by Kimi Flores
He held me tighter, allowing me to bury my face in his chest and release the tears I was holding back. “Oh, baby, we would figure something out. You mean too much for me to let you go just like that. If you really wanted to move back and didn’t think I was being too needy—” He let out a chuckle as I wiped away a few tears. “I would follow you. As much as I love it here, I’m not willing to give up on what we could be. It’s so early to be making declarations, but I’m not afraid to tell you that I already have deep feelings for you.”
He caressed my hair with such a gentle touch as my eyes widened. “Tess, I have to be honest, our first kiss made me realize I’ve been going through the last few years pretending I was whole since my divorce. You’ve brought pieces of my heart back to life again, pieces I buried and forgot about because I thought they were beyond repair. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I’m certain I want to explore it with you.”
“Wow,” was all I could say in response. I also had stronger feelings for him than I’d ever had for any man, but right now, a future together was just a possibility, yet he'd be willing to uproot his life just to be with me? Lifting my head, I stared into his eyes, letting myself become completely vulnerable to him. “What do I do?”
He ran his knuckles up and down my cheek. “I’m more than happy to explore ideas with you, but ultimately, it’s your choice. I’d never want to hold you back just to have you regret it later.” He leaned in and gave me a peck on the lips. “I think this is a good time for me to show you something.” He motioned for me to stand so he could get up. My mind was racing in a thousand different directions and hoping his code for ‘show me something’ meant we were headed upstairs.
I tried not to show my disappointment when he started to put on his boots and jacket and asked that I do the same.
Once suited up, he asked me to close my eyes. “No, peeking.” He grabbed my hand, opened the front door and led me out.
Stumbling over the threshold, I nearly ate it when he held onto my arms and kept me upright. “Did you forget that was there?” He chuckled.
“Ha. Ha. Very funny. You try walking with your eyes closed.” Because I was a natural born control freak, I instinctively stuck my foot out, feeling for the steps. I was sure Elliott wouldn’t have let me tumble down them, but old habits die hard.
Grabbing onto my upper arms, he turned my body until I was facing what I imagined was the side of my porch where the windows were. Leaning closer, I felt his breath as he whispered in my ear, “Okay, you can open them now.”
Lifting my eyelids, I tried to focus on the unbelievable sight in front of me. Blinking a few times, I had to make sure that I was seeing correctly. Tears pricked my eyes once more when I felt Elliott drop his hand into mine and squeeze.
“Now you have a place to dream about what the rest of your life looks like.”
“I—I can’t believe this.” I walked toward the newly installed porch swing and ran my hand over the smooth armrest before spinning around. “This looks just like the other one.”
“I know.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and that’s when I knew what he’d been up to.
“How did you install this without me knowing?”
“I may have gotten a little help while I distracted you.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Remember when I suddenly had a craving for those Tater Tots earlier and made you come into the kitchen with me?”
Sprinting toward him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and gave him the tightest hug I could. “Thank you so much. Nobody has ever done anything like this for me before.” The tears were flowing now, but for an entirely different reason than the ones I’d shed inside. “This is what you've been working on in your garage, isn’t it?” I looked up at him.
With a sly smile, he held me close and rocked us back and forth. “Have you been spying on me?”
“Possibly.” I snickered. “Hey, I was innocently searching for a new career in my office. I can’t help that your garage is within eyesight.”
“And, that’s the only time you spied on me?” He looked at me suspiciously.
Uh, oh. Had he caught me watching him? “Why do you ask?”
“Because I spy on you,” he leaned down and brushed his lips across mine, “every chance I get.”
“Oh really?” I spoke between tiny kisses. “Good thing you don’t have a bedroom window facing mine, huh?”
“I wouldn’t necessarily say that was a good thing.” He wiggled his eyebrows a second time and chuckled. “Then again, I could see from my backyard, if I was a real Peeping Tom.”
“Well, just let me know when you’d like me to leave my bedroom curtains open.” I kissed him again, nipping his bottom lip with my teeth as I pulled back. “I did just buy a few items I can model.” Giggling internally, I kept out the fact that they were long johns.
He grunted approvingly. “Soon. Very soon. Only I’ll be in the room with you and, unless you want to give the neighbors a show, I say we close those curtains.” He leaned his head back with his eyes shut, almost like he was willing his body to calm down and his mind to think of something that would cool the heat rising in him. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to my forehead, pausing for a few extra seconds. “Now quit with all the distractions, woman, and come join me.”
He tugged me over until we were sitting on the extremely cold wooden bench. I shivered as he bent down and unzipped a large black nylon bag on the floor. When he reached inside, I noticed the insulated liner before he pulled out two thick blankets.
This guy of mine. He thought of everything.
Cuddling together under the blankets, we peeked past the awning, to the night sky that was dotted with tiny glowing stars.
“So now that you have your dream swing back, you can be anyone you want to be and do anything you’d like. But, sorry, Zac Morris is no longer an option. Thankfully, he’s a happily married man.”
“Oh and you know this how?” I nudged his chest with my shoulder.
“I may have googled it.” He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me tight. Since that first kiss, I noticed he touched me every time we were together, from hugs like this, to just holding my hand. Anytime we sat on the couch, he rubbed my feet and, even in passing, he made the effort to brush our hands or fingers against each other. Even though I wasn’t used to that kind of affection, I was quickly becoming addicted to it.
I was in awe at the realization that I now had the kind of relationship I’d witnessed with my ex and his wife. I finally had that bond I never knew I’d wanted and now it was mine.
Elliott’s next question pulled me out of my revelation. “So tell me more about this job offer.” He picked up my hand and kissed each of my fingers tenderly.
Still feeling warmth bursting inside my chest, I stared at him for a moment. “Apparently, the company that bought us jumped the gun in getting rid of everyone. They’ve had a mess on their hands ever since and already rehired my old boss and a few other key employees. Franklin said they’re desperate to get their hands on the information I have. You know, the knowledge I gained over the fifteen years I worked there.” Yeah, I wasn’t bitter at all.
“Besides the obvious reasons why I’m hesitant—” I looked at him, hoping he saw that I’d meant what I’d said earlier. “I’m also torn knowing they could easily lay me off again once they get what they need.” I started to tell him what I’d been researching, but I wanted to have all my ducks in order beforehand. Not because I didn’t trust him, but if it worked out, I wanted him to be proud of me. “I’ve been toying with an idea, but I kind of want to hold back talking about it until I have all my facts.”
Sticking out his full, kissable bottom lip, he nodded approvingly. “Okay, but let me know if I can help in any way, and don’t forget to dream big. The sky's the limit for my girl.” He pushed the tip of his boot on the floor until we were swinging ever so slightly.
We settled in, tipped our heads back against the swing with our eyes closed and I began to drea
m about the future.
Chapter Eleven
Tess
My eyes followed the slanted hill in front of us that led all the way down to the Winter Festival that was now in full swing. It looked much steeper from up here than I’d originally envisioned when we’d stood in line below, waiting for our turn.
Taking a deep breath, I sat on the wooden sled and glanced back at Elliott. “I can’t believe you got me on this.”
“Just trying to add to our ‘silly things we do together’ list.” He kissed my head and squeezed onto the small space behind me. Pointing to the rope, he instructed, “Now hold onto that and put your boots on the footboard so you can steer.”
With a loud gasp, I protested, “You want me to steer us? I’ve never done this before, we’ll probably hit a tree.”
He kissed me on the cheek as he softly chuckled. “Look around, there aren’t any trees on this slope.”
I pointed off to the distance, past the people pulling their own sleds up the hill as others zipped by them. “But there are plenty over there.”
Filling the air with his loud booming laughter, he stuttered out between gulps, “We’re on the kiddy trail. I promise we won’t catch enough speed to land over there.” With my rear nestled closed to his crotch and his body vibrating from laughter, I was getting a thrill of how close we were. For a moment, I couldn’t care less that I was about to go careening down a snow-covered hill, as long as I was with Elliott.
He reached past me and handed over the braided steering rope. “Now, let’s do this.”
Sneaking a glimpse around at all the children who were sledding along, enjoying themselves, I took a deep breath. Those kids were in plastic dishes and at the mercy of the contraptions. We at least had a way to control where we were headed. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Let’s lean forward at the same time and I’ll get us moving along,” Elliott said as my heart picked up speed at the promise of our bodies being even closer.
I put my feet on the wooden footboard and he set his on the very edges, hugging me with his legs. My fingers were probably turning white inside my gloves as I gripped the rope for dear life, but I didn’t care about that when his entire body was squeezing mine.
The next thing I knew, we were flying down the hill. Feeling off balanced as we bopped up and down, I pulled the thick cord to the right, nearly causing us to wipe out and take a few kids with us.
“Whoa there, tiger,” Elliott teased as he reached around and pulled the rope to help redirect us.
My voice vibrated from the bouncing sled. “I hate to say I told you so but—”
Once we straightened up, my tummy started to fill with excited butterflies and I began to giggle. Snow flew into our faces, but it didn’t bother me at all. I hadn’t had this much fun in who knew how long.
Elliott rested his chin on my shoulder as we slowed down and came to the end of the trail. “I love the sound of your giggle.”
His comment overheated my already warm body. I was so happy in that moment it was hard to keep from smiling.
With his help, we came to a full stop, thankfully without knocking anyone in line over. Once he got off, I popped up and felt the enormous grin on my lips, as well as the chill on my cheeks. “That was so much fun. Can we do it again?” I asked with childlike glee, hoping to get another chance to sit really close to him.
He shook his head, like he couldn’t believe how thrilled I was after making such a stink at first, then he spoke to me like the little girl I suddenly felt like. “Let's come back later; line is too long.” He handed the borrowed toboggan to its next victim and led us away.
I slumped my shoulders in exaggeration as the sound of laughing and screaming sledders surrounded us. “Fine, Dad, be the party pooper.”
He peeked behind us before startling me with a little swat on my butt, then said in a flirty tone, “You better watch that mouth, smartass, or else.”
I couldn’t resist calling his bluff. “Or else what?”
He threw his head back in laughter. “I bet you were a defiant child, weren’t you?”
A thought hit me as my lips pursed to the side. When I’d first walked into my new home, I’d been bombarded with memories of the young girl I’d once been and hoped to rediscover her. Tonight, she stood right here in front of Elliott.
Overjoyed with my discovery, I grinned and shook my head. “Not really. I think you just bring it out of me.”
“Lucky me.” His eyes sparkled with desire, enticing me to suggest we go home sooner rather than later, but before I had a chance to share my thoughts, he directed us toward the crowd.
Snickering, I slipped my arm through the crook of his bent elbow, leaned my head against him and took in the scene. Just like the night of the basketball game, it seemed like everyone in Hope Falls was at the Winter Festival. Several of our neighbors waved as they passed by and did nothing to hide the knowing looks on their faces. I had no doubt they’d seen Elliott and me going back and forth between each other’s houses each day. One thing they hadn’t seen was either of us doing the morning walk of shame, because we hadn’t taken that step yet. We’d agreed to take our time before jumping into bed together, but in the last few days I’d felt like that time was getting closer and I couldn’t wait to be with him.
Snow blanketed most of the ground, except where the booths were located. White lights twinkled all around as carolers made their way through the crowd, singing merrily with just one off voice who seemed to be throwing a few others. To the side was a snowman building contest and behind that were several people ice skating on the frozen pond.
I still couldn't believe this was my life right now. It was like I’d stepped back in time and moved to Santa’s Village. And speaking of Santa, he and his elf helpers were set up in the very first tent. The line was as long as the one I’d seen in that movie, A Christmas Story. And here I’d thought kids these days had forgotten all about the magic of Santa.
I felt Elliott’s hair tickle my cheek when he leaned in closer to me. “You want to get a photo with Santa?”
I threw his excuse back at him with a teasing smirk on my face. “Line’s too long.”
“You really are a smartypants, aren't you?” he joked. “So seriously, what do you want to do next?”
Before I had a chance to answer, I caught sight of Andie Zuckerman waving me over. “Do you mind if we head there first?” I pointed to the adorable vintage red and white camper that Andie used as her mobile boutique.
“Sure, let’s go.” We stepped away from the snow and stomped our boots on the pavement along the way.
Andie’s face lit up when she saw Elliott and me together, and I hoped she didn’t accidentally let something slip that would ruin my surprise. Jaime had introduced me to the newly married jewelry designer just a few days ago, but I could already tell she was my kind of people.
Just like me, her hair was tucked into a beanie and she was bundled up. She and Elliott greeted each other with friendly smiles.
“Hey, Tess. I was hoping to see you tonight.” She handed me a small drawstring bag. “I made that item you asked for.”
I blinked, surprised that she’d already finished and freaked out that Elliott could somehow see through the jewelry bag. I grabbed it and slipped it into my pocket. “Wow, I just gave you that order. How did you make it so fast?”
A gorgeous surfer-looking guy with shaggy, dirty blond hair was standing behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. “Because she’s superwoman and doesn’t know how to take it easy.” She giggled as he reached around and kissed her cheek.
“Tess, this is my number one fan and overprotective husband, Blaine.”
His clear blue eyes met mine as he stretched his hand out in greeting. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” I returned his handshake.
I’d already heard about the down-to-earth Doctor Zuckerman from Elliot. He’d only been practicing medicine in Hope Falls since this summer and had become so popular, it
was difficult to get into his office.
Blaine stepped over to Elliott and clapped him on the shoulder. “What’s up?”
Turning my back as the guys chatted, I mouthed to Andie, “Thank you so much.”
There was a sparkle in her eye. “No problem. I’ve become quite sentimental since I met that guy.” She tilted her head in her husband’s direction. “I’m all about the romantic gestures now.”
“On that note, we should get going.” I spoke loud enough for the guys to hear me.
We said our goodbyes to the Zuckermans and started to walk away. I’d been holding on to some exciting news for a few days and decided now was the time to tell Elliott. “Is there someplace we can talk?”
He raised a concerned eyebrow. “Everything okay?”
It was moments like this that I really hated what his ex-wife had done to him. He could tell me all he wanted about how they were in a good place now, but she really left him with some deep scars. My new mission was to get him to a place where he felt secure about me and our relationship.
“Yes.” I placed my mitten-covered hand on his back, rubbing reassuring circles there, and felt him relax under my touch. “Everything is great, as a matter of fact.”
He pointed to a sitting area between the dimly lit gazebo filled with waltzing older couples and the food booths. “How about over there?”
As we got closer to the gazebo, there was a distinct switch in the tone around us. We’d walked away from the mostly harmonious sounds of carolers singing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” toward the beautiful, melodic tunes of the “Nutcracker Prince”.
I stared at the couples twirling around in unison. “I love this song.”
Elliott held out his hand and stepped up on the first stair. “Would you like to dance?”
The butterflies started up in my belly again. “No, but I have something exciting to tell you. Let’s go have a seat.”
We made our way over to a bench and sat down.
“Is this about the job offer?” I saw the worry in his eyes and could only imagine what was going through that head of his. Although he’d already offered his support and even said he’d go with me, I was sure his first choice didn’t include uprooting his life.