“Wait. You just called Cynthia your mom.” Sam shoved her hard, like you would a football player.
Brooklyn laughed as she stumbled back. “I don’t know where that came from, but I guess I did. Yeah.”
“Who are you?” Samantha asked happily. “And how are you so awesomely evolved? This is my favorite Brooklyn in life right here.”
“Well, I’m glad I’m living up to your standards.”
Sam perched atop her suitcase dreamily. “In love, huh? I’d shove you again, but I’m all warm and fuzzy.”
Brooklyn nodded. “In love.” What excited her was that she only grew more and more sure of that fact as the minutes unfolded. It was like saying those words out loud three nights prior had punched this tiny little hole in the universe that only seemed to grow bigger and bigger as time went on until it was something she couldn’t look away from anymore. And you know what? She didn’t want to look away anymore.
“And where has this newfound courage come from?”
“That’s what I was trying to tell you before you went all linebacker on me.” Brooklyn shook her head slowly as she reflected. “Sometimes you gotta go through the brain freeze to get to the ice cream. That was the first piece of parental advice I’ve ever received, and I think it’d be wrong not to take it.”
“Ice cream is pretty great. You come from wise people.”
“I guess I do.”
Sam checked her watch. “As much as I’d like to stay here and celebrate all of this awesomeness with you, I suppose I need to catch a cab before I miss my very lonely train home. Who’s going to check my crosswords for accuracy?”
Brooklyn smiled and took a step toward her. “The really attractive woman you’re going to find a way to sit next to. Plus, you won’t be lonely for long. All of Maine is waiting in anticipation.”
Sam’s eyes lit up and she made a circular gesture. “I like the sound of that. All of it.”
Brooklyn held up one finger. “And I have a better idea, because who needs to pay cab fare? I’ll drive you to the station.”
Sam hurled her a look of terror, and Brooklyn grinned back wickedly. Christmas was starting to shape up. Now if she could just make the next part of this work in her favor. As she drove Sam to the train station, her heart kicked noticeably in her chest.
She just hoped she wasn’t too late.
*
Why did all Christmas romances have to end happily? Jessica closed the overly sweet novella she’d just concluded. While heartwarming and okay, a little tingly, that kind of perfect romance was an unobtainable ideal and made people expect that kind of thing out of real life. And it wasn’t realistic. Not everything ended with a nice little bow tied around it.
She could attest to that.
As Judy Garland advised her to have herself a merry little Christmas, she poured herself a cup of cider and took stock. The year behind her had been full of ups and downs, but regardless of the brutal couple of weeks, she wouldn’t trade it. Brooklyn, and Ashton, and even the derisive Tina had taught her some very important life lessons that she wouldn’t soon forget. She knew what life was capable of offering her, and she would remember that as she moved forward.
The bell rang and Jessica checked her watch. Right on time. Every year on Christmas Eve, Patrick delivered a gift basket from the building to each of the tenants, complete with wine, cheese, fruit, and snacks. It was actually a nice touch. She grabbed the Christmas card she had for him containing a generous monetary thank-you for his service and swung open the door with a smile.
Except it wasn’t Patrick.
Brooklyn stared back at her, wide-eyed and shifting from one foot to the other. At the sight, her heart sped up. “Um, hi,” Jessica managed to say and glanced into the hallway, trying to piece together the turn of events.
Brooklyn took a deep breath. “I’ll probably forget to make the bed.”
Jessica attempted to understand the context and tilted her head curiously. “Okay.”
“And I’m not playing that shoot-’em-up game you like. I’m not that into video games.”
“You’re not?”
“No.”
Jessica nodded as she began to understand.
“I can be annoyingly spontaneous, but I try to make up for it with thoughtful gestures.”
Jessica felt the inklings of a smile tugging.
“I suck at organization.”
“You do. But I’m a great organizer.”
“I drive like a crazy person, but I’ll work on being more conservative.”
Jessica laughed out loud through the tears that were now fully present in her eyes. “No, you won’t.”
“No, I won’t. But I’ll try to consider my passengers more.”
“That’s good,” she murmured, settling decidedly on the eyes that had dominated her conscious thought for the weeks she’d gone without them.
“But despite the fact that my clothes might reside on the floor more often than you’d like them to, I promise that if you’ll let me, I will love you with everything I have. Because I do, Jess. I love you. I’m saying it all on my own this time because it’s the most important thing there ever was for me.”
The silence that seemed to hang in the air forever had Brooklyn’s heart beating out of her chest, her knees wobbling, and her palms itching. She’d just laid it all out there, and she was waiting for some sort of reply. And while Jessica hadn’t slammed the door in her face and had even smiled at the admissions she’d laid out, she still hadn’t said what Brooklyn needed so desperately to hear.
Jessica leaned against the side of the door in contemplation and finally weighed in. “But will there be kissing?”
The sentence alone made her body warm. Brooklyn flashed a smile infused with the relief she felt all over. She stepped into Jessica’s space and cradled her ridiculously good-looking face in her hands. “Oh, a lot of kissing, I’m afraid. Way more than what others consider normal. I need to be honest about that up front.”
Jessica gently brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “I think I could get behind those terms,” she said quietly.
“Best news ever. Maybe we should start now.”
“Yeah?”
Brooklyn angled her head and sank into the kiss that would start it all, their life together, the promise of more to come. Everything. When she pulled back from the kiss, there were tears on Jessica’s cheeks, and she took her time wiping away each one.
“I love you,” Jessica whispered.
“I love that sentence. Never stop saying it.”
“Excuse me,” a voice said from just behind them. They turned to see Patrick staring back at them like a deer in headlights. “I’ll just leave this here,” he said, placing the gift basket on the floor a few feet away.
“I think it’s going to be a very Merry Christmas, don’t you, Patrick?” Jessica handed him her Christmas card, and he smiled genuinely this time.
“I certainly do, Ms. Lennox. As you were.”
Snuggled up on the couch with wine and cheese and a roaring fireplace, she and Jessica talked for hours, catching up on the time they’d lost. In the wee hours of the morning, she led Jessica by the hand to her bedroom, where she undressed her one piece of clothing at a time before lowering her to the satin sheets and joining her there moments later. As their bodies connected, skin on skin, Brooklyn closed her eyes and sighed at the sensation.
“Christ,” Jessica murmured against her neck.
“God, I’ve missed you. This.”
And as they began to savor, to explore, and to luxuriate in each other, Brooklyn tumbled to a place she’d never been. It was warm and wonderful there. It was a place she felt safe and loved. That’s when she understood. She had found what she’d been seeking her whole life, and it was better than she’d ever imagined it could be.
She was, at long last, home.
Epilogue
“Five minutes to midnight,” Cat called out to the group.
Brooklyn accepted a fr
esh glass of champagne from her father. “Thanks, Aaron.”
“My pleasure.”
The invitation to spend New Year’s Eve in Avon had been a nice one, and the town certainly went all out, celebrating together in the ballroom of a historic hotel in the center of town. The room looked magnificent, with round-looking ornaments reminiscent of champagne bubbles floating to the top of a glass hanging crisply from the ceilings. Brightly colored centerpieces decorated the tabletops, with lemons and silver balls interspersed in a creative jumble. A live orchestra underscored the party, which had consisted of dinner and dancing in a place where everyone seemed to know everyone. Cynthia had stayed close to her side, making sure she felt comfortable but also taking pride in introducing her to friends and neighbors.
While she wasn’t entirely at ease just yet, this was a definite beginning of sorts. And that mattered. She wanted a relationship with her family, and they seemed to feel the same way.
Over time, they’d get there.
“Four minutes,” Cat yelled over the swell of the music.
Ethan had his arm around his girlfriend but inclined his head to Brooklyn. “While my first dance of the New Year is booked, I’m hoping you’ll do me the honor of being my second.”
Brooklyn smiled. “The honor will be mine.”
Cat scoffed and pointed to herself in an obvious fashion.
“Relax,” Ethan said. “You, little sister, can be twenty-seventh.”
Brooklyn laughed. “Excuse me, guys. There’s someone I need to snag before midnight.”
The hand on the small of her back brought a smile to Jessica’s lips. She wrapped up the conversation she was having with one of Aaron’s coworkers and turned to Brooklyn happily. “It’s almost midnight.”
“That’s right, Cinderella.”
“You ever going to explain that one?”
“Someday. For now, I just want to stare into your eyes and envision the incoming year stretched out in front of us. I think I want to take up race-car driving. What do you think?”
Jessica laughed. “Dangerous. But maybe if you wore a cute little helmet.”
“I would. And black leather. Think that through before you say no.”
The comment sent Jessica’s mind to new places.
Brooklyn laughed. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of you looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you want to have your way with me.”
“I did that just a few hours ago.”
“Don’t distract me with steamy memories.”
But Jessica loved the twinkle in her eye at the reminder. “Sorry. Back on track. I don’t know how the incoming year can beat the last. Mysterious identities, corporate espionage, ambulances, break-ups.”
Brooklyn held up a finger. “Sexy kissing, covered bridges, elevators, falling desperately in love with one another.”
She looked skyward at the mentions. “Ohhh. I think I love your version.”
“And I love you.
The crowd began to chant. “Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four…”
But Jessica didn’t wait. She captured Brooklyn’s lips in advance of the New Year and kissed her right into it. As partygoers broke into “Auld Lang Syne” all around them, Jessica smiled and took in the scene. This was what life was supposed to feel like. “I still can’t believe you’re mine,” Jessica marveled to Brooklyn.
“Get used to it,” Brooklyn whispered into her ear.
As they joined her family outside for the fireworks over the lake, Brooklyn’s heart had never been so full. They stood together as the blues, reds, and greens burst forth in the sky. She squeezed Cat’s hand and relaxed against Jessica’s arm, wrapped snugly around her. A year ago, she’d never have imagined that she’d be where she was now. She had three of the best friends on the planet, the love of her life at her side, and the family she’d never known opening their hearts to her. Though it had taken a long time to get here, she really was very lucky.
Life had endless possibilities, she realized.
And she couldn’t wait to explore them.
About the Author
Melissa Brayden is currently at work on her master of fine arts in directing in San Antonio, Texas, and enjoying the ride. She is a three-time Goldie Award winner for her books Waiting in the Wings and Heart Block.
Melissa is married and working really hard at remembering to do the dishes. For personal enjoyment, she spends time with her Jack Russell terriers and checks out the NYC theater scene several times a year. She considers herself a reluctant patron of the treadmill, but enjoys hitting a tennis ball around in nice weather. Coffee is her very best friend. www.melissabrayden.com
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
Kiss The Girl by Melissa Brayden. Sleeping with the enemy has never been so complicated. Brooklyn Campbell and Jessica Lennox face off in love and advertising in fast-paced New York City. (978-1-62639-071-3)
Taking Fire: A First Responders Novel by Radclyffe. Hunted by extremists and under siege by nature’s most virulent weapons, Navy medic Max de Milles and Red Cross worker Rachel Winslow join forces to survive and discover something far more lasting. (978-1-62639-072-0)
First Tango in Paris by Shelley Thrasher. When French law student Eva Laroche meets American call girl Brigitte Green in 1970s Paris, they have no idea how their pasts and futures will intersect. (978-1-62639-073-7)
The War Within by Yolanda Wallace. Army nurse Meredith Moser went to Vietnam in 1967 looking to help those in need; she didn’t expect to meet the love of her life along the way. (978-1-62639-074-4)
Escapades by MJ Williamz. Two women, afraid to love again, must overcome their fears to find the happiness that awaits them. (978-1-62639-182-6)
Desire at Dawn by Fiona Zedde. For Kylie, love had always come armed with sharp teeth and claws. But with the human, Olivia, she bares her vampire heart for the very first time, sharing passion, lust, and a tenderness she’d never dared dream of before. (978-1-62639-064-5)
Visions by Larkin Rose. Sometimes the mysteries of love reveal themselves when you least expect it. Other times they hide behind a black satin mask. Can Paige unveil her masked stranger this time? (978-1-62639-065-2)
All In by Nell Stark. Internet poker champion Annie Navarro loses everything when the Feds shut down online gambling, and she turns to experienced casino host Vesper Blake for advice—but can Nova convince Vesper to take a gamble on romance? (978-1-62639-066-9)
Vermilion Justice by Sheri Lewis Wohl. What’s a vampire to do when Dracula is no longer just a character in a novel? (978-1-62639-067-6)
Switchblade by Carsen Taite. Lines were meant to be crossed. Third in the Luca Bennett Bounty Hunter Series. (978-1-62639-058-4)
Nightingale by Andrea Bramhall. Culture, faith, and duty conspire to tear two young lovers apart, yet fate seems to have different plans for them both. (978-1-62639-059-1)
No Boundaries by Donna K. Ford. A chance meeting and a nightmare from the past threaten more than Andi Massey’s solitude as she and Gwen Palmer struggle to understand the complexity of love without boundaries. (978-1-62639-060-7)
Timeless by Rachel Spangler. When Stevie Geller returns to her hometown, will she do things differently the second time around or will she be in such a hurry to leave her past that she misses out on a better future? (978-1-62639-050-8)
Second to None by L.T. Marie. Can a physical therapist and a custom motorcycle designer conquer their pasts and build a future with one another? (978-1-62639-051-5)
Seneca Falls by Jesse Thoma. Together, two women discover love truly can conquer all evil. (978-1-62639-052-2)
A Kingdom Lost by Barbara Ann Wright. Without knowing each other’s fates, Princess Katya and her consort Starbride seek to reclaim their kingdom from the magic-wielding madman who seized the throne and is murdering their people. (978-1-62639-053-9)
Season of the Wolf by Robin Summers. Two women running from their pasts are thrust together by an uni
maginable evil. Can they overcome the horrors that haunt them in time to save each other? (978-1-62639-043-0)
The Heat of Angels by Lisa Girolami. Fires burn in more than one place in Los Angeles. (978-1-62639-042-3)
Desperate Measures by P. J. Trebelhorn. Homicide detective Kay Griffith and contractor Brenda Jansen meet amidst turmoil neither of them is aware of until murder suspect Tommy Rayne makes his move to exact revenge on Kay. (978-1-62639-044-7)
The Magic Hunt by L.L. Raand. With her Pack being hunted by human extremists and beset by enemies masquerading as friends, can Sylvan protect them and her mate, or will she succumb to the feral rage that threatens to turn her rogue, destroying them all? A Midnight Hunters novel. (978-1-62639-045-4)
Wingspan by Karis Walsh. Wildlife biologist Bailey Chase is content to live at the wild bird sanctuary she has created on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula until she is lured beyond the safety of isolation by architect Kendall Pearson. (978-1-60282-983-1)
Windigo Thrall by Cate Culpepper. Six women trapped in a mountain cabin by a blizzard, stalked by an ancient cannibal demon bent on stealing their sanity—and their lives. (978-1-60282-950-3)
The Blush Factor by Gun Brooke. Ice-cold business tycoon Eleanor Ashcroft only cares about the three Ps—Power, Profit, and Prosperity—until young Addison Garr makes her doubt both that and the state of her frostbitten heart. (978-1-60282-985-5)
Slash and Burn by Valerie Bronwen. The murder of a roundly despised author at an LGBT writers’ conference in New Orleans turns Winter Lovelace’s relaxing weekend hobnobbing with her peers into a nightmare of suspense—especially when her ex turns up. (978-1-60282-986-2)
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