by Rebel Hart
“It’s time,” Chris announced, gathering us all together.
I stood by his side as we walked to the front doors of the building. I really did feel like we were kings and queens of some magical kingdom, on their way to greet their people.
Everyone cheered as we stepped out into the cold and Chris approached the mic. He gave a beautiful speech about how close they came to doing away with the display forever. But with a few small reminders about what was really important and a little love to encourage him, he realized how important it was to the city...and to him.
At the end, he started to reach to pull the chords for the curtains, but then stopped. He wrapped his arms around me and led me over instead.
“What are you doing?”
“You do the honors.” He wrapped his hands around mine and placed them around the giant woven chords.
“No. No, I couldn’t!”
“But you know you really want to,” he teased.
“Okay, you’re right. I really, really do.” After a quick happy dance of excitement, with a few squeals mixed in, I pulled down with all of my might.
Chris had to help a little, throwing in some of his own weight. But soon, one by one, each curtain fell and the entire display was unveiled to the world.
I delighted in the faces of the children watching, each one so excited and amazed just like I had always been as a little girl. Margo let me walk Noel up and down the sidewalk. She may have been too little to even have a clue what was going on, but I told her one day soon enough...she would know all about the annual display at Palmers.
“Maybe it will even become our own special little tradition to come to these unveilings. Aunt and niece bonding,” I mused, trying to warm her cheeks with my kisses as we walked.
After handing baby Noel back to her mom, I figured it was about time for us all to go somewhere and warm up. Half of the crowd was starting to disperse and my feet were getting cold, even despite my thick boots.
“There’s just one more thing,” Chris announced.
I turned around, ready to scold him for making any of us stand out in the cold a second longer, but when I faced him I noticed that he was down on one knee. I thought he had lost his mind at first, until what was happening finally clicked with me. My heart started pounding as I looked to my family, trying to make sense of it. Their teary, gooey expressions told me I was right about what he was doing, even though it was taking way too long for my brain to catch up.
“Hazel Malone,” he started, reaching into his pocket.
“Oh my god,” I sobbed as reality sank in.
“We both got way more than we bargained for when you came into my office one year ago. But every day since then has been the best of my life, putting everything before you to shame. I may still be a grumpy old grinch, as you would put it, from time to time. Which is exactly why I need you to keep my head and my heart on straight.” He climbed off the sidewalk to approach me with that cocky grin of his that I had grown to love far more than I ever hated it.
“And anyway, you vowed to make me love Christmas.”
“And you said I succeeded,” I reminded him.
“Eh. You know. A little extra incentive couldn’t hurt. It would definitely be a lot harder to ever hate Christmas again if you agreed to marry me, to be my wife.”
“You’re tricking me,” I joked through my happy tears. “Chris Palmer, you know I’m going to do everything in my power to make someone love Christmas as much as I do if I can.”
“I guess you’ll have to say yes then,” he teased in his low sexy rasp, closing the gap between us.
“Yes,” I whispered. “But because I want to. Not because you’re blackmailing me into it.”
“Even better,” he smiled. “And I guess it’s time for me to let you in on a little secret. A year ago when the tables were turned and it was you blackmailing me…”
“Yes?”
“I agreed because deep down, I secretly wanted to spend more time with you,” he winked.
“You made a good call, apparently.”
I threw my arms around his neck and held onto him as he dipped me back right there on the sidewalk and kissed me while everyone cheered us on. The moment he spun me back onto my feet, it started to snow. I held his hand tight and looked out over all of our family, and the beautiful display behind us, and had never been happier.
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Rebel Hart is an author of Contemporary and Dark Romance novels. All her books are FREE in Kindle Unlimited. Check them out at author.to/RebelHart.
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