It Had to Be You
Page 20
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” His warm hand squeezes mine, and somehow my feet carry me forward and fall into the rhythm of the dance effortlessly, allowing him to lead.
“You’re good at this.” Firelight sparkles in his chocolate eyes.
“I’m the daughter of a diplomat. Waltzing comes with the territory.”
“Lucky you,” he whispers. “We’re all put through ballroom boot camp as freshmen and sophomores. They fly in this dame from Russia who claps while she shouts at us for an entire weekend until we master each dance. Training future presidents for the inaugural ball, I guess. Speaking of which, did you know these chandeliers are made by the same craftsman who created the ones in the White House?”
I crack a smile while he rambles on. This is new for him. What exactly is going on?
He spins me, and as he does his hand shifts just a tad, so it rests more on my lower back than hip. The quartet slows its beat, ending on one gentle note. Applause breaks out from the room, but James doesn’t let go. “Edelweiss,” he whispers. “You are so beautiful.”
A summery heat flushes my cheeks even though snowflakes fall just beyond the window. The fabric of his tuxedo is taut on his shoulders, a slim fit that makes him look more stunning than any red-carpet photo. “You make the tux look good.”
He leans in. “No, you make me look good. You’ve always made me look good. That’s the problem.”
“The problem?”
“What a lovely dance!” Creighton’s voice chimes over a new piece that the quartet started in the corner. “Please find your tables.”
“Can we…” He looks over his shoulder at one of the doors that leads onto the patio. “Can we go outside to talk?”
Last I checked it was fifteen degrees and snowing, but right now I’d follow him anywhere. “Sure.”
He holds open the door for me, and as I slip past him my breath floats upward in a white puff. The air snaps at my exposed shoulders.
“Take my coat.” James is already holding it open, allowing me to put my arms into his warm sleeves. He puffs his breath into his hands as I wrap the coat around me.
“It’s beautiful out here.” Thick snowflakes powder the branches of the trees and the full moon glows brilliantly in the darkness.
“Edelweiss, I messed up.”
“Not as bad as me.” I force out a laugh. “I can’t believe I’m still here after stealing that test.”
“No.” He reaches out and takes my hand in his. “I mean I messed up us. The moment I started feeling…” He takes a deep breath then locks those deep eyes with my own. “The moment I started having feelings for you, I should have been honest. Instead I royally screwed things up.”
Feelings for me? The thought is so wonderful that my heart stops.
“I shouldn’t have pushed you away. Here’s the thing.” He takes one step closer and rests his hand on my hip.
A gentle warmth feathers through me. Pure joy.
“Without you in my life, I’m undone. I tried to stay away because, God, you are too good for me. But I can’t stay away anymore. There is no other girl for me.”
I quiver as his hand touches my cheek. “Edelweiss.” The golden flecks in his eyes shine. “I love you.”
My shoulders shake as those beautiful words flutter out of his lips. “I…” It’s terrifying to speak those same words into the air, proclaiming the truth I feel in my bones, but life is too short to worry about the future. To have the blessing to love means it should be made known. “I love you, too.”
His eyes brighten. “Really?”
“More than you’ll ever know. I wanted to tell you that yesterday, but you—”
“Ditched out?” He nods. “I’m sorry. I wanted to be the one to tell you first, and I didn’t just want to blurt it out before you started speaking. I guess I panicked. Plus, I had all this planned.”
I glance down at the bracelet on my arm. “Thank you for putting so much thought into this.”
“How are we both so lucky?” He presses his forehead to mine.
“I don’t know.” Our breath hangs in a fog between us. There’s one more thing I need, though. I’m done with letting lofty ideals and naïve expectations shape my experiences. “I do have one request.”
“Anything.”
“No more rules. No lists. Let’s let whatever we are happen naturally.”
He chuckles. “No rules?”
I press my hands to his chest, knowing he’s teasing. “You know what I mean.”
“I do.” Then his lips brush against mine, melting me into his arms. I swear I’ve got one hundred monarch butterflies fluttering in my chest. “Like this?” he whispers.
Yes. Just like that. “James…”
“Edelweiss, please forgive me for everything I’ve done.”
“Of course I forgive you.” I brush my nose against his, letting my lips linger on his while I whisper. “But why me?”
“You had me the moment you climbed out of the boys’ bathroom window and walked into the lounge like you owned the place. You are braver than anyone I know, and you challenge me to be myself. It had to be you, Edelweiss. It always had to be you.”
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Acknowledgments
I feel blessed beyond reason to be writing my fourth book. I’ve loved this journey and without my readers none of this would be possible. Thank you for taking the time to read these words and the latest love story God placed on my heart.
So much love to the Wirt family and the Froehle family. Your endless support has held me up and inspired me to write stories about family and the heart.
To my agent, Dr. Jamie Drowley, thank you for our hour long telephone calls and always being my go-to gal. You are a great encourager with an endless belief in me, which I appreciate so much.
To Kate Brauning, my amazing editor. Kate, I bet you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into when you took me in. We had quite a wonderful ride putting this novel together and I’m so thankful you challenged me. You were everything I needed and this book would not be possible without your trust, support, and being able to see what I could not. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
To Entangled Publishing and the CRUSH line, thank you for choosing me. I’m honored to be part of the Entangled team. You guys have been absolutely phenomenal!
One thing that’s integral to any author’s sanity is having a community and I’ve fallen in love with the writers I’ve met on the road to publication. To Fiona McClaren, Katrina Sincek, Rebecca Yarros, Kelley Harvey, Molly Lee, Nikki Urang, Rachel Scheiffelban, Theresa Marie, Jenny Morris, Suzi Retzlaff, Jenny Bennet, Jessica Salyer, Cassie Mae, Kelley Gerschke, Leigh Covington, and many more, thank you. Thank you for listening. For being in the trenches with me. For your encouragement and ideas. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.
To my dear girlfriends, Katie Stano and Elissa Lucier, thank you for believing I had another story to tell and for cheering me on during every draft I tackled.
Evelyn, Penelope, and Owen, thank you for just being you. For shining and being awesome. You are the reason I do this. I’m called to write and dear little ones, I pray you will listen to your own call when the time comes.
To Greg, the love of my life. You are the best man I know. No one believes in me the way you do. You make being your wife so easy. You are the type of guy that puts book boyfriends to shame. You are my everything and I love you. Thank you for all the times you held down the fort while I wrote, encouraged me when I thought I couldn’t go on, and always being yourself. I’m so proud to be your wife.
And to God, thank you for placing this purpose in my heart and loving me the way you do.
About the Author
Lizzy Charles writes young adult contemporary romance and would rather read than eat, but if she’s not reading then you can bet sh
e’s eating. She’s a tea fanatic, guacamole expert, and sushi lover (though not necessarily combined). When she’s fixing lunches, dressing kids, changing diapers, or wiping pizza sauce off sticky hands, she escapes to La La Land and imagines all sorts of little love stories that she likes to tuck into novels once she’s put all three kids to bed. Lizzy loves her daily dose of fitness and is also a Registered Nurse so she can triage any symptom you send her way. Her best friend is her husband, and it’s no wonder she loves writing YA romance since the two fell in love in high school. She’s also enjoys blogging at LizzyCharles.com where she talks about life, faith, food, health, parenting, and more. Oh and she has a little pup named Professor Lupin who is pretty much the glue to the whole writing operation.
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