A Christmas Billionaire
Page 12
Noel threw the blankets back and slid her feet into her slippers. With her phone still in her hand, she opened her bedroom door and then peeked into Nonna’s bedroom. Nonna’s blue nightlight cast a pale glow over her skin. Nonna smiled in her sleep. A deep rhythmic breathing came from Nonna’s chest and love flew through Noel.
Noel turned and exited Nonna’s room. She walked down the long hall toward the living room. The Christmas tree was still lit and the entire living room glowed in the lights. Noel paused beside the picture on the wall of her as a twelve-year-old girl sitting with her parents and grandparents. Tonight, as she’d stood before the photograph and listened to Nonna talk about love, Noel had realized that the love she had for Nick was deep and abiding. She loved him just as she’d loved him when they were in business school together. She’d never stopped loving him. Instead, she’d put that love away. She’d tucked it away and shoved her feelings deep down into her soul. She’d put her love in a place where she just didn’t often look and had pretended it didn’t exist. Now, with Nick here and Christmas and Chicago and Nonna, she’d been forced to confront all the feelings she’d wanted to ignore—the feelings she had for Nick and that she’d run from.
Love. Fear.
They were interwoven. She’d left the man she loved before he had a chance to leave her. Before he could break her heart by running off or dying. Now Nick was back in her life and she had a choice to make, again on Christmas Eve.
Her phone chimed. She flipped it over. Susan, the director of Water for People. Another e-mail from Susan. This one with the subject line: Merry Christmas. Have You Decided? Had she? Noel’s fingers flew across the keyboard as she gave Susan her reply.
Chapter Fourteen
Bright winter sunlight glistened across fresh Christmas snow. The sky was a bright blue. Nick was obscenely early. The sunlight hadn’t even crept over Lake Michigan when he piled his bag of gifts into his car and started the drive to Winter Pines. He couldn’t wait any longer. A half hour later, he slung a bag over his shoulder that contained all the beautiful, glittering gifts he’d collected, aside from the one that remained in his pocket.
He walked by each door at White Pines and pulled a box from his pack. Dot received the e-reader because she loved to read. Ted got the Encyclopedia of Birds because he spent hours wandering the bushes with a pair of binoculars. He slipped a foil envelope, which contained two airline vouchers so that they might go visit their daughter, into Mr. & Mrs. Hyland’s door. Each gift held only the name of the recipient. Nick had no need for thanks, instead he wanted only to provide the joy he knew these things he’d gotten for the residents of White Pines would bring.
With each step, with each delivery, Nick remembered how happy he’d felt while in school when one of his classmates who needed something suddenly found it in their backpack, on their apartment doorstep, or perhaps a bill taken care of at the bursar’s office. All the anonymous gift giving had stopped when Noel left. His heart had frozen and he’d felt no more joy in giving. There was no more joy at all in her absence. He’d lost a piece of himself on that night. Now he’d found his heart again. Meanwhile, his sack was empty, aside from his gift to Nonna.
His heart bumped hard in his chest. He was early but he couldn’t wait, this wouldn’t wait. He had his entire life ahead of him, and he wanted to spend it with Noel. The certainty of her love for him was as real as the snow and the sunlight and the joy of Christmas morning. She might be afraid, but he would spend a lifetime if he needed to, proving to her that her fears were groundless. He was determined. He knew what he wanted and he would get it.
He lifted his hand and knocked twice. And waited. There was no sound. No movement.
His heartbeat accelerated. What if she’d left? What if Noel had vanished into the night as she’d done years before? The fears he harbored over losing Noel again chilled his heart. No. That couldn’t happen a second time. Fate wouldn’t be that cruel to him. Not now, not when he finally realized what he had to have, what he needed, what would make him the best man he could be.
The door opened.
A smile spread over Nick’s face. Noel wore only the tiniest pair of green flannel shorts and a red tank top. Didn’t she know it was winter? In Chicago? Her hair was mussed and wild, that thick mane of red curls flying wildly around her face. Oh how he wanted to weave his fingers through that mass of wild curls. Her face was swollen with sleep. Those long lean legs, those bee-stung lips. To scoop her up and press that body to his was his Christmas wish for this morning.
“You’re five hours early,” she said. A yawn widened her mouth. Her eyes focused on his chest. She smiled. “Nonna will be very pleased you wore the sweater.”
The lightbulb attached to Nick’s sweater on Rudolph’s nose blinked red.
Noel was adorably cute. Wildly cute. Completely inappropriate, loud, and liberal, and she told him exactly what she thought. She was everything his mother didn’t want for him. Everything different than how he’d been raised. She was exactly what he needed. The yin to his yang, the light to his dark, the peanut butter to his jelly. Hell, she was simply all that and a bag of chips.
“Why are you smiling like that? You do realize it’s Christmas, “ Noel said. “You hate Christmas.”
“How could I possibly hate the day for which you were named?” Nick asked.
Noel tilted her head and appraised him from top to toe. “What’ve you got in the sack, Santa?”
“Just making my rounds,” Nick said.
Noel pulled her arms over her body. “It’s cold.”
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. “Yes, but it’s beautiful.” He reached his arm around and pressed her close to him. Ah, yes, he knew beyond any doubt that this was the woman for him. Fire ignited deep in his belly. If they weren’t at Nonna’s house, he’d scoop her up and ravage her on the rug that lay in front of the fireplace.
Those lips. That mouth. He nibbled along the seam of her lips and she parted them for him. His tongue was in her mouth and her breath was shortened. He pressed closer to deepen their kiss. She molded to his body. They slowly pulled apart. He’d never go without kissing her again.
“Merry Christmas,” Nick said.
Noel was breathless and her pulse pounded in her neck. Her eyes widened. She too was surprised by his lust, the fire, the need that pulsed between them no matter the time of the day.
“Yes,” she said. “Merry Christmas.”
She took two steps back and bit her lip.
“I’ve brought something for Nonna,” Nick said.
“She’s still sleeping,”
Nick walked to the tree and placed the gift beneath the branches.
He turned to Noel. She stood there, her eyes wide.
“There was another reason I couldn’t wait,” Nick said. “I had to …” He stepped closer. Such a big and bold risk. Hadn’t she made it clear to him that she intended to continue her work in Africa? That she had a job offer she intended to accept? That they were incompatible and couldn’t be a couple? Was he a complete and utter idiot? He reached out and cupped her chin with his hand.
No. He wasn’t an idiot. This was the smartest thing he would ever do. His breathing steadied and he locked his gaze onto Noel’s. He’d determined what she meant to him and what his life meant with her in it, and he was prepared for her answer either way.
“I have a gift for you too.” His heart pounded deep in his chest. A loud, rushing sound throbbed through his head. He slipped his hand under his suit jacket and pulled out a case.
Noel’s hands flew to her face.
He dropped to one knee.
“Noel Megan Klaus, I will ask you again, on this Christmas, will you be my wife?”
*
The moment was frozen. Her fingertips pressed to her lips. Her mouth opened and her eyes were wide. She felt as though she’d stepped outside her body and was watching. Watching from beyond herself. She watched as Nick dropped to the floor in Nonna’s living room. The case o
pened in slow motion. A giant diamond glittered in the center of a platinum ring with emeralds on either side. Emeralds, she knew without him telling her, to match her eyes. Her chest tightened around her heart.
The same ring.
Her gaze locked with his. He’d kept the ring. All these days, all these years, he’d kept the ring with which he’d proposed to her the first time. Through the pain, through the loss, the ring he’d chosen for her had remained with him.
Her heart pounded in her chest. Nick’s eyes held both hopefulness and determination. There was no choice to be made, no answer to be given. Her gaze flickered toward the picture that hung beside the Christmas tree. The faces of those she loved looked down upon her and upon Nick. He would be to her what Grandpa had been to Nonna, what her father had been to her mother. He would be her once and forever love. A safe haven and sanctuary against the storm of life. The hard times that were inevitable, the pain, the joy, he would be by her side through it all. Her gaze locked with Nick’s gray eyes. She loved him. She trusted him with every fiber of her being. She trusted that she didn’t need to change for him. That he loved her for her and that she loved him for him.
“Yes, Nick, absolutely yes.”
The tears rolled down her cheeks, and he was up and his arms surrounded her. She didn’t know where she ended and he began—his giant hug encapsulated her and the love they each felt for the other throbbed through them, a living force. A force upon which they could rely, a force they would nurture and share, a force that would provide them strength, solace and comfort in this world.
“It’s about time.”
They both turned toward the hallway. Nonna stood with her hand pressed to the wall, a giant smile on her lips.
Nick’s gaze went from Nonna back to Noel. “You’ve made me the happiest man in the world.”
“I love you,” Noel said. “I have since forever.”
“I love you too.”
He pressed his lips to hers and their love, their forever union, was sealed in the magic of a Christmas kiss.
Chapter Fifteen
“Susan, are we ready?” Noel asked. She pressed her hand to her brow and looked into Susan’s eyes.
“Yes, everyone is assembled.”
Noel turned to Nick, who stood beside Mwewa, the leader of the village. The past three months in Zambia had entailed sweat, snakes, tigers, mosquitoes, and a couple of elephants, but what would happen today was worth every moment.
“Let’s do it then,” Noel said. She nodded toward Nick, who bowed his head to Mwewa. Mwewa looked at the entire village, assembled beside the well and water pump. With a giant smile on his face, Nick turned the tap and the pump began. Water flooded out. Clean, fresh, lovely pure water.
A shriek rose up from the community. No more walking miles each day, sometimes five times a day, with water buckets to the nearest well. No more fears of animals or snakes or even worse—humans who wanted to rape, maim, or kill. Now this community had water, fresh and clean.
Nick walked to Noel. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her near. “Well done, Mrs. North.”
“Thank you, Mr. North.”
He beamed at her. Together they had done this. Together they would keep doing this. Granted, the next three projects would be overseen by the North Foundation staff. She and Nick would be staying in Chicago, or close to it.
She had a surprise for Nick. A surprise that still had to be confirmed, but that confirmation would be come from her doctor next week when they returned to Chicago.
Noel’s phone rang. She pressed the FaceTime button. “You’re just in time, look!” Noel turned her phone so that Nonna might see the fresh water and the joy. Tears quivered in Noel’s eyes. This was what she wanted. This life. Her hands in the dirt and her heart in the sky. Sharing every single day with the man she loved.
A solace through time, Nick North had been and forever would be her billionaire for Christmas.
The End
About This Series
Thanks for reading A Christmas Billionaire. I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews help other readers find books and I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative. Please take a moment and write a review for A Christmas Billionaire.
You’ve just read the third book in the Eligible Billionaires Series. The next book in the series is Last Call For Love, which is coming soon.
I hope you enjoy it as well!
Books in the Eligible Billionaire Series:
Can’t Buy Me Love
One Night For Love
A Christmas Billionaire
Last Call For Love – coming soon
Would you like to know when my next book is available? You can sign up for my new release e-mail list at http://maggiemarr.blogspot.com/p/maggies-newsletter.html.
Follow me on Twitter at : http://twitter.com/maggiemarr, or like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maggie-Marr-Books/168071873226783?ref=ts.
Visit my Website at http://www.maggiemarr.blogspot.com.
You may also enjoy my New Adult Glamour Series.
Hard Glamour
Broken Glamour
Fast Glamour
Easy Glamour
Luxe Glamour – coming soon
Just click the link if you'd like to read an excerpt from the first book in the Eligible Billionaires series, Can’t Buy Me Love.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my agent Kristin Nelson and everyone at Nelson Literary Agency. Thank you to Lori Bennett for her formatting, uploading, and meta-dataing skills—without which I would be at a complete loss. Thank you to Kim Killion and The Killion Group for their professionalism and amazing covers. Thank you to Angie Hodapp for her vision for the design and layout for my paperbacks. Thank you to Anne Victory my editor for the Eligible Billionaires Series. Also thank you to my proofreader, Jennifer Brown who always completes a fantastic final pass.
Thank you to Romance Writers of America (RWA), Los Angeles Romance Authors (LARA), Girlfriends Book Club (GBC), and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA).
Thank you to my friends and family especially, Margaret L. Marr, Nancy Veskerna, Nealie Harrison, Lauren Harrison, Gavin White, Linda and Bill Henderson, Lindsy and Mark Henderson, Dolores Henderson, Nancy and Tom Henderson, Joyce and Tom Leahy, Eloise and Dixie Marr, Gayle Leftwich, Paula and David Glasscock, Amy and Brent Zacky, Sheryl and Steven Ross, Victoria and Karl Makinen, Lea and Aron Pfau, Maria Seager, Christine Ashworth, Jane Porter, Megan Crane, Peg Cafferty, and Molly Donna Ware.
Thank you to my husband Chad, and the kidlets. You are ‘all that and a bag a chips.’
About the Author
Maggie Marr is an attorney, author, and producer. She began her career in the entertainment industry pushing the mail cart but rose to the position of motion picture literary agent. She has written for TV, film, and celebrities. Maggie has been featured on KCRW's The Business and reviewed by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Romantic Times. She lives in LA with her family.
Maggie is eternally grateful for the graciousness and support of her readers.
Please visit her Website at: http://www.maggiemarr.blogspot.com.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/maggiemarr
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maggie-Marr-Books/168071873226783?ref=ts
Also by Maggie Marr
The Hollywood Girls Club Series
Hollywood Girls Club
Secrets of the Hollywood Girls Club
Hollywood Hit
Box Office Bomb – coming soon
Hollywood Girls Club the Series
The Eligible Billionaires Series
Can’t Buy Me Love
One Night For Love
A Christmas Billionaire
Last Call For Love – coming soon
The Powder Springs Series
Courting Trouble
The Christmas Wish – coming soon
The Glamour Series
Hard Glamour
Broken
Glamour
Fast Glamour
Easy Glamour
Luxe Glamour – coming soon
An Excerpt from Can’t Buy Me Love
Chapter 1
“Is it always this hard?”
For Cole Jackson only one response answered Meg’s question: Yes. Every conquest was the outcome of a hard-fought battle, every win the results of a decimated other side, every challenge more difficult than the last. Otherwise, what was the point? With ease came softness and with softness a swift defeat.
Cole yanked at the knot of his cobalt blue tie, tired of the daylong stranglehold. On the far side of his office window, night sucked away the last light of day as the sweltering orange sun surrendered to the Pacific. The streaks of pink, orange, and fuchsia that decorated the sky failed to captivate Cole. He could witness such displays of color on any horizon, in any city, on any night—so why waste time with this sunset?
Cole reached for the crystal decanter stationed on the bar in his office. His pour was generous and neat. Amber liquid shimmered in the final rays of the sun. He sipped the bourbon. Heat slid down his throat, but the liquor didn’t scorch him nearly as much as the woman who, after a six-month absence, now stood in his office.