I grinned. “You just remember that next time I bring you a vehicle to work on.”
Everly stiffened beside me, and I knew it was because of my reference to the future. But, what she didn’t realize, was that I was having a hard time imagining a future without her in it.
I watched as she opened the box in front of her, her face lighting up at the sight of the elf with long blonde hair and deep brown eyes that she pulled out. The bells on her feet jingled, along with the ones around her waist.
“What’s this?” Everly whispered, her hand going to the delicate gold necklace I’d hung around the elf’s neck.
I took it from her when she managed to get it loose and held it up for her to see. It was a heart, with a layer of diamonds trailing down one side. Turning it over, I showed her the back where it had the words My Light engraved on it. Her eyes moistened with tears as I leaned down and whispered for her ears alone, “Because you are my light, Everly Chase. You’ve brightened up my life more than you will ever know.”
Suddenly, I had an arm full of woman. She clutched me tightly as she whispered raggedly, “How am I going to let you go?”
Before I could reply, there was a loud knock on the front door. Everly froze, then gave me a quick kiss before jumping up and running from the room, leaving me feeling more than a little confused about our future. What the hell was I going to do? How was I going to leave her?
“Alex?”
I looked up to see Everly standing in the doorway, her hands clutched tightly together in front of her. Her brow was creased with worry, and she glanced behind her before looking back at me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, rising and taking a step toward her.
“Nothing… I hope.”
“Everly?”
A small smile tilted the corners of her mouth, and she said, “Well, I tried and tried to figure out what to get a guy who already has everything.” She bit her lip and glanced behind her again before meeting my gaze and taking a step in my direction. “Alex, remember when you told me about your brother, Eric? About how he left when you were young, and you never saw him again.”
My heart stopped in my chest and then took off in a thunder. “Yeah?”
“Well, Drew is in the FBI, and he has resources most people don’t. I asked him for a favor, and now I owe him big time, because he came through for me.”
“What exactly are you saying, Everly?” I demanded, even though I had a pretty damn good idea already.
“Eric did come back for you, Alex. Several times, actually. But you were adopted, and social services refused to give out your new last name to him.”
“I went there so many times, little brother. Begged and pleaded with them, but they were tight lipped. The only thing they would let me do was write a note that they put in your file in case you ever went looking for me.”
I swallowed hard, my gaze swinging from the woman who I was beginning to suspect owned my heart, to the man behind her who looked almost exactly like me. My hair was longer, and he was slightly taller and clean shaven, but other than that we could have been twins.
“Oh my God!” I heard Madeline whisper. “You did it, Drew. You found him.”
“Of course, I did,” Drew replied, walking over to hold out his hand to my brother. “Glad you could make it, Eric. I hope you and your family had a nice flight.”
“We actually drove,” a soft voice said from behind Eric, and I watched as a petite woman with short, red hair stepped up next to Eric. “My husband was too excited to wait for a flight, and we thought it would be better on little Alexander if we drove.”
“Alexander?” I rasped, fighting tears. My brother was here. He hadn’t left me and never come back. Hell, he’d named his son after me.
“Alexander Matthew, after you and Dad,” Eric said gruffly, ruffling his son’s dark hair as the little boy raised his head from his mother’s shoulder and looked at me with sleepy, green eyes. Eyes identical to mine and Eric’s.
I swiped at the tears that I couldn’t hold back anymore as I muttered, “You came back.”
“I came back, Alex, so many damn times I lost count.” Eric moved forward and threw an arm around my shoulders, giving me a tight hug. “I couldn’t find you.”
“Alex is famous,” Chloe piped up from where she sat by her mother, combing her new doll’s hair. “He sings on a stage and everything. My mommy told me so.”
“What?” Eric asked in confusion.
“Holy shit,” his wife breathed, her mouth opening wide. “You’re Xander freaking Scott!”
I felt my face redden as I nodded. Pulling back from my brother, I looked over at Everly. Opening my arms, I waited for her to slip into them before I answered. “Yeah, I am, but a part of me will always be Alexander Lucas Covington.” Looking down into Everly’s eyes, I smiled. “Thank you, baby. You’ve given me the best gift anyone could ever give me.”
Lowering my head, I placed a soft kiss on her lips in front of her family and mine, not giving a damn who saw. This incredible woman had just given me back a piece of myself I lost years ago—and never thought I’d find. Taking her hand, I placed it over my heart before whispering, “This belongs to you.”
10
Everly
February
I missed him.
As hard as I tried to keep my feelings for Alex in check, I had fallen hard and fast for him. When he left, I kept my word and waved him off with a smile and a hug, holding back my tears. After he was gone, the pain sliced through my chest, a never-ending ache reminding me what I had for two short weeks. I was in love with Alexander Scott, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
“Earth to, Evie,” Noah’s voice broke through my thoughts. “You doing okay?”
“I’m fine.” It was my standard answer, when really, I was anything but fine. Morning sickness was a bitch, and hiding it was damn near impossible, but I wasn’t ready to tell anyone my little secret yet. Alex deserved to be the first one to know, but I didn’t feel like it was something that I could do over the phone.
“You should have told him,” Noah said, plopping down into the chair next to me.
I took a sip of the ginger tea I was drinking to try to settle my stomach some, but it wasn’t working.
“Told him what?” Did my goofball brother figure out that I was hiding a secret? I swallowed nervously. How do you tell a famous rock star that you met by fluke, that you were pregnant with his child, but that you didn’t expect anything from him? Although I was pretty sure if I told Alex, he’d be here in a heartbeat. He wouldn’t want the baby growing up without a mother or father. Not with his past.
“That you love him.”
“He’s got a life I’m not sure I could be a part of long term, Noah, and I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
“Your business could do better in the city, Ev.” He was trying to sound reasonable, but I didn’t want to hear it. Santa Claus was my home. I loved the small town. I didn’t want to leave my life here, and I didn’t want to raise my kid in the city.
“It’s not just that, Noah. We went into our relationship fully aware it was temporary. I’m not going to be that girl.”
“What girl?”
“The one that says she’s okay with the situation when she’s not, or the one that deludes herself into thinking she can change a man. That’s not me.” I swallowed hard. I refused to be that girl.
“Okay, Evie. I get it.” He held up his hands defensively when my voice strengthened, and my emotions got riled. I was irritated at myself and scared about the baby I was hiding. I was almost two months along already, and though Alex and I exchanged texts off and on through the last seven weeks, I had yet to let that little bomb drop, and I didn’t have a clue how to even go about doing it.
“I need your help,” Noah said quietly.
“What’s up?”
“I’ve been seeing Penelope since before Christmas.”
“Yeah.” I smiled, knowing where this was goi
ng. Noah had brought her around a few times since they started dating, and Penelope and I had buried the hatchet. We met up once a week for lunch, and we texted each other often, just checking in and chatting. Neither one of us mentioned the years we wasted being enemies when we could have been really good friends.
“I’m going to ask her to marry me on Valentine’s Day. You think you could pull a wedding together by then?”
Work. Something I could focus on and throw myself into. Hell yeah, I could do that. I smiled and gave Noah a big hug. “Valentine’s Day is in just over a week, Nimrod. You could have given me a little more warning.”
“Sorry.” He shrugged, “I just don’t want to wait any longer.”
“Does she know you are planning this?”
He shook his head and smiled. “No, but I know she’ll say yes.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because I won’t let her say no.” Noah sent me a grin, and I felt a pang of jealousy that they were moving on together, while Alex and I were over before we really began.
“So, let me make sure I’m getting this right. You want me to throw together a wedding, where the bride has no idea she’s getting married until the day of the wedding, but make it perfect for her.”
“Yep. That about sums it up.”
I nodded, a slow smile spreading across my face. I liked the idea the more and more I thought about it. “Okay. I’ll pull it together. Anything special you want?”
“Simple but romantic.”
“Got it. I can do that.” In my mind, I was already making lists of things we would need to do.
“Thanks, Ev. I know this can’t be easy for you.”
No, it wasn’t easy, and Noah didn’t know the half of it. How was I going to tell Alex?
As if my thoughts conjured him, my phone rang, and his face popped up on the screen. I couldn’t help the giddy excitement that swept through me, any more than I could help the cheesy grin that spread across my face. I was so ready to hear his voice. The only thing that could make it better would be having him here with me.
“Hey, you,” I answered, trying not to show how much I wanted and needed to talk to him.
“What are you up to?”
“Planning Noah’s wedding. You?” I wedged the phone between my ear and shoulder as I grabbed a notebook to start putting my lists onto paper.
“Noah’s getting married?”
“Yeah. He said he doesn’t want to wait any longer.”
“When’s the wedding?”
“Valentine’s Day, at the house. It’s going to be small, just family and close friends.”
“Nice.”
“What are you doing?” I asked again when he stayed quiet for a minute.
“I’m sitting on the beach, watching the sunset. Wish you were here with me.” My heart melted at his words.
“I wish I was there, too. You going to be in California for a while?”
“About another week before I hit the road again.”
“Damn. I was actually thinking to come out there to see you.” I was thinking about it. The baby wasn’t something I wanted to tell him about over the phone, but if he was leaving California again, I didn’t know when I’d have a chance to talk to him.
“You were?” I could hear the smile in his voice as he asked the question.
“Yes. I miss you.” That was as close as I could get to telling him I loved him. The words burned in my throat and chest. I longed to say them to him, but fear held me back.
“Maybe we can get together soon?”
“I’d like that.” This was the closest we talked about maybe—possibly—something more. I didn’t know how the hell it would work, but I wanted him enough that I was willing to try anything to keep him in my life.
“I still can’t believe you asked me to be your maid of honor.” Grimacing, I pulled at the top of the red dress that was the opposite color scheme of the bride’s gown. It was a little snug but would work.
“You were the right choice.”
Penelope looked amazing in her white dress with red trim. I’d gotten her size from her mom, who was sworn to secrecy. I also bought a few gowns for the bridesmaids in different sizes, that way we could easily return the ones that didn’t fit whoever she chose. I was shocked, but thrilled, when she asked me to stand up with her.
“You ready to head down there?”
“I’ve been waiting to marry your brother for a long time, Ev. He made a promise to you a long time ago, and he never went back on it. That’s how I knew he was a keeper.”
“I’m so sorry I made him make that promise.”
She laughed and gave me a hug. “Don’t be. It all happened how it was supposed to.”
Together, we walked arm and arm down the back stairs and into the kitchen. Mom was there waiting in her best dress, tears in her eyes as she pulled us both in for a hug.
“You girls look gorgeous.”
Maddie did a kick-ass job on our hair and makeup. Everything was perfect for my brother and his soon to be wife.
“Thanks, Mom. Is everything ready?”
“Almost. First, can you go into the study and grab the bouquets? I put them on your father’s desk earlier.”
“Ok.” I gave Penelope’s arm one last squeeze before heading toward Dad’s office. I wasn’t sure why Mom put the bouquets there, but…
Alex.
He was standing by my Dad’s desk, holding a bouquet of roses in each hand. I sucked in a breath before running into his open arms. He wrapped them around me and held me tightly against him.
“You’re here,” I whispered, leaning back to trail my hands down his chest and back up again. “You’re really here.” The tears came before I could stop them, streaming down my cheeks. My hormones were a mess from the pregnancy, and I missed him like crazy. “I can’t believe it.”
Alex laughed. “I’m here. God, I missed you.” He pulled me back into his arms again and captured my lips in a hard, welcoming kiss. “Fuck, I missed you, baby.”
“I don’t understand. How are you here? I thought you were hitting the road again?”
“When I told you that, I meant it. I was hitting the road and heading back to Santa Claus to you. I was only in California long enough to put my condo on the market and pack up my stuff.”
I froze. “What are you saying?” I had to ask because I couldn’t allow myself to believe what I thought he was telling me—but I prayed my instincts were right.
“I’m saying, I’m going to need to start searching for real estate in Santa Claus. While Mrs. Roop’s bed-and-breakfast is great—I can’t stay there forever.”
“You’re moving here?” My heart was in my throat and I couldn’t stop the flow of tears falling from my eyes.
“I’ll move wherever you are, Everly Chase. I love you.”
I smiled up at him, my heart so full of love for the man in front of me. “I love you, too, Alex.”
We shared a long, sweet kiss. I wanted more, my body responding to his nearness, but I knew we didn’t have time for that. It would have to wait. But before we left the office, I had to tell him my secret.
“Alex.” I pulled back, biting my lip as I looked into his eyes nervously.
“Yeah, baby?” His voice was husky and thick with need. God, I loved the sound of it.
“Whatever house you find, we’ll need a nursery.”
Epilogue
Xander
I sat out on the front porch, my eyes on my son, Jacob, where he was stumbling across the yard as fast as his little two-year-old legs would take him, chasing after our new puppy. My fingers played over the strings of the guitar I held as my thoughts swam over the past couple of years.
Everly and I had gotten married before Jacob was born, just two months after Noah and Penelope’s wedding. My wife had wanted a Christmas wedding, but I didn’t want to wait, so we compromised. An April wedding with a Christmas theme. It had been interesting, but worth it to see the joy on Everly’s face.
&nbs
p; We picked out our acreage to build on and began construction right after the wedding, and I paid extra to have it done before our son was born. I still went on tours, but not as often as I did before I met Everly, and sometimes she went with me. Her wedding planning business was thriving, and I knew with winter coming soon, she was about to get even busier. But, no matter how busy she was, she always made time for me and our son.
Noah and Penelope just had their first child a few months ago. A little girl named Hope. They started construction on their house right after we did and now lived just half a mile away. Everly and Penelope had become best friends, and I considered Noah one of my brothers. I now had a large family and couldn’t be happier.
Maddie was seeing a guy a couple of towns over. I still wasn’t sure he was good enough for her, but was any man ever good enough for your little sister?
The front door opened, and my beautiful wife stepped out, her face lighting up when she saw me. Setting the guitar aside, I opened my arms, wanting to feel her in them. She slid onto my lap, snuggling close. We were silent for a long moment while we watched Jacob play, listening to his giggles float across the yard.
“I spoke to Paige a little bit ago. She, Eric, and the kids are planning on coming to stay with us for Christmas.”
I smiled, rubbing my chin against the top of her head. “Sounds good. We have more than enough room.”
“For now,” she whispered, and I heard the slight tremor in her voice.
I frowned. Placing a finger under her chin, I tilted her head up to meet her gaze. “What do you mean? Is everything okay, baby?”
“Everything is more than okay, my love.” Those captivating eyes were filled with love as she took my hand and placed it over her stomach. “Everything is perfect.”
I swallowed hard as I realized what she was trying to tell me, wondering how I was so lucky to live the life I was now living. Placing a gentle kiss on her lips, I said, “I love you so damn much, Mrs. Scott.”
Wedding Bell Rock: Christmas of Love Collaboration Page 6