by Frankie Love
“I never stopped loving you, Gabriella. Not one day passed where I didn’t think of you, wonder what you were doing, if you were happy.”
I shake my head, wanting to tell him that I wasn’t. I faked it plenty, but I wasn’t happy from the moment I walked away from him.
He drops lower, sweeping his tongue into my mouth, and I moan when I taste myself on him.
“Sweet, right? Totally worth the wait.”
“Spencer, I need you.”
He pushes from me and stands at the end of the bed so he can drop his boxers.
My lips part as I take him in, all of him. He’s… magnificent.
“I think I’ve really been missing out.”
“I think you might be right. Good thing is though, we’ve got all the time in the world to make up for it now.”
A smile twitches at my lips as I think about spending the rest of our lives making up for lost time.
“I can’t wait.”
“That’s good, because we’re starting now.”
Before I realize he’s moved, he’s between my thighs, as the head of his cock teases my wetness.
“Are you on birth control?” he asks, dragging me from my lust-filled haze.
“Um… no, but I’ve got—”
He shakes his head. “Nah. I’m not wasting any more time. It’s me and you, little mouse. Nothing comes between us ever again.”
“But what if…” I trail off, thinking of my teenage dreams for the future and immediately realize that I have no argument.
He must sense where my thoughts are at because he quirks a brow.
“Nothing between us. Ever,” I repeat.
“Fuck, yes.”
He takes himself in hand and guides his cock to my entrance.
My body locks up as he teases me, pushing inside ever so slightly.
“Gabriella?” he asks, concern flashing across his face for a beat.
“I’m… um… I haven’t…” I stutter, not wanting to admit the truth.
“You’re a virgin?”
I nod, embarrassment flooding me.
“Could you be any more perfect, little mouse? I’m going to take care of you. You can trust me.”
“I know,” I whisper, barely able to talk around the lump in my throat.
“Tell me if it’s too much and we can stop.”
I nod, but I don’t care how much this hurts, this is happening. We’re finally going all the way, and as man and wife.
I shake my head, my thoughts too much to process and he immediately stops.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, don’t stop.”
Lowering himself, he captures my lips with his as he pushes inside me slowly.
He’s so gentle, so thoughtful. I can tell by the tension in his muscles that he really needs to let go and take when he’s craving but as ever, my happiness is his biggest concern.
He comes to a barrier within me and his eyes meet mine.
“Ready?”
“More than you could know.”
He smiles before apologizing quietly and surging forward.
I cry out as the pain shoots out from my core.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he whispers, kissing across my jaw and down my neck.
He distracts me from it the best way he can and after a minute or two, the pain begins to subside.
“I-it’s okay.”
“Yeah?”
I nod.
“I’m going to make you feel so good, wife.”
A wide smile breaks out across my face.
“I should hope so, husband.”
“Fuck,” he grunts, slamming his lips down on mine and rocking his hips, sparking off a whole new set of sensations within me.
“Oh god, Spencer,” I moan, my back arching as he pulls out of me slowly before sliding straight back in.
“So good, little mouse. So fucking perfect.”
His slow, languid strokes continue as he kisses me and explores my body with his hands. When it almost gets too much to take, he presses his thumb against my clit and that along with what he’s doing inside me sends me crashing into a mind-numbing release that at the time I feel like is never going to end, but sadly before long, it does. Although, it gets better because only seconds later, Spencer follows me, and I get to watch as he’s consumed by pleasure. His eyes hold mine, everything he feels for me shining bright as every muscle in his body pulls tight. A growl of pleasure rumbles up his throat before his cock twitches violently inside me.
Thoughts of our future hit me, and I wonder if we’ve just changed everything once again. All I do is smile because right here, right now, this is all I’ve ever wanted. And I’ve got it.
Chapter Nine
Spencer
I fall down beside Gabriella and immediately pull her into my arms, crushing our bodies and our lips together.
I’ve waited so long for that, and it certainly did not disappoint. She’s everything and more than I ever could have imagined.
“I love you,” I whisper against her lips.
“I love you too.”
We make out like we’re seventeen again for the longest time and I can easily say that it’s one of the happiest moments of my life.
“What do your parents think about all this?” she asks when we break apart for some air. “They know, right?”
I chuckle, thinking of Mom and her crazy plan.
“Believe it or not, the whole thing was organized by my mom. You’re not the only bride arriving for a Mistletoe in the coming weeks.”
“What?” she asks, her brows drawing together. I get it, I looked the same when Mom laid out her hair-brained plan to us all those weeks ago.
I tell her all about Mom’s plans to save Snow Valley from the Titan Corporation and how she ordered six brides, one for each of us so we can all be married and fulfill the requirements to purchase our beloved town.
“That’s insane. I always knew your mom was a little crazy but… wow,” she says with a wide smile on her face.
I remember all too well how close she and Mom were. Having only had boys, she loved having Gabriella around our house so often.
“I can’t imagine your brothers were fully on board with that plan.”
“Some took more convincing than others,” I say, thinking back to the conversations that ensued after Mom’s shocking announcement.
“And what about you? What were your thoughts?”
I rub at my jaw as I think back. “I wasn’t overly thrilled but then my life hasn’t exactly been totally fulfilling, so I thought why not.”
“Fair enough.”
“What about you, why did you sign up? City life not what you were expecting?”
She lets out a long sigh, a sad expression covering her face. “You know I didn’t want to go. I’m not a city girl. I wanted to be here with the mountains and the peace and quiet. I hated New York before we even left this place.
“Dad had secured us this incredible penthouse apartment. It was insane and totally over the top. I knew he’d had an impressive promotion, but it was just… too much, too fake.
“And I was right. Not two months after we moved, it turned out that his main reason for going was because he had another woman.”
“Shit,” I gasp, not seeing that coming.
“He left, shacked up with her, and basically abandoned us. He made sure we had enough money to do whatever we wanted. He paid for college and for endless spa days and champagne for Mom. But it was all just… ugh. I hated it. He hurt me so badly by walking away like he did.”
“That’s why you tensed up when I called you Gabby? He used to call you that?”
She nods. “I couldn’t keep being that girl. Hearing it just reminded me of you and leaving you behind, and then of the pain of his betrayal. It was all just too much. I had to do something, so I just pretended to be someone else. It didn’t really help. The pain was still there.”
I pull her tighter into my body, needing her to know that all o
f that is over now.
“Mom was pushing for me to try for jobs at big publishing houses thinking that I could get an internship and join the rest of the city with daily commutes and endless hours in office blocks but—”
“You still want to be a writer?” I guess, remembering her parents telling her that it wasn’t a viable career choice when we were teenagers and that she’d need a ‘real’ job.
“Yep. I was miserable. I’d made no friends, I’d connected with no one. My only person was Mom and I mostly hated what came out of her mouth. I had a job at a diner and I overheard a conversation about someone who’d been a mail-order bride and was able to change her shitty life.
“I did a spur of the moment application to Holly’s company after seeing the advertising for upcoming Christmas weddings and feeling nostalgic. I didn’t expect to hear anything, even less that she’d call and say she’d found me a match here of all places. I couldn’t refuse her offer and here I am exactly where I should have been all along.”
“I’m sorry you had such a hard time of it there.”
She shrugs. “It was what it was. It made me appreciate this place so much more. I thought of you every day. I almost called you, wrote to you, but then I’d remember how things were left and I’d convince myself that you hated me and never wanted to hear from me again, so I always chickened out. I should have been braver.”
“And I should never have said those things. I was angry. I should have reached out too, but I was so lost.”
“So what have you been doing?” she asks, trying to change up the conversation a little.
“I took over Mistletoe and Sons from my grandad as I’d always planned after finishing school and I’ve mostly kept myself busy with work.”
She bites down on her bottom lip and looks away from me. I can read her like a book and I know she’s desperate to ask so many questions right now.
“Spit it out, little mouse.”
“What about girls? Was there ever anyone?”
“No one serious. I compared them all to you and they were never going to measure up.” A small smile appears on her lips.
“But you’ve been with…”
“Yeah. Although I wish I hadn’t.”
“No, you did the right thing. You should have lived your life. I feel like I’ve just hit pause on mine. Aside from a college degree, I’ve got nothing to show for the past five years.”
“Fuck it,” I say a little more forcefully than I was expecting. Her eyes widen at my outburst. “Fuck the last five years, we’ll just write it off as nothing. Our lives are continuing right here, right now.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. And I’m going to start it the right way.” I roll her on to her back and settle myself between her legs. “You always wanted a family in this house, right?”
She nods shyly.
“Well then, we need to get in plenty of practice.”
“I love you, Spencer,” she whispers, reaching out for me.
“I love you too, my little mouse. I always have.”
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About the Author
Tracy Lorraine is a new adult and contemporary romance author. Tracy has just turned thirty and lives in a cute Cotswold village in England with her husband, baby girl and lovable but slightly crazy dog. Having always been a bookaholic with her head stuck in her Kindle, Tracy decided to try her hand at a story idea she dreamt up and hasn’t looked back since.
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Epilogue
Joy Mistletoe
New Year’s Eve
Being married to Hank all these years means I know a thing or two about falling in love and living happily ever after… but seeing all my sons married, with wives who are committed to being their partners, brings a new level of happiness to my heart.
Hank hands me a glass of champagne, wrapping an arm around my waist. “You did good, Joy,” he tells me. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen our boys so damn happy.”
I smile, looking around our living room. The Christmas tree is still in the corner by the fireplace, twinkly with lights, and there are evergreen garlands wrapped around the mantel. We have framed family photos lined up on it from Christmases past. But I have a feeling a family photo from this year is going to be mounted high, right in the center.
“I can’t believe I have six daughters-in-law,” I say before taking a sip of the bubbly. “And don’t they are all seem so sweet?” I ask. “And perfectly suited for each of the boys.”
Jenna’s playful personally brings out Matt’s more reserved side.
Mia is the perfect match for Mason — her heart is on her sleeve, and she brings out the best in my gruff son.
Catriona is committed, through the good and the bad, and knows Nate will always fight for their love.
Hattie’s a sweetheart who sees the the best in everyone — even Hartley with his sometimes wild ways.
Winter is so full of love and energy, and the only one who can make Christopher come out of his reserved, brooding shell.
And Gabriella is the woman Spencer has needed all his life — and to think they’ve known one another all this time.
Hank takes my hand and pulls me under the mistletoe, giving me a kiss. The six couples clap and hoot and holler at their parents’ display of affection. Matt taps a knife to the side of his champagne flute, getting our attention.
“I’d like to make a toast,” he says. “Today, my five brothers and I signed papers and officially purchased Snow Valley, saving it from the Titan Corporation. And while that is cause for celebration, I think the real hero this Christmas is our mother. To you, Mom, for being crazy enough to believe in your sons finding love in the least likely place.”
“To Mom!” the kids all say, lifting their glasses.
“Stop,” I say, wiping my eyes. “You’re making me cry.”
Jenna laughs. “If that makes you cry, wait until you learn what your boys have been talking about all night.”
“What?” I say, looking around the room at my beautiful family.
“We’re all placing bets,” Hartley says with a smile.
“Bets?” For a moment my heart stops. Surely they wouldn’t bet on how long their marriages might last.
“You’re going to give your mom a panic attack,” Gabriella says. “Don’t worry, Joy, it’s a good bet.”
“Well, nothing could top how I feel right now,” I say, meaning every word.
“I think this bet can,” Mason chuckles.
“Okay, now we’ve got to know,” Hank says, laughing.
“The bet is on who’s going to give you and Mom the first grandkid,” Nate says.
Christopher snorts and pulls Winter into his side. “I started working on that the day Winter arrived. Just hand over your money now, because I’m winning this one.”
The other boys protest and argue good naturedly.
I look around at them, surprised at the announcement, but filled with excitement. Raising my voice to be heard over them.“Well, that is one bet I won’t interfere in,” I say.
The boys laugh, their expression dubious. I suppose it serves me right. This Christmas I made it clear I am pretty dang good at interfering in their lives. But I made them all a promise to let them live their own lives, and figure out their marriages on their own. Hank and I will always be here with a helping hand, but this is their business.
The brides ask me to come over for a girls’ photo, and I offer to take the camera to capture it. “No,” Catriona says. “You’re getting in here with us!”
I never had daughters, but this Christmas I gained six. Han
k’s eyes meet mine, and I give him a teary-eyed smile. He knows how much this means to me. Somehow, all my Christmas wishes came true.
And maybe this time next year there will be a bundle of babies added to the family tree.
