by Melody Grace
“It’s almost midnight,” she realized, breaking away.
“Come on then!” Luke grinned, then grabbed her hand. They raced together back to the party, Natalie’s heart singing with pure joy.
He still loved her. They were together now—and Oliver wouldn’t hurt her anymore. She’d finally stood up to him and broken free from his terrible hold, so she could move on and live the life she’d dreamed about.
Plus, watching Luke land that mean right hook had been pretty amazing, too.
They arrived back at the town hall just as everyone was gathering for the big countdown.
“There you are!” Alice found her and smothered her in a hug. “We’ve been looking for you. Is everything OK?” she asked, looking back and forth between Natalie and Luke.
Natalie grinned. “Everything’s perfect,” she said, squeezing Luke’s hand.
Alice clapped her hands together in glee. “Yes! I knew it!”
“But what about Oliver?” Natalie asked cautiously, looking around. “He was threatening to call the cops and press charges.”
“Call the cops about what?” Jackson asked with an innocent look. “I didn’t see anything.”
“Me either,” Mackenzie spoke up.
“Or me,” Summer added, smiling.
“You know, I did see an unfortunate fellow trip on some streamers,” Aunt June added, waltzing past. “He seemed to do himself some damage, but there was nobody else to blame. What a shame.” She winked at Natalie and danced on.
Natalie felt a wave of gratitude so strong, she could have cried.
They were here for her.
They were on her side.
Finally, she had somewhere she belonged.
“Ooh, here comes the countdown!” Alice exclaimed as the band stopped playing. The crowd all gathered together and picked up the chant.
“Ten . . . nine . . . eight . . .”
Luke put his arms around her, drawing Natalie near. She smiled up at him, overwhelmed with love and happiness. She’d made it through her darkest days, and now the future held nothing but possibilities.
“Ready for a fresh start?” he asked, brushing hair from her eyes.
“I’m ready for anything with you,” she murmured back, holding him tightly.
“Three . . . two . . . one . . . Happy New Year!”
Around them, the room burst out in cheers and celebration. Natalie kissed Luke, dizzy as the confetti fell.
She couldn’t wait to get started.
23
A few weeks later . . .
“OK . . . Just a little further . . .”
Natalie gingerly stepped forwards. Her eyes were closed and Luke’s hands were layered over her face, blocking any hint of light. She reached out, unsteady. “I’m going to bump into something!”
“I’ve got you,” Luke chuckled in her ear as he guided her in a straight line. “But no peeking.”
“What’s all this about?” Natalie asked, her anticipation rising. He’d been so mysterious, handing her a blindfold the moment he picked her up so that she wasn’t even sure where he’d driven them. Although, from the scent of sawdust, she was guessing it was somewhere close to home.
“You’ll see,” Luke replied, sounding amused.
“You got me a kitten?” Natalie guessed, teasing. “A teacup pig? The My Little Pony Majesty’s Dream Castle collection?”
“That’s a thing?” Luke asked.
“It was the best thing,” Natalie exclaimed. “I had one when I was younger, then my mom moved it into the basement and we had a flood, and the whole thing was ruined.”
“Well, now my surprise is ruined,” he said with an exaggerated sigh. “Forget about it, I should have got you that instead.”
“No, no!” Natalie laughed, holding onto him. “Whatever your super-secret, ultra-mysterious thing is, I’m sure I’ll love it.”
“I hope so.” Luke brought them to a stop and dropped his hands. “Voila.”
Natalie blinked. They were in his new workshop, which was already filled with piles of wood and materials and several works-in-progress that Luke was crafting for his friend, Nate. His business was already taking off, although, of course, he was staying laid back about the whole thing.
She looked around. “You got me . . . a planing saw?” she asked, confused.
“You know what a planing saw is?” Luke asked. He dropped a kiss on her lips. “I’m impressed.”
“Nope, but I heard you mention it once,” Natalie admitted, “so I guessed there had to be one of them around here somewhere.”
Luke laughed. “Well, that’s the saw, but your surprise is over here,” he said, turning her shoulders to face the far corner, where something large sat, hidden under a tarp.
Natalie’s curiosity was sky-high, but she held back. “You know you didn’t have to get me anything,” she said, squeezing his hand.
And it was true. Being with Luke was enough of a gift: waking up with him every morning and tangling up between the sheets every night. Ever since their reunion, Natalie had stopped second-guessing her feelings and fallen more in love with him every day.
“I know,” Luke said, squeezing back. “But since that thing is taking up way too much space here, you’re just going to have to do me a favor and take it off my hands.”
Natalie’s curiosity got the better of her, and she danced over, excited. She lifted one corner. “Can I . . . ?”
“Be my guest.” Luke smiled, so Natalie tugged the tarp off with a flourish.
She gasped.
It was an antique piano, standing there in the middle of all the sawdust and junk. She couldn’t believe it.
“Is it OK?” Luke asked.
OK? It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Natalie slowly lifted the lid and revealed the gleaming black and white keys. In an instant, she was taken back to those happy afternoons she’d spent at her grandmother’s house, learning and singing along.
“I saw a guy was selling it online,” Luke continued. “It was pretty beat up, but I restored the wood and had a guy come and tune it. Oh, and I built you a little bench, too. See?”
He showed her a stool in the same rich, glossy wood with a velvet-upholstered cushion. “You said, you liked to play . . .” he added. “So . . .”
Luke trailed off, and when Natalie tore her eyes away from the piano, she saw he was watching her with a mix of nerves and pride on his face.
“Are you kidding?” she finally managed to say. “I love it! Luke, this is incredible. It’s so beautiful . . .” She trailed her fingers over the keys, amazed. “But it’s too much, a gift like this. I can’t—”
“You can,” Luke interrupted her firmly. “It was supposed to be your Christmas gift, but then, well, that didn’t work out. But consider it a joint gift now: for the holidays . . . and your birthday.”
Natalie’s head snapped up. “How do you know about that?” she demanded.
“Alice may have mentioned something . . .” Luke smirked.
“I told her! I don’t want it to be a big deal,” Natalie said quickly. “I mean it, I’ve already had so much to celebrate, I was just going to ignore the whole thing.”
“Huh. Well, you probably should have said something sooner,” Luke said. “Before word got around.”
“What do you mean?” Natalie couldn’t resist taking a seat and picking out a few notes on the keys.
“You know how Earl invited us over for a quiet family dinner tonight?” Luke asked, joining her on the bench.
“Yesss . . .” Natalie said, suspicious now.
Luke grinned and drew her into a smoldering kiss. “Just remember to act surprised.”
* * *
In the end, despite Natalie’s best shocked gasp, it was clear that her surprise party wasn’t exactly a surprise.
“You told her!” Alice hit Luke playfully, once they’d walked through Earl’s door to find all their friends gathered, complete with balloons, streamers, and a foot-high pink-iced cak
e.
“He didn’t,” Natalie protested weakly. “Much.”
Jackson chuckled, giving her a hug. “He always did have the worst poker face.”
Natalie looked around, taking in the friendly faces. “I can’t believe you did all this.” She gave Alice a look. “I thought I told you I wanted to keep it low key.”
“What do you think this is?” Alice protested.
“She’s right,” Mackenzie agreed. “The original plan involved a fleet of horse-drawn sleighs and a bonfire in the woods—”
“—and a full Rolling Stones cover band playing in the town square,” Eliza added.
Natalie laughed. “You’re kidding. Aren’t you?” she checked.
Eliza smirked. “Well, now you’ll never know.”
But even without the sleighs, the party was still more than Natalie had celebrated in years. They filled their plates from a mouth-watering potluck buffet and ate crammed on Earl’s old couches before rolling back the rugs to dance. Even Cassie was there to give her good wishes . . . and an assessing look as they paused for another round of drinks.
“How are you with games and sports?” Cassie asked, surprisingly businesslike for someone who’d added a purple streak in her hair to match the fading pink. “Can you play touch football? Run an obstacle course? What about balls?”
“Umm, what?” Natalie snorted in surprise.
“If you’re going to be a part of the family now, I need to know if I want you on my team,” Cassie explained. “The guys always treat me like I’m the weakest player, but if there’s another woman around . . . We can join forces. Take them by surprise.”
Natalie laughed. “Sorry to disappoint, but I pretty much suck at team games,” she confided. “But I’m happy to cheer from the sidelines. And bring candy,” she added.
“Candy, hmmm . . .” Cassie looked thoughtful. “I think I can work with that.”
Natalie didn’t have time to ask what she meant before Cassie whirled off.
“Why do I feel like I just volunteered for the next Kinsella Family Championships?” she asked Luke when he came to collect her for a dance.
“We’re starting that up again?” Luke lit up. “I think I’ve still got my crash helmet in storage somewhere . . .”
Crash helmet? Natalie opened her mouth, then closed it again. “You know what? I’m not even going to ask,” she said, serenely. She rifled through her purse instead, looking for some lip balm. She glanced at her phone and saw there was a message waiting—from DeAnna.
Natalie’s heart leapt.
Happy Birthday, the message read. I hope you’re having a great time, wherever you are. Talk soon?
Yes! she typed back in a hurry. Call anytime!
“Good news?” Luke asked. She showed him the message, and he broke into a grin. “That’s awesome!” he exclaimed. “All’s not lost, after all.”
“No,” Natalie repeated slowly, glad their friendship wasn’t lost, after all. In fact, it felt like she’d found everything she needed.
“Another dance?”
She nodded and tucked her phone away. Luke drew her into his arms. They danced together in the living room as the party whirled on around them: people laughing and dancing and gorging on good food. “I know you wanted a quiet day,” Luke murmured, his hands resting softly on her waist. “But I figured it was time to start some new traditions.”
Natalie’s heart melted.
“That sounds good to me.”
She pulled him closer, snuggling in his warm embrace. She swayed there, happily, wrapped up in bliss. Would she ever get used to this—how warm and full of happiness her world had become?
She couldn’t wait to find out.
Because life was sweet. And she was going to enjoy every moment of it.
* * *
THE END.
(Almost)
Epilogue
Cassie Kinsella watched her brother slow-dancing and felt a small pang of envy.
Tiny. A hint. Barely worth mentioning. Except . . .
She let out a wistful sigh and turned her attention back to the cake. She was happy for her brother, she really was. Natalie seemed great—even if competitive sports weren’t her strong suit—and it was clear that Luke was head over heels for her. They’d be settling down soon, making chocolates and baby Kinsellas in no time. Jackson, too, by the adoring looks he was giving Alice. They’d clearly found their soulmates here in Sweetbriar Cove.
But then again, her brothers always did make love look simple. She couldn’t really hold it against them. They were great guys, she knew that better than anyone—even if they did attract a crowd of swooning female attention wherever they went. As the only girl in the family, Cassie had grown up watching her four brothers charm every woman around, breezing from one date to the next without skipping a beat. It had made her think that relationships really could be that easy. Now Jackson and Luke had found love without even looking for it, while Aidan and Chase were still off enjoying their bachelor days.
She was the only one left alone in the corner, eating her third slice of cake.
OK, fourth.
Cassie took another bite of double-chocolate deliciousness and tried not to feel so wistful. Was there a single man she’d dated in the past couple of years who she would want to be splitting her dessert with right now?
The answer was definitely no.
Tyler, the foot fetish guy . . . Karl the grammar monitor . . . Jayden, who still took his laundry home to mom . . . Cassie ran through the last few prospects in her mind and winced. Sure, having famously bad taste in men was all part of the adventure when she was in her twenties, ready to sneak out of bed the next morning and go laugh about the latest disaster over brunch with her friends. But now that she was approaching the big 3-0? It didn’t feel like such a joke anymore.
And when she looked at how blissfully happy all the couples were here tonight . . .
She wondered what it would feel like to find a partner who loved you like that: unconditionally, sharp edges and all.
“So, are you seeing anyone right now?”
Cassie flinched at Mackenzie’s question. It must have shown, because Mac immediately winced. “I’m sorry, that question is the worst, isn’t it? I forgot how much I hated getting the third degree back when I was single.”
Cassie relaxed. “Don’t worry about it,” she said, smiling. “As long as you don’t follow up with, ‘Have you tried online dating?’ and, ‘Don’t worry, it’ll happen for you.’ Then I might have to stick this fork in you.” She brandished it, teasing.
Mackenzie laughed. “And I would deserve it, too. Luke says you live in LA? What do you do out there?”
“Oh, a bunch of different things . . .” That question was just as loaded, so Cassie looked around for a distraction. She landed on the drinks table. “Do we need more ice? I’ll go grab some from out back.”
She left Mackenzie and ducked out of the kitchen door, but she’d barely taken two steps onto the porch before regretting her choice of escape. It was freezing out, with snow still thick on the backyard and icicles hanging from the roof. Cassie shivered. This was the first time she’d been to the Cape in winter, and she’d definitely under-packed; she was used to balmier weather and running riot here with her brothers every summer when they’d visited as kids.
“ . . . Move the Dellinger meeting to next week, and then book the New York trip, too.”
Cassie stopped. There was someone else avoiding the party on the other end of the porch, his back turned as he briskly rattled off a list of instructions to the unlucky person on the other end of the phone.
“. . . Uh huh . . . No, cancel that . . . Move that . . . What did I tell you?” The man sighed impatiently. “First class only. And make sure the hotel is luxury, too. Money is no object, I need to impress.”
Cassie snorted. What a peach. She’d worked as an assistant to a guy like this once, and she’d lasted all of three days before telling him exactly where he could shove his no-f
at, half-caf, mocha-whip morning coffee.
The man turned at the sound, stepping into the light, and just like that, Cassie was fifteen again: her hair wet from the ocean, her feet bare in the sand. Because she knew that voice.
She knew those lips.
“Wes Banner,” she said, her voice coming out a whisper.
But it wasn’t the Wes she remembered. No, the lanky teenage boy in threadbare jeans had transformed into a tall, broad-shouldered man, wearing an expensive navy coat and wireless earpiece. He was clean-shaven and square-jawed and a world away from that laughing, mischievous boy.
“I have to call you back,” he said sharply, and it took her a moment to realize he was speaking to the person on the phone. Because of course, Wes was the kind of guy who demanded first-class travel now and bossed his assistant around like he was God.
Big surprise.
“Please, don’t let me interrupt.” Cassie managed to get her voice back. She didn’t wait for a reply, she just strode past him, down the porch steps and out towards the garage like nothing was wrong. But inside, her heart was pounding like thunder in her chest.
Wes Banner.
Cassie knew he was back in town. Luke had mentioned him a couple of times, but she had somehow managed to avoid running into him. Well, OK, she’d worked extra-hard to avoid it: keeping a vigilant eye out and checking every place she went. She’d dreaded having to catch up with small talk about how they’d been and what they were doing, when of course he would be handsome and successful these days.
It looked like she was right about that one. Annoyingly so.
Cassie took a deep breath of cold winter air. It was no big deal, she told herself firmly as she hauled open the freezer and grabbed a massive bag of ice. So, they’d snuck out on a couple of secret dates and shared a handful of kisses. It was just a teenage crush, almost fifteen years ago now. They’d never had a chance to be anything real.
