She stood on her toes to give me a quick kiss. But as I watched Marissa walk away, an uneasy feeling settled over me. And it wasn’t the first time I’d had it tonight.
I couldn’t really explain it, but it was like realizing the ground beneath me was actually just a thin layer of ice, waiting for something to come along and crack it, swallowing up everything I’d thought I could count on.
It was unsettling. But with all the trouble my friends seemed to be facing, I felt foolish feeling so secure in my own relationship. I’m sure Lucas and Grant had felt the same way.
Things between Lucas and Casey seemed to be much improved since Marissa freed them from the grip of her mistletoe mischief. But still, at some point, two of my best friends had been blindsided tonight and almost lost their other halves.
The jury was still out on whether Marissa’s meddling could work a miracle on Grant and Alex, but I certainly hoped so. I didn’t want to see any of my friends unhappy.
I looked back at the stage, where Marissa had managed to drag Chris and Nicole. Chris looked pretty content, considering Chelsea had joined them and was holding his hand while they sang Rocking Around the Christmas Tree. Nicole didn’t look as enthusiastic, but at least Marissa had pulled her away from staring into her phone and obsessively worrying about Ian for the moment.
All in all, it looked like they were having a good time up there. The crowd at Champs certainly was enjoying them. So was I. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from Marissa. The girl was born to be on stage. She just had this inner glow that came out whenever she was performing. It was like she had her own portable spotlight. Then again, I pretty much thought she was the center of the universe. My universe anyway.
I was head over heels for the girl.
Was I making a mistake waiting to propose?
I knew she was the one. I’d bought an engagement ring my first week of college. Making the commitment wasn’t the problem. I had no doubt she was the girl I wanted to build a life with. I was just waiting for the perfect moment to pop the question, because Marissa deserved something special. Plus, I had to top my epic ‘will you be my girlfriend’ performance at the Mason Jar Hart concert, which wouldn’t be easy.
But maybe that was a mistake. Maybe the message here tonight was that I should stop waiting for the perfect moment and just take the moments I was given. I certainly didn’t want to let life get in the way and take a girl like Marissa for granted.
The song ended and I applauded with the rest of the crowd. Tyler jumped on stage to thank Marissa and everyone for the song and to encourage more people to sign up before announcing the next singer.
One of the high school girls who’d asked me for a selfie took the stage and grabbed the mic like she was a seasoned pro. “Hi, I’m Lola Ray and this is my rendition of Santa Baby.”
When she turned her back to the audience and slowly shimmied out of her oversized reindeer sweater to reveal an itty-bitty Mrs. Claus costume the crowd went wild.
Marissa giggled at my side. “Now that’s what I call star power.”
I pulled her into my arms. “She’s got nothing on you.”
“I don’t know,” called a voice I still had nightmares about. “I think she could give you a run for your money, Tex.”
I glared at Lexy as she sidled up next to us, with Tyler on her arm. She gave a fake yawn just so she could flash her diamond ring at us again as she covered her treacherous mouth.
I was not in the mood for her snide comments and about to tell her where she could shove that ring when Marissa took my hand, instantly soothing my temper.
“Nothing makes me happier than seeing more Northwood students pursue their passion for the arts,” Marissa said.
Her words made my chest swell because I knew she meant them. She truly was an incredible woman. I’d never met someone so supportive and kind and selfless. She liked helping people and would do anything for her friends. And now, looking at her standing next to Lexy, I had no idea on earth how I’d ever thought I could belong with anyone but Marissa Munns.
“Please,” Lexy scoffed. “No one enjoys seeing the competition, especially when they’re the younger, more talented versions of who we used to be.”
I laughed, wanting to tell Lexy to speak for herself; not all of us peaked in high school. But Marissa beat me to it, saying it with a Texas class only she could manage. “There’s room for all of us on this stage we call life. Besides, I’m pretty sure we’ve still got some snap left in our garters,” she added with a wink as she wrapped an arm around me.
Lexy gave Marissa a fake smile that came off like a sneer. “Well, aren’t you just little Miss Perfect?”
And that was the moment it hit me. “Yeah,” I said, my heart pounding like I’d just lassoed a lightning bolt. “She is perfect.” And with that, I jumped on stage, knowing exactly what I had to do.
Marissa
“What in the world?” I watched Archer jump onto the stage in complete bewilderment.
We weren’t supposed to go on yet.
I wasn’t sure how he could’ve gotten confused considering there was already someone on stage belting out a Christmas song. But there he was, picking up the other mic like he was about to join the sassy little high schooler for a duet.
Archer was a talented musician, but the spotlight wasn’t his thing.
Unless . . . was he truly that desperate to get away from Lexy?
I couldn’t blame him. Her reign of terror had scarred us both in high school. But I was a firm believer in karma. And it’s not like I was worried that Archer still had feelings for the high heel wearing hell-beast.
I was sure he was completely over Lexy Bale. But still, sometimes spending time with an evil ex took more guts than you could hang on a fence. Even for a stud-muffin like Archer Montgomery.
He was no coward. Anyone who’d watched him play football knew that. But Lexy just had this way of pushing buttons. If it was a sport, she’d certainly be a gold medalist. Her mean girl pranks were probably still whispered about in the halls of Northwood High.
I didn’t know what I’d expected. She’d always been a monster to me and my friends when we were in high school. I guess I’d hoped college might’ve helped her outgrow that phase. But I guess a mean girl can’t change her shade of lipstick so easily.
The sound of Archer’s voice pulled my attention away from all thoughts of Lexy.
“Uh, hi. I’m Archer Montgomery.” A loud cheer rose up from the audience of Northwood High students and alumni that filled Champs.
Archer didn’t need an introduction, but the fact that he was the kind of guy who didn’t know that made people love him even more.
I watched his cheeks flush as he turned to the girl on stage, who’d stopped singing. “Sorry for the interruption,” he said, “but this will just take a second.”
Seemingly starstruck she nodded and moved off stage to where her friends stood.
Archer faced the crowd once more, seeking me out. I had no idea what he was up to, but that didn’t stop me from blowing him a kiss and giving him a nod of encouragement. It must’ve been the right move because Archer gave me one of those rare smiles that lit up his whole face. The kind that made my heart skip a beat and my breath catch.
My stars, I was one lucky girl.
Sometimes I couldn’t believe this boy was all mine.
“Marissa, would you come up here for a moment?” Archer asked, and when he extended his hand to me, I had that same heart-skipping, breath-catching moment all over again as I gladly took his hand.
“What are you up to?” I whispered as I let him pull me on stage.
He winked. “I’m righting a wrong.”
His reply had been so soft, I was sure only I could hear it, but the implication was loud and clear. For the first time in my life, stage fright gripped me. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t do anything but look into Archer’s big blue eyes and remind myself to breathe.
Was this really happening? Was
he doing what I thought he was doing?
I blinked trying to clear my vision as my eyes began swimming with tears. I wanted to wipe them away because if this was happening, I didn’t want to miss a moment of it. But I still couldn’t move. I stood frozen to the stage, thankful my body seemed to have shifted to autopilot.
I started to feel lightheaded and suddenly my elf hat felt much too warm under the spotlights, but that didn’t stop Archer. His grin only grew as he stepped closer, his hand beginning to tremble where it held mine.
He tightened his other hand around the mic and spoke into it, his voice as unsteady as my heart. “This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time now, and I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment. But tonight, I was reminded that as long as you’re with the one you love, every moment’s perfect. So, I hope that you don’t mind I’m doing this here, babe, but it feels oddly appropriate considering it’s where we had our first date.” He smirked. “And once again it seems I’m hijacking a stage to ask you something important.”
Archer got down on one knee and a collective gasp rippled through Champs.
The place was so quiet you could probably hear the snow falling outside. But all I heard was the thundering of my pulse in my ears as Archer set the mic down and pulled a tiny velvet box from his pocket.
“Marissa Munns, I’ve been waiting my whole life to figure out where I belonged. The moment I met you, it felt like coming home after being lost for a lifetime. And now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to wait anymore. Will you make me the luckiest guy in the world and marry me?”
“Yes!” The word came out of my mouth as easily as breathing. Maybe even easier since I wasn’t even sure I’d remembered to take a breath the entire time Archer was proposing.
I was so dizzy it was a relief when Archer pulled me into his arms.
I felt like I was floating and not just because he’d swept me off my feet. Everything just felt so surreal. I knew I was on stage at Champs, the crowd cheering and hollering their congratulations, but it all felt like a dream.
I’d imagined this moment so many times and now that it was here . . . it was nothing like I’d expected. It was so much better!
I don’t know why I was surprised. Everything Archer did blew me away.
He set me gently on my feet and wiped away my tears before kissing me softly. His voice was soft, nervous even, as he held the ring up. “May I?” he asked.
I nodded, completely baffled that I’d been so excited to say yes that I’d forgot about the ring.
Archer slipped it onto my ring finger, grinning when he saw that it fit. “I know it’s not much but once I get drafted—”
I protectively pulled the ring to my chest. “Archer Montgomery, this ring is perfect. Don’t you dare think about changing it.”
His shy smirk melted my heart. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. As long as I have you by my side, that’s all I’ll ever need.”
He pulled me into his arms again, dipping me dramatically to everyone’s delight. His lips were a breath away from mine, and he was smiling like he was about to let me in on a secret.
“What?” I asked, grinning up at him.
“I can’t believe I get my very own angel.”
“Try elf,” I teased, jingling my hat.
“Whatever you are, I’m just glad you’re all mine.” He slid a hand along my jaw, his eyes darkening with desire so strong my knees went weak. “I can’t wait to marry you, Ris.”
“Me too,” I whispered before his lips collided with mine, making the crowd roar even louder.
From the sound of their cheering you’d think we were at one of Archer’s football games. But I was glad that we were at Champs. All our friends were here, and this place held so many great memories for us. After all, this was where it all started. Just a couple of tomboys crushing on guys we thought were out of our league.
My heart swelled with love as I thanked my lucky stars that I’d never given up on following my dreams and going after what I wanted. Without that conviction, I might have missed out on this incredible guy who held my heart like it was the most precious gift.
I may have dreamed of this moment a million times, but I never could’ve imagined anything more perfect than this.
I wound my arms tighter around Archer’s neck, beyond delighted to know I’d never truly have to let go. He was mine now, officially—forever and always.
Chapter Seventeen
Casey
“What’s going on?” Lucas asked, walking up to me with a look of confusion on his face when he saw Archer and Marissa making out on stage to a roaring crowd. Before I could answer him, Alex and Grant came strolling out from the hallway Lucas had just emerged from. They were grinning like fools and holding hands.
My eyebrows rose in question and Lucas smirked. “Mistletoe strikes again.”
I couldn’t contain my smile. “It worked?”
Lucas nodded. “Marissa may be a meddling elf, but I’m starting to believe in her mistletoe magic.”
“So everything’s good with Grant and Alex?”
Lucas looked back over his shoulder to where our friends stood. Alex had her back pressed into Grant’s chest. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, his head bent to her ear. Alex’s cheeks flushed as she smiled at whatever he was saying. “You tell me,” Lucas said.
I grinned and threw my arms around him, standing on my toes to reach his lips. “I’m beginning to believe in Marissa’s mistletoe magic, too.”
“Oh yeah?”
“How could I not? Everything’s right with the world.”
Again, Lucas glanced up at the stage. “Did they just win Christmas Carol-oke, or something?”
“Better,” I said. “They just got engaged!”
“What? And I missed it?”
“You really do have the worst timing,” I teased.
Lucas narrowed his eyes, but then grabbed my ribs, going right for my ticklish spot. I was squirming with laughter as he wrapped his arms around me, peppering me with kisses as I purposely did the worst job ever trying to escape his grasp.
We finally stopped goofing around when Archer and Marissa managed to make their way off the stage and over to us.
“Congrats!” I squealed, wrapping her in a big hug.
“Yeah, man,” Lucas added. “That’s incredible news. I can’t believe I missed it.”
“You missed it?” Marissa asked. “Where were you?”
“Letting us out,” Alex said, joining the group.
Marissa’s bright smile dimmed. “Sorry,” she said, sheepishly looking between Alex and Grant. “I was just trying to get you guys to talk.”
“Well, we did,” Grant said.
“And?” Archer asked.
Alex and Grant shared another of their secret looks. “And it looks like we both have weddings to plan,” Alex finally said.
“Ah! I knew it would work!” Marissa exclaimed, throwing her arms around Alex and Grant, who were both laughing.
“Well,” Grant said, after Alex gave him a nod, “since we’re on the subject of weddings. What are you guys doing on New Year’s Eve?”
Our little group practically exploded with joy when Alex and Grant filled us in on their new plan, which included a New Year’s Eve wedding, since Grant would be attending MLB training camp on their original wedding date.
It was hard to keep the smile off my face as I listened to Alex and Grant gush excitedly about wedding plans, while Marissa and Archer practically glowed as bright as the Christmas lights overhead in their own engagement bliss. And with Lucas’s arms securely wrapped around me, everything felt perfect.
Well, almost everything.
Poor Nicole was still waiting for her Christmas miracle.
I could tell she was trying her best to hide her worries. I knew she was happy for our friends, but it was obvious her heart was still a million miles away, with Ian—wherever that was.
I wanted to talk to her, offer some w
ords of wisdom to make her feel better, but I didn’t know what to say. Today had started out as one of the worst days ever, but against all odds Lucas and I had turned things around.
Well, I guess Marissa and her mistletoe really got the credit . . .
But I had a feeling in Nicole’s case, it wouldn’t be so easy. This was one time mistletoe couldn’t come to the rescue.
Marissa’s plan had been brilliant in helping me and Lucas, and Alex and Grant. But without Ian here to lock Nicole in the supply closet with, it seemed we were one miracle short.
After Marissa and Archer’s crowd of well-wishers finally dissipated, we settled down at our table again with the promise of champagne on the house from Tyler. But Nicole stayed behind, lingering by the windows.
My heart broke for her. I couldn’t imagine what she was going through. I would be a mess if I were in her shoes.
I looked at Lucas, beyond grateful that he was once again a constant at my side. I squeezed his hand and he gave me a wink that made my heart skip a beat.
Everyone deserved this kind of happiness. Especially on Christmas Eve.
I was about to slide out of the booth to go cheer up Nicole when Chris intercepted me.
With a gentle hand on my shoulder he said, “Let me.”
Nicole
“Wow, what a night,” Chris said, as he joined me by the windows.
I nodded, not taking my eyes off the thick blanket of snow that had taken over the parking lot. It had accumulated quickly, erasing the footprints and deserted parking spaces of the partygoers who’d made it out before the roads got too bad.
I’d always liked that about snow . . . the way it could erase things and make everything look brand new. But tonight, I didn’t like it one bit. It left me with an eerie feeling I couldn’t shake.
Chris turned his attention to the snow as well. “It’s really coming down out there.”
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