s coming from your room.”
No one wanted to stand there and wait for Dad to say something else or grow or change colors again. Even the reindeer had disappeared behind their stall doors. The family hurried out of the stable, gathering Joseph and Layla as they went.
Marrying Miss Kringle: Lux Page 12