Beyond the Mistletoe: A Christmas Romance (Beyond Love Book 7)

by Karice Bolton

  “It was fun to flirt a little,” I offered.

  “What we witnessed wasn’t just flirting, Emily.”

  “And maybe that’s the problem. It wouldn’t just be flirting, and he’s moving to Montana.” I dipped a teabag in a cup of hot water and wandered over to where Gabby was sitting. I glanced around the bakery, admiring my handiwork. I’d even managed to screw together the Christmas tree and spread fake snow around the base. “It’s so festive in here.”

  “Don’t change the subject.”

  “I’m not. There’s just nothing else to say. I don’t want to get wrapped up or invest in the idea of something that isn’t realistic. And I realized after last weekend, that no matter how much I think I could have a one-night stand, I can’t. It’s just not in me, even if it’s my only shot at a celebrity,” I teased, trying to lighten my delivery.

  Gabby let out a deep sigh and nodded. “Well, you certainly left an impression on him.”

  “How so?”

  “He’s texted me nonstop asking if there’s going to be a seating chart for the reception and if there’s a chance his chair might be close to yours.”

  “That only sounds like it would take one text.”

  “And then he texted me to see if you’d mentioned him at all to me.”

  My cheeks reddened. I hadn’t texted a word to anyone about Derek.

  “And what did you say?”

  “I hadn’t heard anything…but not to take it personally.”

  I groaned.

  “And he texted back about his ego having had it since meeting you.”

  I chuckled.

  “And finally he asked for your address.”

  “You didn’t give it to him.”

  “Would it matter?” she asked. “Maybe he wants to send you a Christmas card when he gets to Montana.”

  The door jingled, and I stood up as another one of our regulars, Chloe, hurried inside. The breeze had picked up, and it almost felt like snow as she quickly guided her toddler into the warmth of the bakery.

  “I think a blizzard is on the way,” Chloe announced as her toddler jumped up and down happily.

  “If only we can get it to wait until after Saturday,” Gabby said, grinning.

  “That’s right. You’re about to walk down the aisle,” Chloe said, blowing into her bare hands to warm them. “What on earth are you doing here? Emily can take care of the place.”

  “Thank you,” I said, standing behind the counter.

  “I’m trying to convince her to give this particular guy a shot,” Gabby said. “But she seems to want nothing to do with him.”

  “Eggnog latte?” I asked Chloe. She often switched between eggnog and sugar cookie lattes during the holidays.

  “Sounds perfect. Now spill,” she commanded, as she watched her little girl trundle over to the toy area. “I don’t get much adult time and this sounds fascinating.”

  “Well, there’s this guy who is single, attractive, and extremely interesting and interested in Emily.” Gabby stood up to make herself a cup of tea.

  “So you’re not attracted to him?” Chloe asked, keeping an eye on her little girl.

  “Oh, no. She is very interested,” Gabby answered for me. “In fact, sparks flew all weekend between them.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” Chloe asked, as I finished up her eggnog latte.

  “Beats me,” Gabby answered.

  “For one, he lives in Montana.”

  “In all fairness, that could be an issue,” Chloe said, taking her cup to a table.

  “Exactly.” Finally, someone on my side.

  “But that can be overlooked. One of you can always move,” she added.

  “He technically hasn’t moved to Montana yet,” Gabby said.

  “So maybe he’ll fall madly in love and decide not to go,” Chloe said.

  “Have you been borrowing my reading material again?” I teased. “Whose side are you on anyway?”

  “I’m on no one’s side, which makes me a perfect person to bounce ideas off of.” She took a sip of her latte and shivered. “This hits the spot. What’s the worst that could happen if you continued seeing him?”

  “My heart could get broken,” I offered, thinking that was a pretty fair worry to announce between women.

  Chloe shrugged and wiggled her fingers in the air.

  “That’s not the worst thing in the world. I’ve had my heart broken many times.”

  I took a seat and propped my elbow on the table.

  “I’m sure there are worse things out there, but it ranks as one of my top two life lessons not to repeat.” I grinned.

  Chloe shook her head with determination, her dark curls falling below her shoulders. She wasn’t going to let me slide by with that assessment. I could see it in her eyes. “Come on. You’re alive. You’re healthy. Those are the blessings you should focus on. Not whether some man has control over your emotions.”

  “Very true. I’m very grateful I’m alive and healthy, and I love my family. I love my life. So why do I want to invite in a complication that could turn out sour? I became so cynical and bitter after my divorce, and honestly, I just don’t want to see that side of myself again.” Hearing the words come from my own mouth felt liberating, and I had no idea why. Maybe I’d made light of things for so long I didn’t realize how much everything still bothered me.

  “I can understand that,” Chloe said, nodding. “After my first divorce, I swore off all men and all complication.”

  I glanced at Chloe’s little girl, sitting amongst wooden building blocks and chuckled. “How’d that work for you?”

  “Exactly. If I had continued with that life motto of swearing off half of the world’s population, I wouldn’t be blessed with my little girl. Now, I’m not saying you need children to be fulfilled, but my husband turned out to be someone I can lean on when times are tough and vice versa. I can’t imagine facing some of the things alone that we’ve faced.”

  Gabby nodded and brought an empty chair over and sat down.

  “My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. The year before that, my husband’s father died. While he was grieving for his father and helping his mother, my mom began fighting for her life. If we didn’t have each other to lean on, I don’t know where either of us would be.”

  I thought about my parents. My sister lived in the same town as them, but they were getting older, and the thought of anything happening to them was paralyzing. But I would handle anything as it came like I always had. I didn’t need a man to make things easier.

  “I see that look in your eye,” Chloe sighed. “I’m not saying you need a man. Believe me, that’s not what I’m saying, but a partner to help lighten the load does wonders for the spirit. When I want to do nothing but cry, I’ve got someone who tries to make me smile. That’s all I’m talking about. I’m not saying that’s how you’d want your life to work out, but I also enjoy having an extra body to blame my mistakes on.”

  “Is that the key to happiness?” Gabby laughed.

  “It sure as heck makes me feel better,” Chloe replied.

  “I thank you for your words of wisdom, and I’ll think about it. But we’re probably jumping the gun when it comes to Derek. We haven’t even had an official date.”

  “You’ve had three,” Gabby argued.

  My brow rose. “How do you figure?”

  “You spent the entire weekend glued to each other’s hips, and you were paired together at least three times. In my book, those are dates.”

  “I’m not going to win this, am I?”

  “It’s not about winning or losing. All I’m saying is if you happen to be sitting next to Derek at my wedding, you should enjoy his company and not write off the possibilities.”

  “Possibilities of what though?” I asked. “He’s moving to Montana.”

  “Pretend he’s not,” Chloe offered simply.

  “I’m not very good at pretending.”

  “You always seem so perky and hap
py,” Chloe said. “I had no idea you were such a fuddy-duddy.”

  “I’m not. I swear.”

  Chloe smiled and took a sip of the eggnog latte. “Here I thought you were this free-spirited artist type. Little did I know…”

  “I get the message loud and clear,” I interrupted. “I’ll try not to be so rigid when it comes to the opposite sex.”

  After finishing their drinks, both Chloe and Gabby seemed to think their work had been done and eventually trundled happily out of the bakery, leaving me to sit and wonder what in the world it would take for me to live a little.

  The rest of the afternoon went by quickly, and by the time I was closing up the bakery, the cold temperatures had finally collided with the moisture in the air, spilling white confetti in every direction. The ferry ride home was a little more exciting than I was used to, which made turning into my long driveway even more thrilling until I saw a faint amber glow through the trees. My porch light never threw off that amount of light. Ever.

  My blood pounded through my veins as I stepped on the accelerator and sped down my long, gravel driveway. If the house was on fire, no neighbors would know Bodie was inside. The tree limbs slapped the side of my car as I bounced up and down from the large potholes dotting the drive until my car almost slid into the woods. I had to get to Bodie.

  I swallowed all my emotion down as I rounded the last bend and saw something in front of me I never could have prepared for.

  Chapter Ten

  I sat in my car stunned at what surrounded me. Every square inch of my home had been covered in red, white, and green Christmas lights. All the trees and shrubs had been draped in twinkle lights, and three angels glowed on my front lawn. A truck I didn’t recognize was parked on the side of the house, and I debated about whether I should get out to greet the stranger in the dark.

  I groaned in the confines of my car realizing how ridiculous I would sound if my thoughts escaped my mind. What was I afraid of? That a mad man would kidnap me and wrap me up in Christmas lights? I rested my hand on the door handle and caught a glimpse of the Christmas light culprit in the shadows climbing down a ladder near my dining room. He looked very agile, strong, and determined as he scooted the ladder down a foot or two before climbing back up the rungs.

  I opened the car door and the freezing air smacked my cheeks, along with several ice pellets. Tightening my scarf around my neck, I trudged over to the stranger who seemed to be finishing up the last foot. I recognized Derek’s long, lean body stretching to tighten up the string of lights, and my heart literally skipped several beats.

  “How do you like them?” he asked, his voice gravelly. He’d probably been in the frigid temps for hours.

  Somewhat rattled, I took a step next to the ladder and held it as Derek climbed down. The chill of the metal penetrated through my gloves, which reminded me to speak and thank the man who could’ve frozen to death while making my house sparkle.

  “I’m in absolute awe.”

  “Good. I’m glad to hear it.” He jumped off the ladder and landed on the light covering of snow that had dusted the ground. “When I heard about the storm coming in, I thought I better get on it.”

  There was absolutely no denying that he made it officially impossible to ignore the possibilities. He’d already collapsed the ladder down and placed it on the ground before I got the nerve to speak again. It was as if my mind and heart were at odds with one another, and my tongue was getting ready to betray them both.

  “What on earth possessed you to do this? It’s freezing outside and—”

  “I wanted to make sure the next time I saw you, you’d be smiling, and it worked.”

  My grin only deepened. “Do you always know the right thing to say?”

  He bit his lip and pulled his knit cap lower. “I think I’ve just found the right audience.”

  Completely unprepared for the crash of emotions his words smashed into me, my breath caught in my throat, and I took a step back, tripping on an extension cord. Derek’s fingers wrapped around my wrist before I fell to the ground, and my own laughter interrupted the peacefulness of the snowfall.

  “Did I spook you?” he teased, pulling me a little closer than necessary.

  A flutter of excitement rattled my insides, but all I could do was shake my head as I glanced at the glowing angels. I wanted to let myself feel the entirety of this moment, but I couldn’t. I was too afraid of what it might mean.

  “Not at all.” I was quiet for a few seconds, unsure of what to say without sounding like I was putting too much weight on this one act of kindness. After all, the holidays brought the best out of people, but then my mind flashed back to my ex-husband, and I realized that observation was weak at best.

  But this seemed like a lot of work just to sleep with me.

  “Do you mind if we go take in my handiwork? There was a lot of planning involved in a very short amount of time.” He held out his gloved hand, and I linked my fingers with his.

  “I would love that.”

  We walked over to the driveway, and I had to admit he had an eye for Christmas lights. I never imagined my home in the country could look so welcoming and ready for the holidays. Bodie’s head popped up in the window, his two paws perfectly placed on the sill as he eyed me with another man.

  “This is gorgeous and so unexpected. I don’t know what I did to deserve this.” I looked into Derek’s eyes and saw a glimmer of hope resting behind his gaze.

  But hope for what?

  He rubbed his chin with his gloved finger and smiled.

  “You told me that your family is making the trek here for Christmas, and if I remembered correctly, you’d wanted to put up a string of lights before they arrived.”

  “This is more than a string.” I grinned.

  “Possibly,” he admitted, his eyes twinkling almost as much as the lights.

  “It looks like a magical gingerbread house.” The brightly lit colors bounced off the blanket of snow now covering my entire yard. If the snow kept coming down at this rate, they might even shut down the ferries.

  “Should we see if Bodie approves? He seemed a little disgruntled when I first started,” Derek suggested.

  Bodie’s head was no longer plastered in the window. He probably decided to wait at the door, and after the weekend, who knew what he’d do if too much time passed.

  “He will love it.” I slipped my hand from Derek’s and trudged to the front door, the crunch of the snow underfoot. Quickly unlocking the door, I heard Bodie whimper in excitement as I pushed it open to a spinning-in-circles chiwoodle. Derek came up behind me and rested his hand on my shoulder. A bolt of electricity shot to my toes from his touch, and I knew I was in trouble.

  “Come on, Bodie,” I said, slapping my knees and trying to ignore the feelings that continued to flood my body.

  Bodie ran right past me to the front yard, sniffing the air, and diving into the white stuff.

  “I think he approves,” Derek murmured, narrowing the gap between us.

  “He does. For once.”

  “I have another surprise for you. Or maybe it’s more for me,” Derek whispered, trailing his gloved finger along my chin.

  “What’s that?” I asked, my voice far more raspy than I expected.

  Derek tipped my chin up, and I saw a freshly tied bouquet of mistletoe hanging above us. A red velvet bow cinched the green stems tightly, and before I had a chance to react, Derek’s lips had found mine. My eyes closed, and I felt the warmth of Derek’s mouth as a little moan escaped my lips.

  His arms circled my waist and brought me in tightly to him as his lips parted and our kisses deepened, sending my imagination in a direction I had no control over. Truth be told, I’d been daydreaming of our last kiss under the mistletoe all week.

  I hadn’t dared to dream I’d get to experience another from him, yet here I was cradled in Derek’s arms feeling the onslaught of emotions I’d been trying to avoid.

  Bodie began barking and growling incessantly,
and I kicked my foot in his direction to quiet him down, but it was too late. Derek’s lips slowly parted from mine, and the magic of the mistletoe had been interrupted by the main male in my life, Bodie.

  I opened my eyes to see Derek smiling, his gaze still on my lips as his hands slid down my back.

  “It was even better than I remembered,” Derek said, his gaze falling to Bodie.

  I followed Derek’s gaze and saw Bodie pointing at a shrub—or as much as a chiwoodle could be on point—waiting for one of us to take action. I groaned not knowing what in the world could be getting Bodie all riled up.

  Living on one of the small islands, essentially in the woods, meant we could be facing just about anything. Raccoons, rabbits, possums were all at the top of my list, and two of those made me concerned for Bodie’s safety because he just didn’t understand his capabilities or lack thereof.

  Derek scooped Bodie up and kicked at the bush as Bodie continued to growl at its occupant.

  A harmless white bunny matching the snow covered shrub leaped out from under the foliage, and relief flooded me as the little critter hopped across the driveway to the other shrub.

  “Seriously, Bodie?” I scratched his ear as Derek carried my watchdog inside, and I shut the front door.

  Derek set him down, and Bodie ran off to the family room without another look in my direction.

  “Would you like a cup of hot chocolate or coffee to warm up?” I asked, pulling off my gloves and unwrapping my scarf.

  “Hot chocolate sounds great, if it’s not too much trouble.” The look in his eyes told me he wanted more than hot chocolate. “But then I should head back out. I need to catch the last ferry, or I’ll be stuck sleeping in my truck.”

  “After everything you’ve done for me, I wouldn’t make you sleep in your truck, the shed…maybe.” I flipped on the lights and led Derek into the family room where the crooked Christmas tree towered over the space.

  “Such heart,” he muttered before seeing my tree. “Now that’s quite a contraption.”

  He whistled and took a step back, leaning over to see the anchor point of the string and Christmas tree in relation to the wall.