Winter Kisses

by Addison Moore

  Ryder

  The officer dumps us off at the foot of the lawn before heading back into the house.

  “Well, there’s that.” Roxy slaps her hands together as if she’s wiping them clean in a symbolic, we’ve just taken our mother out with the trash, kind of way. “I’ll get my things and take off. I think I’ll make up a plate to go. Baya, Bryson, you in?”

  “We’ll pass.” Baya shoots a dirty look into the party before reverting her attention to me. “Take care of Laney for me, and if I don’t see you guys, merry Christmas.” She pulls us both into a quick embrace, and I knuckle bump Bryson.

  “Will do,” I say. “Roxy,” I call my sister over and give her a hug. “Do what you want. It’s Christmas, and I know Dad is dying to get home to see you.” I press a quick kiss over her cheek. “We’ll get together and exchange gifts some other time.”

  “All right, but I’ll be moving on the twenty-sixth, so maybe sometime later in the week.”

  “Where you going?” I’m mildly alarmed. I can’t stand the thought of my entire family blowing apart and moving to the four corners of the globe, especially not Rox—we’re close and I want to keep it that way.

  “I’m moving in with a friend.” She cuts a quick look to Baya and Bryson. “He’s got an oven, and there’s this big baking competition coming up with ten thousand dollars on the line and an internship at the Sticky Quicky—”

  “He?” I’m stuck on go. Never mind the fact she just said the words Sticky Quicky in the same sentence. “No way.”

  “Relax.” Bryson holds up a hand. “It’s my old roommate. And Baya and I will be right next door. If Roxy so much as whimpers, I’ll be on it.”

  Baya leans in. “Cole is her new roommate. He’s my overprotective big brother. I promise you, she’ll be safe.” Baya wraps her arms around Bryson, and they both grin like a couple of loons.

  That’s all I want is for Laney and me to end this night happy as a couple of loons, so I opt not to fight my sister over the fact she’s using some guy for confectionary purposes. Roxy is plenty beautiful. There’s no doubt in my mind this moron is going to try something. I’m the one who will have to be on it. She can expect more than her fair share of visits from her own overprotective big bro.

  “All right.” I hug Roxy once again and so does Laney. “Good night.”

  Everyone says goodnight, and the girls scream merry Christmas until we’re safely tucked in my car, and I speed us the hell out of there.

  Laney and I finally get to the penthouse, and I make a fire while she sits by the colorful, albeit seizure-inducing tree and admires it.

  I land beside her and pull her beautiful body right into my lap. “It’s midnight. Merry Christmas, baby.” I plant a lingering kiss on her cheek. Technically it’s Christmas Eve, but every day with Laney feels like Christmas.

  “You know what I’m hoping to find in my stocking this year?” She twists into me until we’re facing one another. “The Big N.P. and your face with a smile.” There’s a twinge of sadness in her eyes, and her lips quiver despite her attempt to make me laugh.

  “Done and done.” I land a wet kiss over her trembling lips.

  “My mom invited us to spend Christmas Eve with her and my sister. You think you’ll be up for that?”

  “You kidding? Your mother loves me. I’ll be there with bells on, literally if you want. She still loves me, right?”

  Laney winces while measuring a slim distance between her thumb and forefinger. “But the best part is, she still likes you better than me.” She pushes into me playfully as the smile melts off her face. “I feel selfish doing anything with my mother now.”

  “Don’t.” I try to stop her from going to any dark places. “Everything that happened tonight—it’s over, and so is that part of our lives.”

  She closes her eyes and sighs. “I hate that I ruined your family.”

  “You didn’t ruin anything.”

  “I overreacted.”

  “Not true. If some idiot were trying to manhandle you, I would have done a lot worse. Let’s just say the stroganoff would have went flying. I would have involved dinner, dessert, dishes, and furniture. The entire swat team would have showed. If anything, I think you were a lady about the whole thing.”

  “Please don’t let this kill the relationship with your mother. I feel terrible.”

  “She killed it. You didn’t.” I press a kiss over the top of her head. “I don’t want you to feel bad. Maybe in the future, when she comes to her senses, we’ll work things out, but, for now, I’m through with her. You’re not some wild oat, Laney. You’re the love of my life. You’re the woman I want to spend every last breath with and there’s not another soul on the planet who’s going to get in the way. This is it, you and me. This is real. This is what I want.” I take in a breath because I know where we need to go next, and I don’t want to.

  “Ryder.” She moves her hands over my back and warms me. “You know I love you more than the universe and everything in it. I’d die to be with you. I do owe someone an apology tonight, and it’s you.” She glances down and picks up my hand. “Last year I was driven to the brink of insanity with all that Meg drama. And that night”—her back trembles as she fights the tears—“I couldn’t take it anymore. I felt like you were choosing her. That I would never fully have you—that maybe I wasn’t enough.”

  “You are more than enough.” I pull her in close and bring her lips to mine for a moment. “I swear to you, I wasn’t choosing her. I would never choose anyone over you, and, if I could go back in time, I’d do everything different.” I rock her in my arms. “I’m the one who owes you an apology. Weeks before that night my mother tried everything to undermine our relationship, but I kept making excuses for her. Deep down I didn’t want to believe she was capable, that she would be heartless enough not to care what I wanted—that she’d push off her own desires on me. That night, I held you in my arms until you fell asleep. I got a text from my mother. She said I needed to get to the house right away, that it was an emergency.” My voice cracks because it was the last time I would hold Laney until just a few days ago. “I thought it had something to do with my dad. I just took off without thinking. When I got to the house she said Meg fell down the stairs—that she was fine but asked if I could take her home.”

  “That’s what she wanted—you out of my bed and with Meg.”

  “And that’s when you came.” I drove Meg to her place. “She asked me to help her to bed, and I fell for it. Meg pulled off her dress. I swear I didn’t do it.” That’s when Laney burst through the doors with a fire in her eyes.

  “You had spent so much time rescuing her like some poor, feeble kitten stuck in a tree, I was sick and tired of it. Seeing her like that—naked. Seeing you with her in the same bedroom.” She shakes her head. “That was the last straw. It was all I could take.”

  “I’m sorry. You were right about everything. I swear I’ll never doubt you again.” I press my lips to her hair. “I’ve always wondered, how did you know to come?”

  “I got a text.” Her pale eyes glitter with tears. “Meg said you were taking her to bed.” She presses her lips tight and swallows back the pain. “I could see that your mom was the puppet master, but Meg wanted you, she still does. I know you used to be close. That you went to school together but—”

  “She doesn’t know how to quit and neither does my mother, that’s why I’m quitting them.” I trace out her lips with my finger. “I choose you, Laney. If Meg gets stuck in a tree, she’s going to have to call the fire department like everybody else. I’ll be too busy burying myself in a slice of Heaven.”

  She gives a soft laugh. “I see what you did there.”

  “Yeah?” I land a kiss on her lips and moan. “You know who didn’t see what I did?”

  “The Big N.P.?”

  “Precisely.” A pale flicker catches my attention out the window. “Look at that.”

  “It’s snowing.” She latches onto my arm and gives a squeeze.
“It looks like we get a white Christmas after all. You know what they say, if it snows on Christmas, a miracle can happen.” Laney gives a sad smile as she looks into my eyes. “I really love you, Ryder Capwell. Thank you for loving me back. I hope you never regret our relationship. I’m sorry what it’s costing you.”

  “The only thing I regret is the year I spent without you. I’m in this forever.”

  A smile inches up her cheek. “Forever hardly sounds like enough time to be with you.”

  “You always were the smart one.” I give her ribs a little tickle. “Hey why don’t you look under the tree? I bet Santa left something there for you a little early.”

  She inspects the floor surrounding the twirling evergreen and shakes her head. “Looks like Santa forgot. There’s nothing under there.”

  “Why don’t you try near the top branch? I bet he tossed it up there. He’s always in such a damn hurry.”

  Laney springs up and hikes to the balls of her feet. “Nope.”

  I slip the red velvet box out of my pocket and get on bended knee.

  “That’s because it’s down here.” I smile up at her sheepishly and crack the box open.

  “Ryder!” She cups her hands over her mouth.

  “I hope you don’t mind.” I swallow hard. Laney looks like a princess with the pink and green lights sparkling around her. “I’m actually one year late in giving this to you.” I had it worked out for last Christmas, but things didn’t exactly go as planned. Having her find me falling into another girl’s bed wasn’t on the shortlist of how I wanted to propose. “You don’t have to answer me, Laney. I know it’s only been a few days, and we’ve just straightened the ship, but I can’t help the way I feel. I need you in my life. I’d be more than humbled and honored if you would consider becoming my wife.”

  Laney falls to her knees with tears running down her face, an ear-to-ear smile that’s just for me.

  “Ryder.” She lands a mouthwatering kiss over my lips that lets me know exactly how she feels. “I do want to answer you.” She crashes into me with another quick kiss. “Yes! I want to be your wife. I’ve wanted to marry you for as long as I can remember. I’m not doing this life thing without you.”

  “Thank you.” I touch my palms to her cheeks and kiss her with a tenderness that feels far too restrained for the moment, but I want to savor it, memorize it. “You’re the family I choose. This is it—me and you forever.”

  I take the ring and slip it over her finger. A simple diamond encircled with a series of smaller stones.

  “It’s beautiful.” She holds it out toward the tree and it sparkles like an explosion of miniature shooting stars.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  She crushes her lips over mine and lands us to the floor. We indulge in long, lingering kisses that expand beyond the confines of time, right into eternity.

  Laney pulls back and gazes at me, content and happy. “We’re finally together.”

  “Looks like we got our Christmas miracle.” I wrap my arms around her tight.

  “Looks like we did.” She gives an impish grin. “You think the Big N.P. can come out to play now?”

  “Are you kidding? He’s been dying to get out all night. You know what his favorite game is?”

  “Seven minutes in Heaven?”

  “Yeah, but he cheats. He likes to stay as long as he can.”

  She pulls me to my feet and leads us to the bedroom. “It’s time to get to paradise.”

  I give a gentle tug to her hand and reel her in.

  “Paradise is right here with you.”

  Our lips find one another as we begin the slow meandering dance to the bedroom. We’ve got all night, all year—a lifetime.

  Paradise was with Laney all along.

  And there are no truer words.

  Thank you for reading, Winter Kisses (3:AM Kisses Book 2). If you enjoyed this novella, please consider leaving a review at your point of purchase.

  Look for Sugar Kisses (3:AM Kisses Book 3) Roxy and Cole’s story coming early 2014. Whiskey Kisses (3:AM Kisses Book 4) Holt’s story coming 2014. Books 3 and 4 are full-length novels.

  Winter Kisses is a proud part of the 12 NA’s of Christmas.

  12 Christmas novellas by 12 Bestselling authors.

  For more information please visit their website: http://www.newadult12.com

  Acknowledgments

  To my readers, thank you for your amazing support. I enjoy all of the friendships we’ve made, and I love to respond to you through email, facebook, twitter, or my blog. This ride wouldn’t be half as fun if it weren’t for you.

  To all of the bloggers, the betas, the people who I may or may not have cornered to run my ideas by, thank you for all your time and attention. It is much appreciated!

  A special thank you to Sarra Cannon for including me in your special project, the 12 NA’s of Christmas. I have never had so much fun in a group before. You are a natural born leader, and I commend you for putting the entire effort together.

  To the awesome Christina Kendler you are a word ninja of the highest order. I salute you! To Rachel Tsoumbakos, who always looks twice, and saves me from many an error, thank you! And finally to the amazing Sarah Freese, how can I ever repay you for your awesomeness? Ready for another book?

  Thank you to my kids for doing the dishes. I’m also thankful that each of you has discovered you can do your own laundry and on occasion toss in a few things of mine. I owe you a really nice dinner, your choice. To my husband who still kisses me after all these crazy years. Thank you for that.

  To Him who sits on the throne—each day I smile with peace in my heart because I am forgiven. I owe you everything.

  About the Author

  Addison Moore is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author who writes contemporary and paranormal romance. Her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine. Previously she worked as a therapist on a locked psychiatric unit for nearly a decade. She resides on the West Coast with her husband, four wonderful children, and two dogs where she eats too much chocolate and stays up way too late. When she's not writing, she's reading.

  Feel free to visit her blog at: http://addisonmoorewrites.blogspot.com

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