by Shari Mikels
Her eyes narrowed. “What exactly did you say?”
“I don’t remember exactly what I said, but at one point I was asked what other plans I had for the future—”
“Had you already told them about the high school coaching job?”
“If you’d stop interrupting me—”
“Fine, fine.” She gestured her hand in a rolling motion. “Keep going.”
He gave a quick chuckle and shook his head. “I was asked what other plans for the future I had other than coaching high school baseball.”
She looked as if she were ready to strangle him when he didn’t go on. “And?”
He wasn’t sure quite why he was finding this as amusing as he was, but he had hope that her attitude meant they were going to be okay. “And...I said that I hoped to settle down with a hometown girl I’ve known for almost three decades, if she’s crazy enough to forgive me.”
“Three decades? Why would you tell people I’m over thirty? I don’t admit to anyone that I’m over thirty. Now the whole world knows that. Thankyoueversomuch.”
He laughed. “I said almost three decades. And that’s what you focus on?”
“Oh, right. So, was this like an honest-to-goodness, sorta-public apology from you?”
He shrugged. “If you want it to be. Or it could be the re-presentation of facts that were perhaps misconstrued by you.”
“Misconstrued? I think not. Nothing was wrongly inferred. Perhaps it was wrongly implied.”
He shook his head. She’d lost him. “I give up. I can’t follow this conversation and I can’t remember the difference between infer and imply.”
She let out a small snort. “Let’s put it this way—the facts were not in your favor in any way, shape or form.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that. But you could’ve hung around just a few minutes longer for an explanation.”
“Eh, maybe.” She played with the hem of her shirt. “I guess we both have areas we can work on.”
He leaned down and put his mouth by her ear. “You have several areas I’ll be happy to work on.”
Her face turned beet-red. “Oh, hush. Quit causing problems.”
“Problems? I’m not causing problems. I’m offering to work on several of your areas.”
Rolling her eyes, she said, “I just bet you are.”
“You have to know how much I love you.”
Her eyes widened and the biggest smile he’d seen on her lit up her entire face. The smile was even bigger than the one she’d had when she’d beaten him at air hockey. “I think I do know. Probably about the same amount as I love you.”
He hadn’t realized how much those words would affect him. Everything fell into place and his world felt right for the first time in a long time. “I never meant to hurt you and I’m sorry that I did.”
She elbowed him in his side. “No more secrets.”
“None.”
She glared at him, one eyebrow raised. “Anything else you need to come clean about?”
“I’m not going to just start confessing all my sins, woman. Anytime a mom or wife wants her man to confess before she’s even accused him, there’s nothing but pain as the outcome. If I do end up thinking of something, I’ll do my best to let you know before it comes back to bite me in the ass.”
“Okay, fine.” She mock scowled at him.
“I think you know everything now. No more secrets between us. Period.”
She started messing with her shirt hem again and he knew she needed to say something more. “I need to apologize too.”
He was confused. That wasn’t what he’d expected. “You?”
“Yes, me. I’m sorry I had such a hard time believing you instead of the press and gossip and rumors about you.”
“You had every reason to not trust me. Everything in your experience told you not to trust me. But here’s the thing. If you and I have no secrets between us, and I’m telling you everything that comes up, then you’re going to have to trust me. You’re going to have to believe what I say and not second guess everything. Otherwise, we’re setting ourselves up for trouble.”
Her shoulders sagged. “My brain knows this. It’s going to take some time for my heart to learn it and believe it.”
“I’ve already told you I know I’m going to screw up, and I expect you to be there for me, showing me what I did wrong and helping me learn to do right by you.”
“I...might have...brief moments of doubt.” She shrugged one shoulder, playing off the seriousness of her admission. “There...may be times when I’ll make some—” she held her fingers together, just barely not touching, “—very small mistakes.”
“Really? Small ones?” He pressed his fingers between hers and spread them open as wide as hers would go. “We’re both going to screw up.”
Kevin reached out and tugged her against his body. “We need to be there for each other, always, and I’ll be happy to remind your heart how much I love you. How much you mean to me.”
“I love you just the way you are, especially since I now know the truth. I’m so sorry I didn’t trust you before.”
“Enough. We’ve said our apologies. Time to move on.” He placed his finger under her chin and lifted her face so she was looking straight at him. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“You’re my everything, and I know it’s too soon for me to ask you to marry me, but I wanted to get you something symbolic anyway.” He pulled the box with the earrings out of his shirt pocket. “I bought this for you yesterday and was planning on giving it to you tomorrow night after we opened presents at your parents’ house. But I want to give it to you now, so you know you’re everything to me.”
Kevin handed her the box and she slowly opened it.
“Oh, they’re beautiful,” she breathed. Her hands shook as she tried to pull the earrings out.
“Here, let me.” He loosened them from their packaging and placed them in the palm of her outstretched hand.
“I’ll be right back.” She jumped up and ran to the bathroom. In less than a minute, she returned, the earrings picking up the blue of her eyes, everything sparkling.
She ran to him and he barely had time to stand before she threw herself in his arms. He grunted with the effort.
“Oh, God, I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?”
“Of course not, lightweight.”
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
He laughed as she kissed his face all over. “You’re welcome. I take it this means we’re...what? Dating? Promised? Engaged?”
“I don’t care what you call it. You’re mine and I’m yours.”
“Yes, ma’am, you are, and I am.” He let her slide down to the floor.
“Come on.” She yanked on his arm, leading him to her bedroom. “Let’s go celebrate.”
* * * * *
About the Author
Shari Mikels grew up wanting to be an astronaut and went to school for aerospace engineering. That is, until she found out the realities of being an AE. She switched to computer science, much to her mom’s satisfaction. After the birth of her son, she was ready to be a stay-at-home mom, spending her time reading to him and teaching him to read.
A lifetime love of reading had been pushed to the background until a writers’ strike in Hollywood had her picking up books to get her fix of vampires and happily-ever-afters. Her voracious appetite for books came back full force, and she found not just paranormal romances, but romantic suspense and contemporary romances as well. She began proofreading for some of her favorite authors when her brain wouldn’t let her skip over the typos. What they didn’t know was that they were teaching Shari how to write the stories that lived in her head. Her second submission became her first industry-published book.
Shari lives in North Carolina with her husband and son.
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ISBN-13: 9781426897566
CHRISTMAS CURVEBALL
Copyright © 2013 by Sharon Muha
Edited by Angela James
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