Taming Scrooge
Page 9
Star threw her arms around him. “Thank you, Ezra. You’re the most un-Scroogey Scrooge I’ve ever met.”
He laughed. “It’s all because of you.” He looked around behind her. “And my mom.”
“She’s a wonderful person.”
“I’ve never been more shocked to see two people sitting on a roof, and then after about five seconds, it just seemed normal for you to be together, for us to be together.” He cupped her face in his hand. “Proud of you both. Way to take a stand, even if it was against me.”
“I’ve never been more conflicted in my life than I have been about us.”
He wrapped his arms around her back. “I hope I’ve cleared away any more concerns you might have. Particularly, I hope you are left with the clear understanding that I am no longer attacking you or your family or your friends?”
She grinned, looking up into his face, open and caring. “You have made everything in my life better.”
His heart soared. “Those are the words I want to hear from you, now and every day. Star, somehow through all this, I fell in love with you. I can’t live without you. Your hopes are mine, your wishes are my wishes. Will you stick by me? Date me? Marry me, even?”
Her face broke into a million smiles, all evident in her eyes, the crinkle at her cheeks, the dimples, her wide mouth. “Yes! I can’t imagine any of it without you.”
He whooped and then pulled out a microphone and turned it on. “She said yes!”
“What!” Star looked down at everyone below smiling. Her father held up a hand, his eyes twinkling.
The crowd below them cheered and raised their hot chocolates.
The mayor shouted, “To Star and Ezra!”
“Cheers!” Everyone tipped hot chocolate cups, and Eireen waved from the roof.
Tim held up a cup and shouted, “God bless us, every one.” Which brought laughter and new cheers from all.
Ezra smirked. “Good joke, tiny Tim. And now, can someone get my mom off the roof?”
Herald waved people over to the ladder and soon they had her climbing down.
But Ezra and Star stayed up high, at the top of her tree. He wouldn’t have it any other way. As he pulled her close, her eyes shining love back at him, he thought he couldn’t stand the happiness he felt now and that he knew was coming.
She lifted her chin and went up on her toes. He quickly moved to place his lips over hers, warming her cold mouth, pulling her tight, pressing again and again until she went weak in his arms and he wasn’t sure he could hold them both up. He stared all the love he knew down into the face of his fiancé.
“Man, you are something, my Star. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Mr. Scrooge.”
Epilogue
Star skied down the last slope and entered her private room. A staff member collected her gear, all her wet things. She left the others in the laundry hamper and went to get Ezra out of bed.
She tiptoed over to their bed. Her husband slept way more than she thought was normal. So she didn’t feel at all guilty when her cold nose on his cheek woke him up with a gasp. “You!” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her across him. “How was your morning ski, wife?”
“So glorious. I don’t know why you didn’t join me.”
“I was up so late planning tomorrow’s speech.”
“You’ve been emcee for the Festival of the Trees for three years running. I didn’t know you’d be stressing about this.”
“I’ve got to come up with new material.” He ran his fingers through her hair, sending thrills along her shoulders. “Are you happy, my Star?”
“I’m happier than I ever thought a person could be.”
* * *
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