Love Unwrapped

by Kate Asher

  Blake glanced at Andi and met her eyes once again, as he had every few minutes all evening long. “She’s not mine.” He squeezed Babs’s hand where it still lay on his forearm. “But I’m working on it.”

  Babs patted his cheek and looked over her shoulder toward her granddaughter for a moment before focusing back on him. “Hmm… I think you’ve been each other’s for a lifetime. Just a matter of admitting it, I’d say.” She tweaked his cheek and turned toward the waiting crowd of community members wanting to chat with him.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, the reception is over and it’s time to get to the party portion of the evening. Please follow the Christmas lights down the hall to the dance room. We’ve got a live local band playing holiday favorites, even taking requests if you’ve got ’em. So go dance your booties off and let the man be. Or stop by his bakery to say hello and buy a pastry.” Babs’s eyes twinkled as she shooed all the remaining guests toward the party room.

  He twisted off the cap on the water bottle and took a long drink, quenching his parched throat. By the time he’d guzzled half the bottle and set it on a nearby table, the crowd had dwindled enough for him to have a clear path to Andi.

  She straightened where she stood by the wall, looking more nervous the closer he got to her. He furrowed his brow. He didn’t want her to be nervous around him. He wanted the open communication they’d had last week before whatever had happened to make her rebuild her fortress walls. He stopped a foot from her, and she met his gaze but didn’t say anything.

  “We should talk.” He held out his hand and waited to see what she’d do.

  She placed her hand in his and gave a resigned nod.

  Babs came over to them after ushering the remaining crowd out of the banquet area. “You two, also.” She fluttered her hands, shooing them in the same direction as the other guests.

  “Wait. We need to talk.” He tried to reason with Babs but she was having none of it.

  Andi sighed then said, “You may as well give up. Grams doesn’t take no for an answer. If she does, that’s when you should really worry.” Andi gave her grandmother a small smile, and Babs laughed out loud and patted her granddaughter’s arm.

  “Well, at least you’re learning, dear. Now, shoo. You can talk and dance at the party. It’s the perfect location for heartfelt discussions. You’ll see.” Eyes still twinkling in merriment, or maybe it was just all the holiday lights, Babs led them down the hallway and to the new room.

  Blake froze halfway over the double-door threshold. “Babs, you’re a marvel. You don’t do anything halfway, do you?” Twinkle lights filled the room, creating an otherworldly effect. The silver tinsel garland hung from every corner, along with decorations and…what looked to be mistletoe at various locations. The room had even been scented with cinnamon, cloves…and was that the aroma of fresh cut fir trees?

  The band had set up in the far corner, leaving a large dance floor in the middle of the space. Brenda Lee’s “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” played at a volume loud enough to give pep to the step of those wanting to dance, but soft enough to allow for conversation off the main dancefloor.

  “Thank you, dear.” Babs grinned up at him, excitement sparkling in her eyes. “I do love a good party.” The song changed to “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause” and Babs clapped her hands, practically bouncing in her shoes. “Ooh, my favorite holiday song. I’m going to find Frank to dance. You kids have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She twiddled her fingers in goodbye as she headed off across the room at a brisk clip.

  Blake glanced at Andi, who had a furrowed brow. A new group of guests pushed through the door, effectively herding the two of them farther into the room. Blake pulled Andi to the edge of the dancefloor. They both glanced around for someplace they could talk privately, but all the tables were currently occupied. He gave her a half smile and shrugged.

  “If you can’t beat ’em…” And he clasped a hand onto her waist, and Andi smiled as he swayed them to the music. “Are you okay?”

  Andi nodded, but the furrow came back to her brow.

  “If you really don’t want to talk to me, we don’t have to—”

  “No,” she gasped as she clamped her small hand on his arm. “It’s not that. I just don’t know where to start. I can’t believe how I screwed everything up. I didn’t know that until your speech.” She shook her head. “Not true. I didn’t realize how much I let things that don’t matter affect how I live my life. I’m an idiot.”

  Blake didn’t know what Andi meant, but he could comment on the one thing he did know. “You’re the furthest thing from an idiot I know. You’re fun and outspoken, sexy as hell.” He grinned down at her, but tears pooled in her eyes and he pulled her closer. “What’s going on? What happened last week? Why did you go MIA?”

  Andi wiped her cheeks and shook her head. “I’m not sure.” Then she sighed as if she were a deflating balloon. “The story’s too big to tell at one time. But the gist of it is that my family’s screwed up. You know Nat and her issues…” At the mention of Andi’s sister, Blake stiffened and had to force himself to relax. “I think they affected the way I look at the world. I refused to ever be like her.” Andi shook her head and closed her eyes tightly for a second. “I’m not making any sense.”

  “You are. I understand what you’re saying. I felt like I had to atone for Nat’s actions when I joined the military too. No one there knew why I’d joined, so it was a fresh start of sorts. And I was out to prove myself. I get that part, but what’s that have to do with me?” Blake ran his thumb over her cheek and put a loose strand of her silky hair behind her ear. He took heart in the fact that she turned into his hand ever so slightly.

  “Five years ago, I dated this guy. We were pretty serious. He even moved into my apartment. I thought he was the one, you know?” She wrinkled her nose and it took all Blake’s control to not kiss the tip. “But a lot happened that led me to the realization that I have bad taste in men. I mean Nat-level taste, so I decided long ago to only date the safe, boring guys. Because the ones I’m attracted to tend to lie, cheat, steal, and manipulate my emotions. And well, then you came along. All tattooed and hot—”

  “You think I’m hot?” Blake raised his eyebrows in shock, and got the desired result of a genuine smile. Andi playfully smacked his arm and continued.

  “And you have the worst history.” Andi raised a finger to his lips when he started to object. “No, wait. That’s what I thought. You were this guy who had led Nat down a road to self-destruction. You were the reason she started doing truly horrible things—stealing, fights, drugs. That’s what I’d been told and what I believed. But then at the bakery, you weren’t those things. You’re intelligent and fun. You can banter, which is both annoying and sexy as hell, and you’re honest…forthright. That guy’s awesome.”

  “Okay… so what happened last weekend? Why run?” Blake still didn’t understand. It seemed like they shared the same sort of feelings about the previous week.

  Andi sighed. “You can’t be both. So when I woke up in the middle of the night after leaving you, I couldn’t go back to sleep. I thought about the bad choices I’d made in guys and then about your history and what I knew to be true—which really isn’t true at all—and I freaked out.” She hung her head as if going through all those thoughts again. He didn’t want that. He wanted to keep them in the here and now. Blake ran his index finger down her jawline and tapped under her chin to get her to look at him.

  “So why are you here tonight? What changed?” For him, nothing had changed. His mission to woo her over remained the same. Her epiphanies so far only solidified his desire to have this woman in his life. She’d dealt with a lot of emotional drama in her family and he’d love to be the person she could be herself with without fear that something bad would come of it.

  “Honestly? Nothing.” Andi tossed her hands in the air and gave a small laugh. “Nothing changed by the time I got here this evening. I didn’t know you’d be here.
Grams is sneaky and told me she was getting an award and mandated my attendance. Or that was what I thought she meant.”

  Blake didn’t like the sound of that. He couldn’t go back to square one. His heart couldn’t take it.

  “No. Don’t look upset. I just mean, this week has been hell. I’ve been going over and over the reasons you’re an awful dating prospect. I’ve worked hard to convince myself I’m making the right choice. The way you came to me when I got here, the concern in your voice…” Tears sprang into her eyes again and she shook her head. “I know you told me everything before, but I didn’t believe you. I wanted to, but I had you in this box that I let Nat and my parents put you into. And I wasn’t going to take you out of it. In her way, Grams talked to me numerous times this week and insisted I trust you. That’s hard for me, even though she’s never steered me wrong. She’s my rock and the only true family I have in the world.”

  Another couple bumped into them where they stood at the edge of the dancefloor, touching but not even swaying to the music any longer. She pulled him off the dancefloor to a corner of the room so they wouldn’t impede the other dancers.

  “When I heard you speak… I knew.” She put her hand over her heart. “In here. I knew, for the first time, that you’d been painted with someone else’s brush and that it was my job to see the truth. What we shared last weekend was nothing like I’d ever experienced before in my life. I felt a connection that I can’t deny. I don’t want to deny.” Andi took a deep breath and looked him directly in the eye as she said, “I think we could be something. I think I could love you. I know I love the things you do for others and the way you are with people…the way you are with me. I don’t know where this will go, but I want to run headfirst into the idea of it without pre-deciding it won’t work.” She cupped his face in her dainty hands. Electricity zinged through his body at the contact. “Can we try it? Or did I destroy our chance by not trusting you? By not being there Saturday morning? By not taking your calls? I’m so sorry if I hurt you. Can you forgive me for being so dense?”

  “Oh, Andi. I—”

  A blinding light focused on the two of them, stopping Blake’s words. He put an arm around Andi in a protective gesture as he scanned the room for the source. From a perch Blake hadn’t noticed before, Babs stood with a second dimmer spotlight on her.

  “What have we here? A couple has wandered into our mistletoe zone.” The crowd hooted and clapped. Blake and Andi looked up at the same time to see dozens of small mistletoe bunches hanging over their heads.

  A few feet away were various love seats Blake had assumed were for tired dancers, but he had a feeling Babs intended them to honor their namesake and act as seating for couples. Even with years of training to see the unseen, he’d overlooked the mistletoe in favor of aiming all his attention on Andi’s confessions.

  “You know what to do!” Babs cheered. Blake couldn’t be certain whether she aimed the sentence at the two of them or the crowd, because cheers of “Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.” went up throughout the room. He glanced down at Andi, and she nodded, so he leaned in and kissed the lips he’d lusted after since high school and pined for over the last week. They kept the kiss chaste for the crowd, but Blake dipped her to thunderous cheers. As they ended it, he heard Babs say, “Now, that’s more like it,” as the spotlights faded to black and the twinkle of the string lights cast the area once again in shadows. The band’s music took over the space again and the party-goers went back to their revelry.

  Blake kept his hand on Andi’s face as he peered into her eyes.

  “Grams has the worst timing,” Andi muttered.

  He laughed. “But I have a feeling she has our best interests at heart. And that’s important, having someone on your side who isn’t afraid to shed light on a situation.” He leaned in and pecked her on the lips one more time before leading her to a love seat where they sat down, thighs touching, clasping each other’s hands.

  “I need you to understand that there’s nothing to forgive. Yes, I was hurt you disappeared, but I understand moving past old beliefs and finding your own truth. We have to get to know each other to be sure, but we have a connection I’ve never experienced before.” Blake turned more fully toward her on the seat and clasped her hands harder so she’d know he meant the next words with all his heart.

  “Andi, you’re my past, you’re my present, and nothing would make me happier than for you to be my future. I hope you feel the same.” He took a deep breath and held it, waiting for her reply.

  “Yes. I want that too, to explore the future with you.” She flung her arms around his neck and planted kisses all over his cheeks before her lips landed on his and the sounds of the room faded as they melted into each other under the twinkle of lights and the magic of mistletoe.

  The End

  Coming Soon

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  Be sure to read book 1 in our new series Love in the Air. On the Fly will be out in early 2020.

  Author Note

  Thank you for reading Love Unwrapped. We hope you enjoyed Blake and Andi’s love story. If you have a moment to leave a review, it would help us out tremendously. Thank you!

  About Authors

  Kate Asher

  Kate Asher's career began with the need to get these outrageously sexy men's stories out of her head and onto paper. Throw in a strong-headed female, a chance meeting and let the battle of Love begin!

  Follow me on Amazon to stay updated on my new releases, more to come early 2020.

  Maizie Kaye

  Maizie Kaye writes sexy romance with alpha heroes who sweep you off your feet. She pairs them with strong kick-ass heroines who know who they are and aren’t afraid to stand up for themselves, making the happy-ever-after moment that much sweeter.

  Love Unwrapped is her first released book, but don’t worry… there are many more coming soon. Stay tuned for a new series to begin in early 2020.

  For updates on upcoming books and news, visit her website (maiziekaye.com) where you can check out the latest releases or join her mailing list. You can also follow her on Twitter (@maiziekaye).