“Wedding?” she choked. She was so shaken up, she couldn’t even complete sentences.
He grinned and nodded.
“How did we go from polite but not close to in bed and possibly engaged in less than a week?” she asked.
Kevin’s smile faded. “I can’t read your mind, Blair, but I know this hasn’t all happened in a week for me. It started a long time ago, even before we kissed last Christmas. I never pursued you because you were my little sister’s best friend. If things didn’t work out, it would be complicated as hell. Then, when I knew that you and I would be more than a casual thing, I didn’t move in because I knew how you felt about being with someone in the military and the kind of life that you would have to lead.”
Blair nodded. “You’re right. This did start a long time ago and neither of us did anything about it. It just seems so fast. One minute, you’re just Kaylie’s big brother that I lust after from a distance, and the next, you’re talking about us getting married. It boggles the mind.”
Kevin reached out and pulled Blair into his chest, tucking her head beneath his chin. She enjoyed it until she realized that he was shaking with laughter. She drew her head back and glared at him.
“Why exactly are you laughing?” she asked.
He squeezed her tightly, cutting off her air. “You lusted after me from a distance, huh?”
Blair’s only answer was to bite him in the chest.
He flinched. “Woman, why do you become violent whenever I tease you?”
She grinned up at him. “Sorry, I have brothers, so that’s how I’ve always retaliated when one of them, or all of them, started picking on me.” She rolled away. “Okay, my buzz is officially dead and I’m tired. We will have to beat this dead horse tomorrow when I can think straight. I’m going to put this underwear somewhere safe and go to bed.”
Kevin watched as she went into her walk in closet. A short time later, she emerged wearing a pair of red and green plaid shorts and a red tank top. He noticed that she was still wearing the necklace he had given her and he smiled. She went into the bathroom and he heard her moving around, a toilet flushing, and water running. When she came out, her hair was pulled into a messy knot on the back of her head and secured with a fabric ponytail holder. She looked adorable.
He lifted the covers for her and Blair rolled into the bed next to him. She scooted over until she was pressed to his side, her head resting on his shoulder. Her leg moved up to rest on his thigh. As he lay there with her, Kevin understood suddenly that he loved her. He’d known her for almost six years, enjoyed her company, and cared a great deal about her. Now that he wasn’t holding back, he knew he didn’t just care about Blair, he loved her.
Kevin realized that he spoke his epiphany out loud when Blair whispered, sounding sleepy and sweet.
“I love you, too.”
Kevin grinned. That was another heavy conversation they would have to have tomorrow, he was sure. That was one thing about Blair. She was blunt and she preferred honesty to sweet nothings. When she was awake and realized what he had said to her and her reply, Kevin was sure that she would be more than a little freaked out. He pulled her closer and kissed her hair. The next two months were going to be too damn long. Moments later, as Kevin fell asleep, he decided he wanted a kiss from Blair every Christmas until the day he died.
*****
The next morning, Blair opened her eyes and was again greeted with the sight of a naked chest. She smiled and stretched. Her bed felt warmer and cozier than it ever had before. She was looking forward to waking up more mornings with Kevin.
Blair suddenly remembered what she had said to Kevin last night as she was falling asleep and her eyes popped open. Had she really told him she loved him? She was almost sure she dreamed it. She glanced up and saw that Kevin was awake and watching her closely.
Still hesitant she gave him a small smile. “Good morning.”
He rolled her so she was lying across his chest. Blair scooted back so she could stack her hands on his chest and rest her chin on them.
“Morning.” His voice was rough and sleepy.
A shiver moved down Blair’s spine. She loved the way his voice sounded first thing in the morning. His hands slid through the hair at her temples. Blair decided she also loved it when he put his hands in her hair.
His eyes were serious as they looked into hers. “I love you, Blair.”
Blair understood then that she hadn’t been dreaming last night. He had said he loved her and she had said the same. It still felt too soon, too fast, but she couldn’t deny that she felt it. Her head also gave her a reminder that knowing someone for almost six years wasn’t exactly jumping into a relationship feet first, even if they hadn’t had a close relationship in the past.
She touched his cheek with her fingertip. “I love you too, Kevin.”
His mouth quirked into a half-smile as he drew her closer. “Good,” he said.
Then he was kissing her, morning breath and all, and Blair didn’t care. Before things could get out of hand, he stopped and pulled back.
“Are you sore?”
Blair wanted to say no, but Kevin must have seen the lie in her eyes because he frowned at her.
“Okay, why don’t we have some coffee and breakfast? I’m leaving in four days, the day after Christmas, and I don’t want you too sore the next few days.”
Blair gave him a cheeky grin. “Sir, yes, sir,” she barked.
Kevin smacked her on the ass and rolled them both out of bed.
“I’ll go start the coffee while you get yourself sorted out.” He gave her another smack on the ass, this time she squealed, before he headed out of the bedroom.
Blair walked into the bathroom, rubbing her stinging behind but wearing a huge smile. Maybe the speed of light was better than she thought. If it led to more mornings like this one, she could handle it.
Epilogue
Almost Two Months Later, Valentine’s Day
“Blair Bolton, get your behind out here now!” Kaylie yelled.
Blair set her pen down and sighed heavily. She was trying to take care of paperwork for the shop, but Kaylie had been like a chimpanzee on speed all day and she hadn’t gotten a single thing done. She refused to bellow like her best friend, so she shoved the chair away from the desk and got up.
She wasn’t in the best of moods anyway, because Kevin had called last week to let her know that he wouldn’t be able to make it in before Valentine’s Day after all. Blair had been disappointed but she thought she did a good job of hiding it. The last two months with Kevin had been the best she ever had, even though she hadn’t seen him since the day after Christmas. They texted, video chatted, and e-mailed constantly. He was funny and sweet, though he cursed whenever she said as much to him. Now, their first Valentine’s together, they wouldn’t actually be together.
Blair shook her head at her whiny thoughts. Kevin would be home in a few days and he would be home for good. After that, she doubted they would spend many days apart. Kevin had said as much. She had no right to be so pathetic. There were a lot of women out there who wouldn’t get to see their men on Valentine’s Day and she doubted they were so affected by it. She was just being a baby.
She walked out of the hall into the showroom of the shop and stopped short. Kaylie stood with Barb, David, and Blair’s mom by the front counter and flowers in every color of pink imaginable were in vases all around the sales area. In the middle of it all stood Kevin, holding a single pale pink tulip. Blair felt tears fill her eyes. Without thought, her feet were carrying her faster and faster toward Kevin until she stood in front of him and threw her arms around him.
Her face was tucked into his neck when she muttered, “I thought you weren’t going to make it in for Valentine’s Day.”
He chuckled. “I had a surprise planned for you and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get it all together in time.”
“Having you here is all that I need,” she mumbled against his skin.
He
squeezed her tighter, cutting off her air, and Blair coughed. Kevin chuckled again and released her, putting her back on her feet. She glanced over her shoulder at their parents.
“Um, Kevin, why are our parents here?” she asked.
Kevin smiled. “That’s part of my surprise. I thought we could all go out and celebrate.”
Blair’s tentative smile faded. “All of us celebrate Valentine’s Day together?”
While it was sweet, she had something a lot more private and naked in mind to celebrate him being home.
He shook his head and took both her hands in his. Slowly, he sank down to one knee and Blair’s heart started trying to hammer itself out of her breastbone. She wasn’t sure how, but he released her hands and produced a small black jeweler’s box. He opened it and took out the ring. Blair’s heart stopped hammering and started fluttering. The ring was gorgeous, a sparkling round diamond surrounded with smaller round diamonds in an antique setting.
Kevin took her left hand and slid the ring on her finger.
“Blair Bolton, will you marry me?”
She stared down at the ring on her finger, then at the man at her feet, and burst into tears. They had discussed marriage a few times, but Blair didn’t want to pressure him. Hell, she was the one who wanted to wait a little longer. It turned out she didn’t have to pressure Kevin, he got there before she did.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, yes, yes!” By the time she finished, Blair was jumping up and down yelling.
Their families burst into applause, whistles, and whoops. Kevin surged to his feet and kissed Blair so thoroughly that her toes curled in her boots. After they hugged their families and received congratulations, Kaylie gave Blair and Kevin a little shove toward the back door.
“Blair, why don’t you take the rest of the day off? Maybe if my brother gets you home now, you guys will be on time for dinner with the family later,” Kaylie teased as she herded them out the back of the store.
Blair laughed just before Kevin kissed her again. After he loaded her into the car, Kevin drove like a madman to get to her house. With two months apart, they were starved for each other and barely made it in the door.
A few hours later, after they made their way back to the bedroom, Blair lay beside Kevin, gliding her hand down his chest.
“I missed you,” she said, her cheek snug against his shoulder.
Kevin was toying with the ends of her hair. “I missed you too, Blair.”
She tilted her head back to look at him. “Please don’t leave for so long again.”
He smiled at her. “I won’t.”
She wrapped her arm around his torso and squeezed.
“You were the best Valentine present ever.”
Kevin returned the embrace and rolled them over so that he was on top again.
“Yes, but you were my best Christmas present.”
Blair felt tears fill her eyes again. For such a big, tough guy, Kevin wore his heart on his sleeve and he wasn’t afraid to share his emotions. It was yet another facet of him that she loved. Blair showed her appreciation of his sweetness so well and so thoroughly that they were a half hour late for dinner even though it was three hours later.
The End
A Kiss for Christmas Page 6