He’d shaved, which was just plain unfair. And his big body looked long and lean in that slim-cut black suit, white dress shirt, and red tie. Every time she glanced his way, her knees turned to figgy pudding.
Tess had to remind herself to breathe.
Her dilemma was becoming more impossible by the second. All common sense dictated that she keep the handsome and wonderful Leo Molinaro at arm’s length. Her top priority was going home and putting the pieces of her life back together, not bringing home more pieces! She should forget all about him.
But at this point, she wasn’t sure that was possible? Was she kidding herself? What was she going to do?
Tess was falling for Leo. And the power of her emotions made her realize that she’d never felt this with Jake. Ever.
Tess heard herself make a pitiful squeaking noise just before she reached for her champagne glass.
“You doing okay?”
She nodded while she chugged.
Suddenly, the noise faded. Duncan had stepped onto the raised platform that held the disc jockey table. He was joined by his wife, Lena, and baby Lorelei. Then came Rowan, Ash, and Serena, followed by Clancy, Evelyn, and Christina.
Duncan tapped the microphone. “Thank you for coming, everyone. Just a heads up — if you don’t have a glass to raise, go get one, because we’re about to make a few toasts.”
There was a mad scramble for champagne glasses. Duncan waited for the shuffling to end.
“So, tonight is a celebration, and we’re honored that we could share it with all of you. In a moment, we will be raising a glass to Mona and Fraser, but first, my little brother the police chief has something he wants to say.” Duncan grinned. “Clancy? Evelyn?”
“And me!” Christina jumped up and down.
The little family took center stage. Clancy’s face was flushed. He looked close to tears.
“Hey, hi everyone. Merry Christmas. Uh… since we’re already gathered in one place, Evie and I figured it was a good time to pass on some really great news.” He squeezed his wife’s hand. “We’re pregnant.”
“It’s a boy! It’s a boy! I’m going to have a brother!”
The room exploded in cheers and clapping and Fraser and Mona, who had been milling about, came rushing up to the platform. There were tears and hugs and Mona immediately placed her hand on Evelyn’s belly, a look of astonishment on her face.
Clancy went back to the microphone. “We’re five months along, and Christina is right — it’s gonna be another Flynn boy, so watch out.”
The shouting intensified. “Oh, and one other thing. We are really impressed that Christina managed to keep our secret for the last few weeks. Good job, kiddo.”
Like everyone else in the room, Tess and Leo were on their feet, clapping. It took a few moments for the applause to die down, but Duncan eventually took control of the stage once more.
“Da wants to say a few words, but first, let’s all raise a glass to Mona and Fraser Flynn on their fortieth wedding anniversary.” Duncan held up his goblet. “Sláinte!”
“Sláinte!” the crowd echoed.
“Cheers!”
“Mazel Tov!”
“Saúde!”
“Bottoms Up!”
“Rock on!”
Fraser commandeered the microphone, and brought Mona to his side. The Flynn children and grandchildren stepped down from the dais.
During this, Leo had come to stand next to Tess. He whispered, “This might be long. Fraser isn’t known for his pithy speeches.”
Tess didn’t answer or look his way. Instead, she slipped her free hand into Leo’s. He straightened. She heard him chuckle to himself.
Fraser had already started.
“…we’ve had our share of struggles. Don’t know if anyone’s noticed.” A soft laughter rolled through the crowd. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes.”
“I have, too,” Mona added.
Fraser looked down at her and tugged her closer.
“What matters is that somehow, someway, this incredible woman is still by my side forty years down the road. I look at her standing next to me tonight…” he wiped a tear with the cuff of his suit jacket.
“…and I can’t believe how fortunate I am that my beautiful, goodhearted Mona still believes in me. Our love has kept the Flynn name alive. Our love has created a whole world.” He gestured to his family and then to all those gathered around. “We love every person who has ever been a part of it.”
Fraser raised his glass.”To forty years!”
The room repeated his sentiment. “To forty years!”
As Leo and Tess sipped their champagne, they glanced at each other. She saw the flat-out joy in his eyes. Her own heart lifted in response.
Oh boy, was she in trouble.
The party went on. Fraser and Mona danced alone as the Beach Boys wondered aloud, “God only knows what I’d be without you…” There was cake. More food. Then the dessert table. And the dance floor was never empty.
Tess turned to Leo. She was nervous, but if she didn’t ask him she knew she’d forever regret it.
“Would you like to dance?”
The frozen expression on Leo’s face was not at all what she’d expected. He said nothing.
Had she misread the situation? Had she seen something that wasn’t really there?
Hell, no. Absolutely not. Tess refused to listen to her self-doubt. She knew what she felt when she looked in Leo’s eyes. She knew what she saw reflected back to her. It wasn’t just in her head.
So why didn’t he want to dance?
Leo grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the foyer, deciding to avoid the crowded dining room. He chose the back hallway to the kitchen.
He pulled her to a stop. She was breathing hard. He leaned close. “I’d love to dance with you, Tess.” He paused. “There’s one problem.”
“Okay.”
“I haven’t danced in over two years. I’m out of practice.”
“We don’t have to —”
“No. I want to.” Tess recognized the expression in Leo’s eyes. She’d seen it one other time, when he’d slipped on the snow on their way to visit the Great Mermaid. Right then she understood — his hesitation had nothing to do with her. It was about his leg.
“I haven’t tried to dance since my injury.”
She felt her heart drop, but this was something she could work with. “All right. Let’s go somewhere private and figure it out together. We’ll practice till you feel comfortable.”
Leo gave her a lopsided grin. “This whole place is crawling with Bayberryites.”
“C’mon.” Tess took his arm and brought him to the back porch mudroom, where there always seemed to be a collection of coats and hats hanging from pegs. “Grab something warm. We’ll go out on the back patio.”
Leo laughed, reaching into a cubby and selecting a pair of pink mittens with fuzzy pompoms. “This is the lost and found, Tess.”
“Well, tonight it’s just the found. Here.” She tossed him a pea coat that looked like it might fit. She grabbed a yellow rainproof parka and a pair of purple gloves trimmed with fake fur.
They went outside. Golden light blazed from the old mansion’s many windows. Music and laughter escaped into the winter air.
But out here, it was quieter, colder, and it felt like she and Leo were on the only people on earth. Snowflakes began to sprinkle down on them.
“I’m glad it’s dark, otherwise your outfit could burn my corneas.”
Tess looked down at herself and laughed. Leo was right. She was a vision in green, purple, and day-glow yellow, but the laughter in his eyes told her he didn’t mind at all.
“All right, Let’s do this. You lead.”
“Don’t mind if I do.”
Leo stepped into Tess’s open arms. He placed both of her purple gloves on his shoulders, then encouraged her to wrap her fingers behind his neck. Next, he pressed his pink mittens against the small of her back and pulled her against the front of his bo
dy.
“This is nice,” he whispered.
“It is.”
“Like riding a bicycle.”
He was so warm. So close. Even through the pea coat and parka she could feel the hard heat of Leo’s body.
Bing Crosby’s timeless version of White Christmas began to float from the house. Leo adjusted her, clasping one of her gloves in his mitten, leading her as they swayed.
“Hey!” She looked up into his smiling eyes. “You’re a pro. You sure this is your first try?”
“I’m sure.”
As Bing crooned about sleigh bells in the snow, the flakes got fatter. They fell faster. She and Leo raised their faces to the cloudy night sky at the same.
“Hey, Tess?” he whispered.
Oh, God! What should she do? Her heart rate had just quadrupled. This was the moment. She didn’t want to make a mistake.
Slowly, Tess settled her gaze on his.
Leo’s sexy mouth had curled into a soft smile. His dark eyes were focused on hers, then scanned downward to her lips. He raised his hand to stroke her cheek, but the pink fuzzy pompoms bounced off her nose.
They both broke out into laughter.
Leo pulled her close again. “I take it you don’t like my mittens.”
She rested her cheek against his shoulder as their shoes shuffled in the snow. She breathed him in, feeling the strength of his arms around her. For a long, drawn-out moment, it was just Tess, Leo, and Bing. Everything slowed.
“Merry Christmas, Tess.”
“Merry Christmas, Leo.”
“So,” he said. “There’s one other thing I haven’t done since Iraq.”
Tess raised her head. “Slow down, soldier.”
Leo laughed. “Hey, I do appreciate your thought process, but I meant it’s been more than two years since I’ve kissed a woman. I’m a little out of practice with that, too.”
“Oh.”
“I’d like to change that.”
“Leo.” Tess swallowed hard, and all the playfulness had left her voice. “I…I don’t know what this is. I don’t know what to do with it. All I know is it’s something special and I can’t pretend it’s not happening.”
The dancing stopped. “Agreed, Tess. So why don’t we figure it out — together? One step at a time. Does that sound doable?”
“Yes.”
Leo raised his pink mitten to her face once more, and this time she didn’t giggle. The moment was intense. It was magical.
Leo lowered his lips, closed his eyes, and hovered.
“Wait.”
His eyes flew open. “Wait?”
Tess grabbed either side of his face, his startled expression now framed in purple fake fur. “Leo Molinaro, I think this is the truest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
That was what she needed to say, and apparently, that was all he needed to hear. Leo held her close. He dropped his mouth to hers. And as the snow fell, she melted in his arms.
Mid-morning
December 26th
Tess and Leo have boarded the ferry and are on their way back to Boston by way of Martha’s Vineyard. Everyone came to the dock to see them off, waving and calling out well wishes. They all wondered the same thing, though the question remained unspoken: Would Tess and Leo one day return to Bayberry Island as a couple?
Everyone knows that a broken heart must mend before it can be filled to brimming again. That kind of healing takes time and patience.
Luckily, Tess and Leo will make room in their lives for both. They will make room for each other.
And so it is that I see another Christmas Eve in the not-too-distant future. Tess and Leo will sit near the holiday tree, with dozens of shiny, new bicycle parts fanned out upon the floor around them. They will attempt to fit bolt “A” into nut “G” and will shush each other when their laughter threatens to wake their sons.
Leo will rise and pull his wife to her feet. He will press her close and whisper in her ear, and they will begin to sway to music only they can hear. Leo will dip his head down, and he will kiss her.
Under the diamond-bright twinkle of the Christmas tree, Tess will lace her fingers around his neck and return his kiss. It will be splendid. It will be perfect.
After all, they’ve had plenty of practice.
A Bayberry Christmas: A Bayberry Island Holiday e-Novella Book 5 Page 6
