“Time to get a Christmas tree, of course. Come on, angel. Let's go for a ride.”
CHAPTER 31
“Where are we going?” I asked Alexander. We had long since left the hustle and bustle of the city and were traveling northbound on the I-87.
“You said that you wanted a Christmas tree, right?”
“Yes, but we don’t have to drive to Timbuktu to get one. I’m sure there are plenty of places within the city where we could have gotten one.”
“I’m sure there are,” he said absently. “But there’s a place in Westchester that has what I want.”
I tried to picture us driving all the way home from Westchester with a Christmas tree strapped to the roof of the Porsche Cayenne. The idea was almost comical.
“Westchester? You really have no limits, do you? When you get an idea in your head…” I trailed off and shook my head.
Alexander didn’t comment, but simply took my hand in his and stared out the car window. He had been acting strange ever since we left the penthouse nearly thirty minutes ago. I couldn’t figure it out, but he seemed uncharacteristically nervous.
Fifteen minutes later, Hale pulled the car over to the side of the road. I looked out the window, expecting to see a lot full of Christmas trees, but saw only a snow covered hill. We appeared to be in the middle of nowhere, as the nearest lights that I could see looked to be about a half mile away.
I looked to Alexander questioningly. He flashed me a devilish smile and shook his head.
“No questions, angel. Just come with me.”
Hale came around to open the door for us.
“Everything is all set, sir,” he told Alexander once we stepped out of the SUV. Then he turned to me and winked.
What the hell is going on?
I looked around for a clue, but found nothing that would give me an inkling of knowledge.
Alexander took my hand once more and led me up the hill. Snow crunched under our feet as we walked the incline. After a few moments, I started to become short of breath. It wasn’t that the hill was terribly steep; it was more due to my weeks of extremely limited physical activity.
I kept looking around, waiting to see a tree farm of some sorts come into view, but there wasn’t anything ahead. Alexander had been so concerned about me not overexerting myself that I found it hard to believe he would have me walking all this way for nothing.
“How much further?” I asked, noting the increase in my heartbeat. I could see my breath in the cold night air, puffs coming out in rapid succession.
“Almost there. It’s just up this way,” he said and glanced down at me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m alright for now. But I will say, as soon as I get clearance, I’m getting back to the gym,” I laughed in between pants.
Alexander stopped walking and, before I could process what was happening, he bent to scoop me up behind the knees. Cradling me in his arms, he pressed a kiss to my cold cheek.
“I don’t want you to become worn out,” he said with a wink.
“I won’t argue, just as long as you watch your footing. The last thing we need is for both of us to go toppling down the hill,” I said with a laugh.
“I’ve got you, angel. I’ve always got you.”
He kissed me again, this time softly on the lips, before continuing the trek up the hill.
Once we reached the top, we came upon a lonely pine tree standing about twenty feet away.
“There it is,” he announced proudly and set me back on my feet. I shook my head in bewilderment.
All this way for that?
I thought it was rather large for a family room Christmas tree. The sheer size of the tree would make it impossible to strap to the roof of the SUV. Not to mention the fact that neither one of us had an ax or a saw to cut it down in the first place.
“This is the tree that you want?” I asked, trying not to sound too judgmental. After all, Alexander told me that he never bought a Christmas tree for himself before. His lack of experience was quite obvious.
“Stay here,” he ordered instead of answering.
He left my side and walked over to the tree. Once he reached it, I saw him bend over and start fiddling with something, but I couldn’t quite see what it was due to the darkness of the night.
A moment later, light temporarily blinded me. I blinked in surprise as thousands of lights lit up the tree. Red, green, yellow, and blue – each bulb casting it’s own magical twinkle. An angel was perched at the top, her golden halo reflecting far across the white snow-covered ground. I had never seen a more beautifully lit Christmas tree.
“Oh!” I gasped in awe.
“Come here, Krystina.”
I slowly walked towards him, curious about what he might have up his sleeve next.
“Alex, what is all of this?”
“I have a confession to make. I lied when I said that I didn’t think about getting a Christmas tree. I knew that you would want one.”
“So you decided on setting one up here? In the middle of nowhere rather than inside the penthouse?” I laughed.
“This isn’t the middle of nowhere, Krystina. I put an offer on this piece of land a couple of months ago. The papers have been drawn up. The bank is just waiting on our signatures.”
“Ours?”
“Yes, ours. I want to build a house on this land. Together with you.”
What?!
I had barely gotten used to the idea of living with him at the penthouse, and now here he was proposing that we build a home together.
“Alex, I –.” I began to protest.
“No, hear me out,” he interrupted. “The day you were in that car crash, I was there when they pulled you from the wreck.”
“You were?”
“Yes. And when I saw you, I –,” he stopped for a moment, his voice thick with emotion. “When I saw you, I thought the worst. I thought you were dead. It was as if my heart had been ripped from my chest. But when I found out that you would be okay, everything became clear to me. Nothing matters now except you.”
“Alex, so much has happened in such a short period of time,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief.
“It has. We’ve stared hell right in the eye and survived it. Through it all, you’ve changed me in ways that I never thought possible. Things haven’t always been easy between us, and I know that there are more obstacles still ahead. I can’t erase the past. I still have issues with who and what I am. I worry every day that I'll turn out like my father. I won’t deny that it’s not a concern for me. I can’t promise that everything will always be perfect. But I can promise that I will try. I believe in us, Krystina. And I know that you do too.”
He plucked one solitary ornament off the Christmas tree and placed it in my palm. I looked down at the silver ball in my hand. The top was adorned with a green satin bow, while it’s glittered surface swirled into the triskelion symbol.
“A triskelion,” I observed aloud.
“Do you remember how I told you that the symbol carried many meanings?”
“Yes.”
“The Celtic belief is that everything happens in threes. The triskele can be a representation of past, present, and future. Angel, you are my past because I feel like I’ve been searching my whole life to find you. You are my present because you are here with me now. You are my future because I can’t envision anyone else by my side.”
He reached for the ornament in my hand and untied the ribbon. The ornament split open to reveal a round cut diamond ring, featuring two shield-cut sapphires, nestled in a bed of green satin.
I gasped and felt like the ground had quite literally fallen out from beneath my feet. Nervous butterflies danced in my stomach as I stared down at the diamond in front of me.
“Oh my –.”
He brought a finger to my lips to silence me.
“I love you, Krystina Cole. I ache when I’m not with you. I want you to be with me, always and forever. I want you to be my wife.”
CHA
PTER 32
His wife.
Alexander was a man who lived nearly his entire life in solidarity, yet he was able to accept me into it so completely. I wanted us to be together in every way that we could be. However, he was envisioning a life that I was terrified to imagine. I had doubts about whether or not we were ready to take that plunge.
The rational part of me was airing on the side of caution. There were so many things that we had yet to learn about each other. Too many unknowns. But at the same time, a lifetime with Alexander just felt right. It was if it was the way things were meant to be.
I stared down at the intricate design of the glittering diamond and sapphire ring. It was reflecting all the colors of the lights from the Christmas tree, a rainbow kaleidoscope that matched the emotions in my heart.
As I continued to stare, my vision became blurry from tears. I tried to blink them away and looked up into the night sky. The stars sparkled against the black, reminding me of what a wise Italian woman had said to me not so long ago.
“Your destiny is already written in the stars.”
Hot tears continued to well until they spilled down my cheeks.
I looked back to Alexander. His gaze was fixed solidly on me, practically begging me with his eyes.
“I already warned you once,” I reminded him. “I told you that I’d be too much trouble for you.”
“And I told you that I wasn’t any good for you.”
“We are a nuclear combination.”
“And baby, I can’t wait to make fireworks,” he said with that crooked smile I loved so much. To my astonishment, he got down on one knee, seeming oblivious to the frozen snow beneath him. “Say you’ll marry me, angel. Say that you’ll share forever with me.”
I gazed down into his beautiful sapphire blues, so vibrant and full of love, that I couldn’t possibly mistake it for anything else.
Trust it. Trust him.
I took a deep breath to steady myself before speaking.
“Alexander, there are a million and one thoughts swirling in my head right now. You are controlling, arrogant, and assuming. Your bossiness drives me insane. You keep secrets and you hold things back. I am hot tempered and untrusting more often than not. I’m a pain in the ass. I question everything, and I probably always will. We both have demons in our pasts that have interfered with our ability to be content and happy. While I think that we’ve made a bit of progress, we still have so much further to go,” I paused for a moment and took another deep breath. “There are so many things that need to be worked out. You don’t know who killed your father, and you still don’t know if your mother is alive or not. The trial for Charlie Andrews is pending, and I know it means that your carefully guarded life is about to be blown wide open. We have a rough road ahead of us.”
“What are you saying?” he asked, his voice full of uncertainty. He looked so vulnerable there on his knees, and I knew it wouldn’t be fair of me to make him wait any longer. I had been searching for the right moment to tell him that I loved him, and I couldn't have picked a better time.
“I’m saying that I’m not going to listen to my head. For the first time in my life, I’m going to listen to my heart. I’m saying that I want to work through our issues together. And I’m saying that I love you, Alexander. I want the white picket fence. I want forever with you.”
He stood up and grasped my shoulders. Pulling me tight against him, he began to rain kisses on my cheeks, forehead and nose. Tears leaked down my face as I fiercely clung to him. I was truly a blubbering mess.
“Oh, Krystina. I love you so damn much it hurts,” he said, his voice raw with so much emotion.
I reached up to trace the lines of his face with my finger. His strong jaw, chiseled cheekbones, and flawlessly sculpted lips. He was perfection, and he was mine. All mine.
“I love you too. But I’m scared, Alex.”
“Don’t be afraid, angel.”
“We have a lot of issues that can’t be ignored. I think we should maybe consider counseling,” I suggested tentatively.
“I’ve never been a big fan of shrinks, but I have to admit that I think we would both benefit from it. I need to work out the dreams that I have. I don’t ever want to be in a position where I may hurt you. So, if that’s what it takes, that’s what we’ll do.”
“One more thing. I would also like to get more involved with the Stone’s Hope women’s shelter. I had some time to think when I was in the hospital, and I think that there are a lot of women that would benefit from hearing about my rape experience. I could help them. Teach them that they’re not alone.”
“Angel, I think that’s a great idea,” he said and pulled me closer to press a kiss to my forehead.
Snow began to fall around us in big white flakes that melted on our faces. I smiled and stuck out my tongue to catch one, just like I did during my childhood.
“Have you ever made a snow angel?” I asked impulsively.
“No,” he laughed. “I can’t say that I have.”
“I don’t know, maybe it’s the idea that I’m going to be Mrs. Alexander Stone, but I’m suddenly feeling incredibly silly. Humor me. Make a snow angel with me,” I said and sat down on the ground.
“Right now? Together?” he asked incredulously. His sapphire eyes were alight with humor as he stared down at where I sat on the frozen earth.
“Yes,” I said in all seriousness and tugged on his hand. “Together. Always together.”
And I meant exactly that.
Together.
It wasn’t that the unknown didn’t scare me, or that I wasn’t afraid of the future – I was terrified. But despite it all, somehow I knew that as long as Alexander was by my side, we would weather anything that was thrown our way.
Always together.
And as we lay down in the freshly fallen snow, I realized how right he was about the past, present, and the future. He was all of those things to me, and so much more.
Coming Soon!
Set In Stone
The story of Alexander and Krystina continues in book 3 of
The Stone Series by Dakota Willink.
If you enjoyed this book, please consider taking a minute to rate this book on Amazon.
Thank you for taking a moment of your time to support an author!
Thank you to the musical talents that influenced and inspired Stepping Stone.
Their creativity helped me to bring Krystina and Alexander to life.
Music Playlist for Stepping Stone
“The Gates” by Young Empires (The Gates)
“That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra (Nothing But The Best)
“Unsteady” by X Ambassadors (VHS)
“Smoke and Mirrors” by Imagine Dragons (Smoke + Mirrors)
“Ex’s & Oh’s” by Elle King (Love Stuff)
“Still Breathing” by Green Day (Revolution Radio)
“Erotica” by Madonna (Erotica)
“You and I” by PVARIS (White Noise)
“Until We Go Down” by Ruelle (Up in Flames)
“Numb” by Linkin Park (Meteora)
Mozart: Symphony No. 41 ‘Jupiter’ by London Philharmonic Orchestra & Alfred Scholz
(111 Classical Masterpieces)
“Alone” by Patricia Kaas (Kabaret)
“Dream a Little Dream of Me” by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
(Ella & Louis for Lovers)
“Fever” by Peggy Lee (The Best of Peggy Lee)
“Wicked Game” by Three Days Grace (One-X, Deluxe Version)
“Save You” by Turin Breaks (Lost Property)
“Hallelujah” by Pentatonix (A Pentatonix Christmas)
About Dakota Willink
Dakota Willink is a contemporary romance writer and editor, and the author of The Stone Series. She is an associate member of Romance Writers of America and a Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards winner.
Dakota has always had a passion for reading and writing. From the time she was an adolescent, she enj
oyed curling up with a good paperback, reading genres that ranged from thriller and fantasy, to mystery and romance. She always dreamed of one day writing her own book, but had put her aspirations on hold to focus on her family and a career that would pay the bills. However, her heart continued to be with fictional characters – whether they belonged to a favorite author or if they were just stories that she made up in her own head.
In 2013, Dakota gathered enough courage to turn her dreams into a reality. In between playing chauffeur to two very busy children and working her job during the day, Dakota began to put words on paper. Eventually, she began to describe her life as a book. Everything she saw or heard throughout the day, intertwined with her imagination for the creation of future writings. By 2014, with the support of her husband and two children, she gave up the security of a steady paycheck and began working on her first novel full time.
Her first novel, Heart of Stone, was published in December of 2015. Less than a year after its release, the Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards recognized Heart of Stone as the 2016 Bronze Medalist in the romance category.
Dakota resides in the Western New York area, where she enjoys spending time with family, her two Labrador Retrievers, and her spoiled rotten cat. During the summer months, she can often be found soaking up the sun on the Great Lakes with her family.
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