Mr. Santa
Page 10
“Go!” she ordered, taking Noah away.
I scrambled around the living room for my purse and phone. I put my wool coat on and my boots, and then I blew them both a kiss before taking off.
When I got to my destination, there was no car in the embankment. But the lights were on.
In the cabin.
Our cabin.
I put my Prius in park and ran up the porch, struggling to get the door open in my haste.
When I stepped inside, the fire was going. The pullout bed was made up with fluffy pillows and blankets. And snow fell slowly behind me, not thick enough to stop me this time.
There was a man coaxing the fire. When he heard me come in, he stood up and turned around. A grin broke out across his handsome face. I ran at him, throwing my arms around him as his came around me.
“Oh, Micha.” I sobbed, my heart opening up after sealing him inside safely for a year. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.” Was this real? I touched him, feeling his arms, inhaling his scent—it was real.
“Merry Christmas,” he whispered, a smile evident in his voice. “My leave was over early.”
“But Winter said—”
“I just got the news before I flew out. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
I sobbed harder in relief. “You’re home? For good?”
“I’m home for good.”
“Oh, thank god.” I crushed him to me.
“I have a present for you.”
“You mean there’s more?” I let him let me go. “What else do I need besides you?”
He pulled a little red box out of the pocket on his black coat. He’d shaved recently, and his black hair was pushed back in a medium length fade. He looked even sexier than the last time we were in this cabin a year ago. Older, stronger—his strength was a mirror or my own.
He dropped down onto one knee before me and gazed up at me through the sheen in his coal-colored eyes.
My brain and heart stilled.
“I came into your life when you needed me most. I took you in. I wanted to give you all that your parents hadn’t.” He swallowed hard.
I was already crying. Sobbing. My heart was soaring. Flying.
“You came into my life when I needed you most. You brought me back to life. You kept me sane over there. You gave birth to my son. You loved me even when the rules said you shouldn’t. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, with my son, with the love of my life. Noelle, will you marry me?” He opened the box, showing me a dazzling diamond set in a gold ring.
I didn’t look at the ring for long. All I wanted was him. The man I loved since I was thirteen.
The only man I’d ever wanted.
I gave my heart to him the day I met him, and now he was giving me his.
“Are you kidding? I’ll marry you right now, Micha. I’ll be Mrs. Santa?” I couldn’t stop my brain from pumping out useless words. All he wanted was one. “Yes, Micha. Yes, I’ll marry you. I’ll love you forever. Cherish every part of you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Micha Santa.”
He put the ring on my finger, and then he kissed me all the way to the pullout bed, making love to me for hours in front of the fire, until my bones were mush.
Until my heart was at peace.
Until every part of me was his. His parts became mine too. The missing pieces I’d always lived with were gone.
Micha Santa saved me, gave me a life I was proud of, and he would love me harder than I could ever imagine.
“Merry Christmas,” I whispered, pressing a long deep thankful kiss to his lips.
“I love you,” he promised. “I love you more and more every day. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. For you to be my wife.”
I was Mrs. Santa.
It was about damn time.
The End!
Other titles by Shana Vanterpool
The Demise Series:
My Sweet Demise
My Vicious Demise
The Crystal Gulf Series:
Destroy Me
Damage Me
Stand-Alone Novels:
A Beautiful Nightmare
About Shana Vanterpool
Romance author, coffee drinker, and bad boy aficionado. Every second not spent breathing is an opportunity to write and read. I live in Northern California with my family and actress dog, Halle Bella. (Just Bella when she decides to cut the crap.) Escaping with a good book is something I live for and I write so others can do the same.
Connect with Shana Vanterpool:
Website: ShanaVanterpool.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author-Shana-Vanterpool-404672296399311
Twitter: @ShanaVauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/shanavanterpoolauthor
Instagram: @ShanaVauthor