A White Wedding Christmas

by Andrea Laurence

  “Don’t ever write children’s books,” Colin said drily.

  “Someone needs to write that book. That way little girls won’t grow up believing in something that isn’t going to happen. It would save them all a lot of disappointment.”

  Colin had tasted every inch of Natalie last night and there hadn’t been the slightest bitterness, but now, it seemed to seep from every pore. He was frankly stunned by her attitude about love. It was even more deep-seated and angry than Pam’s negative ideas. Pam just didn’t want the strings of marriage and monogamy. Natalie didn’t believe in the entire construct.

  “Hopefully you weren’t disappointed with last night.”

  “Of course not. Last night was great, Colin. It was everything that I’d hoped it would be, and more. And by stopping right now, we get to preserve it as the amazing night that it was.”

  He knew she was right. He could feel it in his bones. But he also couldn’t just let this be the end of it. He wouldn’t be able to finish dealing with the wedding plans and the house, being so close to her, without being able to touch her again. “What if I wanted another night or two like last night?”

  Natalie watched him with a suspicious narrowing of her eyes. “Are you suggesting we have a little holiday fling?”

  He shrugged. Colin had never proposed such a thing, so he wasn’t entirely sure. “I did bet you that I could put a little jingle in your step. I think the time we spend together would be a lot more fun for us both if we let this attraction between us be what it is. No promise of a future or anything else, and you don’t have to dash from the bed like a thief in the night. What do you think?”

  “It sounds tempting,” she admitted. “I wouldn’t mind getting a little more of those toe-curling kisses you promised me. But you have to agree that after the wedding, we part as we started—as old friends. No hard feelings when it’s over.”

  “Okay, it’s a deal. I promise not to fall in love with you, Natalie.”

  “Excellent,” she said with a smile before leaning in to plant a soft kiss on his lips. “I don’t plan on falling in love with you either.”

  * * *

  “So, what do you think?”

  Natalie hovered in the doorway of Colin’s family home, her mouth agape in shock. It had only been a week since she was in the house, but it had been completely transformed. “Is this the same place?”

  Colin smiled. “A lot has happened since you were here. While I have been busy planning Lily’s wedding and seducing you, I couldn’t just sit around doing nothing all weekend while you were working, you know.”

  He’d worked magic in Natalie’s opinion. A lot of the old furniture and things they didn’t want to keep were gone. In their place were new pieces that looked a million times better. There was new paint on the walls, updated light fixtures and window coverings...the place looked better than she ever remembered. “You’ve worked a miracle.”

  “I didn’t do it alone, I assure you. The Catholic charity came and picked up all the old things we didn’t want to keep. I’ve had contractors in and out all week. We didn’t do any major renovations, so it’s mostly cosmetic, but I think it turned out nicely.”

  “Well, what’s left for me to do?”

  Colin took her hand and led her into the formal dining room. There, in front of the bay window, was a giant Christmas tree. Apparently her plan to distract him with sexual escapades hadn’t worked the way she’d thought.

  “Colin,” she complained, but he raised a hand to silence her.

  “Nope. You agreed to go along with the bet. It’s not fair if you stonewall my plans. If you’re confident enough to win, you’re confident enough to decorate a Christmas tree without being affected by the cloying sentimentality of it all.”

  Natalie sighed. “Okay, fine. We’ll trim the tree.”

  Colin grinned wide. “Great! I got all the decorations down from the attic.”

  They approached the pile of boxes and plastic totes that were neatly stacked by the wall. He dug around until he found the one with Christmas lights.

  “When did you have the time to get a live tree?”

  “I went by a tree lot while you went back to your place to shower and change. It took some creative maneuvering to get it into the house, but I was successful. Would you like a drink before we get started?” he asked as he walked into the kitchen.

  “Sure. Water would be fine.”

  “How about some cider?” he called.

  Cider? Natalie followed him into the kitchen, where she was assaulted by the scent of warm apple, cinnamon, orange zest and cloves. It was almost exactly like the scented candle she still had sitting on her desk from one of his holiday deliveries. She could hardly believe it, but Colin actually had a small pot of mulled cider simmering on the stove. Sneaky.

  She wasn’t going to acknowledge it, though. “Some cider would be great,” she said. “It’s a cold day.”

  “All right. I’ll be right out and we can get started on that tree.”

  Natalie wandered back into the dining room and stared down the Christmas tree. She hadn’t actually been this close to one in a long time. The scent of pine was strong, like the wreath on her door. She’d never had a real tree before. Her mother had always insisted on an artificial tree for convenience and aesthetics. While perfectly shaped and easy to maintain, it was lacking something when compared to a real tree.

  The soft melody of music started in another room, growing louder until she could hear Bing Crosby crooning. Before she could say anything, Colin came up to her with a mug of cider and a plate of iced sugar cookies.

  “You’re kidding, right? Did you seriously bake Christmas cookies?”

  “Uh, no,” he laughed. “I bought them at a bakery near the tree lot. I didn’t have time to do everything.”

  “You did plenty,” she said, trying to ignore Bing’s pleas for a white Christmas. “Too much.” She sipped gingerly at the hot cider. The taste was amazing, warming her from the inside out. She’d actually never had cider before. It seemed she’d missed out on a lot of the traditional aspects of the holiday by abstaining for so long.

  While it was nice, it wasn’t going to change how she felt about Christmas in general. Natalie reluctantly set her mug aside and opened the box of Christmas lights. The sooner they got the tree decorated, the sooner she could get out of here.

  They fought to untangle multiple strands, wrapping the tree in several sets of multicolored twinkle lights. From there, Colin unpacked boxes of ornaments and handed them one at a time to Natalie to put them on the tree. They were all old and delicate: an assortment of glass balls and Hallmark figurines to mark various family milestones.

  “Baby’s First Christmas,” Natalie read aloud. It was a silver rattle with the year engraved and a festive bow tied around it. “Is this yours?”

  Colin nodded. “Yep. My mom always bought a few ornaments each year. This one,” he said, holding up Santa in a boat with a fishing pole, “was from the year we went camping and I caught my first fish.”

  Natalie examined the ornament before adding it to the tree with the others. “That’s a sweet tradition.”

  “There are a lot of memories in these boxes,” Colin said. “Good and bad.” He unwrapped another ornament with a picture of his parents set between a pair of pewter angel wings.

  When he handed it to Natalie, she realized it was a memorial ornament and the picture was one taken right before their accident. It seemed an odd thing to put on the Christmas tree. Why would he decorate with bad memories?

  “Put it near the front,” Colin instructed. “I always want our parents to be a part of our Christmas celebration.”

  Natalie gave the ornament a place of honor, feeling herself get a little teary as she looked at the two of them smiling, with no idea what was ahead for them and their chil
dren. “I miss them,” she said.

  Colin nodded. “Me, too.” He took a bite of one of the iced snowman cookies. “Mom’s were better,” he said.

  That was true. Mrs. Russell had made excellent cookies. But as much as Natalie didn’t like the holidays, she didn’t want to bring down the evening Colin planned with sad thoughts. “Do we have many more ornaments?”

  The sad look on Colin’s face disappeared as he focused on the task of digging through the box. “Just one more.” He handed over a crystal dove. “Now we just need some sparkle.”

  Together, they rolled out the red satin tree skirt with the gold-embroidered poinsettias on it, then they finished off the last decorating touches. Colin climbed onto a ladder to put the gold star on the top of the tree while Natalie wrapped some garland around the branches.

  “Okay, I think that’s it,” Colin said as he climbed down from the ladder and stepped back to admire their handiwork. “Let’s turn out the lights and see how it looks.”

  Natalie watched him walk to the wall and turn out the overhead chandelier for the room. She gasped at the sight of the tree as it glowed in front of the window. The red, green, blue and yellow lights shimmered against the walls and reflected off the glass and tinsel of the tree.

  Colin came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She snuggled into him, feeling herself get sucked into the moment. The tree, the music, the scents of the holidays and Colin’s strong embrace...it all came together to create a mood that stirred long-suppressed emotions inside her.

  “I think we did a good job,” Colin whispered near her ear.

  “We did a great job,” she countered, earning a kiss on the sensitive skin below her earlobe. It sent a shiver through her body with goose bumps rising up across her flesh.

  “Are you cold?” he asked. “I can turn on the gas fireplace and we can drink our cider there. Soak in the ambience.”

  “Sure,” Natalie said. She picked up her cider and the plate of cookies and followed Colin into the living room. Natalie noticed that above the fireplace were a pair of stockings with both Lily’s and Frankie’s names embroidered on them. There was pine garland with lights draped across the mantel with tall red pillar candles and silk poinsettias. It was perfect.

  With the flip of a switch, the fireplace roared to life. Colin settled down on the love seat and Natalie snuggled up beside him. She kicked off her shoes and pulled her knees up to curl against him. It was soothing to lie there with his arm around her, his heartbeat and the Christmas carols combining to create a soundtrack for the evening.

  It had been a long time since Natalie had a moment like this. She didn’t limit herself to one-night stands, but her relationships had focused more on the physical even if they lasted a few weeks. She hadn’t realized how much she missed the comfort of being held. How peaceful it felt to sit with someone and just be together, even without conversation.

  Sitting still was a luxury for Natalie. Once they had opened the chapel there was always something to be done, and she liked it that way. Now she was starting to wonder if she liked it that way because it filled the holes and distracted her from what she was missing in her life. Companionship. Partnership. Colin hadn’t convinced her to love Christmas again, but he had opened her eyes to what she’d been missing. She could use more time like this to just live life.

  Unfortunately, time like this with a man like Colin came with strings. It had only been a few short hours since they’d agreed to a casual fling, but in her heart, Natalie still worried.

  While the decisive and successful owner of Russell Landscaping was driven and in control of his large company, the Colin she’d always known was also sentimental and thoughtful on the inside. The business success and the money that came with it were nice, but she could tell that he’d done all that to honor his father’s memory. And more than anything, he wanted his own family, and had since he lost his parents. No little fling would change that.

  She liked Colin a lot, but even her teenage infatuation couldn’t turn it into more than that. More than that didn’t exist in her mind. She could feel her hormones raging and her thoughts kept circling back to Colin whether she was with him or not, but that wasn’t love. That was biology ensuring they would continue to mate until she conceived. He might be attracted to her now, but she would never be the wife and mother he envisioned sitting around the Christmas tree with their children. She just wasn’t built for that.

  Natalie knew she had to enjoy her time with Colin, then make sure it came to a swift end before either of them got attached to the idea of the two of them. She was certain that their individual visions of “together” would be radically different.

  “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Colin asked.

  The question jerked Natalie from her thoughts and brought her back to the here and now, wrapped in Colin’s arms. “It wasn’t,” she admitted. “I have to say that was the most pleasant tree decorating experience I’ve had in ten years.”

  “Natalie, have you even decorated a Christmas tree in ten years?”

  Of course he’d ask that. “Nope. I appreciate all your efforts, but even if it had been a miserable night, it still would’ve been the best. So sorry, but you haven’t won the bet yet.”

  Eight

  Tomorrow night, Natalie’s cell phone screen had read on Wednesday.

  Colin followed it up with another text. You and I are going on a date. Per your requirements, you will wear a pretty dress and I will take you someplace nice. I will pick you up at seven.

  She ignored the warning bells in her head that insisted a real date fell outside their casual agreement. While going on a date with Colin had the potential to move them forward in a relationship with nowhere to go, it also might do nothing other than provide them both with a nice evening together. She tried not to read too much into it.

  Natalie made a point of not staying at work too late on Thursday so she could get home and get ready for their date. She ignored the pointed and curious glare of Gretchen when she announced that she was leaving early. She would deal with that later.

  Back at her townhouse, she pored through her closet looking for just the right dress. She settled on a gray-and-silver lace cocktail dress. It was fitted with a low-plunging scalloped V-neckline that enhanced what small bit of cleavage she had. It also had shimmering silver bands that wrapped around the waist, making her boyish figure appear more seductively hourglass-shaped.

  Once that was decided, she spent almost a half hour flatironing her hair. She wore it in a ponytail most every day. At work, she liked it off her face, but tonight, she wanted it down and perfect.

  The doorbell rang exactly at seven and Natalie tried not to rush toward the door. She took her time, picking up her silver clutch on the way.

  “Hello there,” Natalie said as she opened the door.

  Colin didn’t respond immediately. His gaze raked over her body as he struggled to take it all in. Finally, he looked at her and smiled. “I like going on dates with you, pretty dress and all.”

  She preened a little, taking a spin to show off how good her butt looked in the dress before pulling her black wool dress coat from the closet. “I made a big deal of tonight’s requirements so I wanted to hold up my end of the bargain.”

  Colin held out her jacket to help her into it. “You certainly have. You look amazing tonight.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Your chariot awaits,” Colin said, gesturing toward a silver Lexus Coupe in the driveway.

  “Where’s the truck?” she asked.

  “I didn’t think you’d feel like climbing up into it when you’re dressed up. Besides, this car matches your dress. It’s fate.”

  He helped her into the car and they drove through town, bypassing some of the usual date spots and heading toward one of the high-end outdoor shopping plazas in Nash
ville. “Where are we going?” she asked as they pulled into the crowded parking lot. She made a point of avoiding any major shopping areas in December. She was guaranteed to run into Christmas music, decorations and grumpy people fighting their way through their chore lists.

  “You’ll see,” Colin replied, ignoring her squirming in the seat beside him.

  “Is this part of the Christmas bet? Telling me you’re taking me on a date, letting me get all dressed up and then taking me to see Santa at the mall is cruel. I can assure you it won’t fill me with Christmas spirit. More than likely, it will fill me with impatience and a hint of rage. These heels are pretty and expensive, but I’m not above throwing them at someone.”

  Colin just laughed at her and pulled up to the valet stand at the curb. “Keep your shoes on. I doubt you’ll have need to use them as a weapon. I didn’t bring you here for the holiday chaos. I brought you here for the best steak and seafood in Nashville.”

  “Oh,” she said quietly. There were some nice restaurants here; it was just hard to think about going to them in mid-December. Natalie waited until Colin opened her door and helped her out of the car. “What’s that under your arm?” she asked as they made their way through the maze of shops.

  Colin looked down at the neatly wrapped package beneath his arm and shrugged. “It’s just a little something.”

  Natalie wrinkled her nose in a touch of irritation. She hated surprises, hated not knowing every detail of what was going on in any given situation. Being a wedding planner allowed her to legitimately be a control freak. She wanted to press the issue with him but let the subject go since they were approaching the heavy oak doors of the restaurant. A man opened one for them, welcoming them inside the dark and romantic steakhouse. They checked in and were taken back to a private booth away from the main foot traffic of the restaurant.