“I love you, Skylar. I’ve never willingly entrusted my heart to another person the way I’ve entrusted it to you. Will you marry me?”
Her jaw unhinged. “I can’t believe this.”
Twenty minutes ago, she’d been worried for his life, and now he was asking her to tie her life to his. Forever.
“Is that a yes?”
It didn’t matter that others wouldn’t understand her haste. She’d never wanted another person as deeply as she wanted him. “Yes, it’s a yes!”
She kissed him, nearly knocking him to the ground. He caught her weight in his strong arms and rose to his feet, hugging her tight.
He slipped the ring onto her trembling finger, and she admired it through the tears in her eyes. “It’s so pretty.”
“So are you, my future wife.”
“Oh, my God, I’m going to be a wife—wife of the mayor! First wife! First lady? What’s my title?”
He chuckled. “I believe it’s mayoress.”
“So, fancy!” And Addison! Addison would be her step-daughter! This was the best Christmas ever! “We have to celebrate!”
Eyes hungry, he tucked a hair behind her ear and softly kissed her neck. “We can celebrate tonight—when you come home.”
Home. Their home.
She smiled at him, a thousand dark promises passing between their eyes. She cuddled closer, looping her arms around his neck and dragging her lips along the hard edge of his jaw. “I’ve missed sleeping in your bed.”
He groaned then nipped her ear. “We won’t be sleeping.”
Her body softened. She didn’t want to wait. She wanted the future to start right now. “Promise me something,” she whispered, brushing her lips softly over his.
“Anything.”
“When we’re old, promise you’ll cuddle on the couch with me, and we’ll slow dance in the kitchen for no special reason except that you love me.”
He smiled. “We don’t have to wait for those things.” He hugged her close and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’ve waited a lifetime to find you. Let’s not waste another minute waiting to show our love.”
For a man who struggled to vocalize his feelings, he sure had no issue being romantic now that the gates were open. “I love you, Rhett.”
Pure sincerity showed in his eyes. “I love you, too, Skylar. I’m not sure there’s a limit to what I would do for you.”
She laughed. “Good. Then you can break the news to my family.”
Epilogue
One Day until Thanksgiving
* * *
“Don’t forget your folders!”
The kids emptied their cubbies and buttoned their coats. “Miss Skylar, can you help me?”
Skylar crouched down to help Samuel fix his zipper then righted his turkey hat. Gran handled the other students.
“Michael, take your finger out of your nose before you hit brain. And Ciera, stop chewing on your hair. Lennon, hold Aiden’s hand. Addison, are you coming with us or going home with your mother?”
“I wanna go with my cousins.”
“Then let’s go. Coats on.” Like a small battalion, Gran’s little pre-K soldiers fell into line.
Skylar smiled at the beautiful chaos.
After Christmas, her grandmother announced that she was retiring as the family’s free childcare provider. Gran told the family that if they wanted her services, they could find her at the new pre-K class, where she would be assisting as a volunteer. That left their family desperate for coverage, and by January first, Skylar’s roster was full.
Almost a year later, and things were going better than great. She was finishing her degree, happily married, and Rhett had won the recent election. It wouldn’t be long before he was running for a larger office, like state representative.
Once the kids cleared out, the classroom was blissfully silent. Skylar wiped down the tables and straightened up the bins. By four o’clock, all the work stations were tidy and she was ready to go home.
She left the rec center and walked to Town Hall, smiling at the first signs of Christmas approaching. Holly wreaths and twinkle lights were already showing on some front doors, and storefront windows were switching over their holiday displays for the shopping rush that would begin that weekend.
The door to the hardware store opened and a woman rushed out, nearly colliding with Skylar on the walkway. “Oh, sorry—” Her words cut off as she recognized the familiar scowl. “Erin.”
The woman glared at her as if she were a bug in her morning coffee. She didn’t bother with a greeting, but scoffed. That huffy little breath said everything about her feelings toward Skylar.
Skylar pitied her.
She had said it a year ago as a nasty threat, but her premonition had come true. Looking at Erin now, noting the creases around her eyes and the brittle energy surrounding her so tightly it kept others at bay, Skylar sensed this woman’s misery stemmed from something lonesome and broken inside.
Sympathy crowded Skylar’s heart, pushing away any lingering resentment. “Happy Thanksgiving, Erin. I hope you have a nice weekend with family and friends.”
A cold look stole over the other woman’s eyes as if Skylar’s well wishes somehow offended her.
Did she have family? Skylar didn’t know. If things hadn’t ended so badly, she might have welcomed the woman to their table, but Erin made that impossible.
When Rhett fired her, she’d screamed and lied, and accused Skylar of things that simply weren’t true. Rhett refused to forgive such a betrayal from someone he’d trusted. But Skylar wasn’t so severe.
Erin pushed past her and Skylar caught her arm. She didn’t flinch when her glare cut through her. “Erin, I know we didn’t have a great start, but if you ever need a friend, you know where to find me.”
She yanked her arm away. “We’re not friends.”
“We could be.”
Something trembled in her gaze, then any sign of vulnerability was shut away behind another glare. “I don’t need your charity.”
Skylar watched as she stormed off, wondering what could make a woman so cold. She believed there was a story there and she hoped, one day, Erin might find the right person to listen to her story and possibly heal some of the pain that made her that way.
Closing her coat against the November wind, she continued to walk toward Town Hall. The liaisons and office staff were used to her coming by at the end of each school day. If she didn’t collect her husband, he’d lose track of time and wind up working late.
He was always thinking of new ways to improve their town, and he did his best to meet everyone’s needs. Skylar made it her job to see that he met his own. She helped.
“Hey, Mrs. Buchanan,” the new PA greeted with a friendly smile as she entered the office.
“Hi, Jason. How is he today?”
“Stressed, as usual, but I think he’ll make it. By the way, another gift basket came for you guys. Should I send it to the house?”
“Yes, thank you.” She had no idea that so many people spoiled the mayor rotten, each one trying to influence his decision on one matter or another. She was amazed that he remained diplomatic in most of his decisions—except for that one incident with that unwarranted parking space.
She admired the gift basket, spotting one of her favorite gourmet jams and some expensive cheeses. No wonder he liked the job. “And Jason, please help yourself to anything inside.”
She tapped on her husband’s office door. “Knock-knock.”
He was on a call and waved her inside. She quietly pressed a kiss to his lips.
“Sounds good, Kevin. Yeah, my wife just walked in. I’ll be sure to call you after the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving.”
She sat on the edge of his desk as he hung up the phone. “Kevin Connors?”
“Yep. He’s still after that traffic light.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know where you find the patience.”
He shut off his computer and stood. Once he gathered his belong
ings, he paused for another kiss, cradling the little bump under her shirt with a gentle hand.
“How are you feeling today?”
“Okay. A little nauseous this morning, but I’ll live.”
“Addison go home with your grandmother?”
“Yes. My mom’s picking her up when she gets Ciera. She said she’ll drop her off after dinner tonight.”
“Ah, so I get you to myself for the next two hours?”
“Sorry. My dad’s at the house. He’s installing one of those surveillance cameras out back.”
He made a playful scowl. “He’s doing that so he can keep an eye on us when he’s not there.”
It went unsaid that since her father finally finished his research and got the grant, he was visiting a lot more often. A little too much for newlyweds, Rhett frequently mumbled under his breath.
“Be glad he’s accepted you.”
“Is that what you call it, acceptance? All this time I’ve been calling it cock blocking.”
“Well, he must not be doing that good of a job if you managed to get me pregnant.”
“I’m a man on a mission.” He nibbled at her neck until she yelped with laughter.
He shut off the lights and followed her out. By five o’clock, the office was closed. Some days were more hectic than others, and there were always unexpected events that popped up from time to time, but for the most part, their life was pretty predictable.
Rhett said he dreamed of their life when he was a little boy. And when he found her, he knew she was the one. He claimed falling for her was as simple as PB and J.
She had made him the one sandwich he’d envied for years and, from then on, she owned his heart.
At the time, she thought that was just about the nicest thing anyone could say to her, especially from a man who once struggled to tell others how he felt. But, now, he said sweet things like that to her every day. It would be impossible to pick a favorite. Every word out of his mouth made her fall more and more in love.
Rhett didn’t struggle with expressing himself anymore. He claimed, for the first time in his life, he believed he found a true home, one where he would always be accepted and loved. And the house no longer felt cold or empty. Love radiated from every room.
They were currently renovating the bedroom between the master bedroom and Addy’s room for a baby nursery. They hadn’t settled on a theme, yet, but Skylar loved the rocking chair they bought from the antique shop in town, especially because it sat across from one of her Uncle Kelly’s pieces, a portrait of Gran holding her youngest cousin.
Rhett said, he bought it because it was a drawing of true, unconditional love and it reminded him of her.
He never missed an opportunity to show her or Addy how much they meant to him, and they never missed the chance to do the same, which was exactly how it should be.
Their love was exactly the kind of love she’d always wanted—wild and riotous and free—the kind of love she needed.
The End
Bonus Material
Keep reading for a bonus recipe for
Gran’s Irish Cream
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The Best Man
Love Me Nots
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Beautiful Distraction
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British Professor
Broken Man
Controlled Chaos
Hard Fix
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Wake My Heart | The Best Man | Love Me Nots | Pining For You | Almost Priest
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Emotional & Heartwarming Romance
La Vie en Rose | Simple Man | Wake My Heart | Sacrifice of the Pawn | Forfeit
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Breaking Perfect | Protégé | Falling In | Sugar
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Dark Psychological Romance
Hurt
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Blind | Untied
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British Professor | Pining For You | Breaking Perfect | Falling In | Sacrifice of the Pawn
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Other Titles by Lydia Michaels
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The Best Man
Love Me Nots
Pining For You
Falling In: Surrender Trilogy 1
Breaking Out: Surrender Trilogy 2
Coming Home: Surrender Trilogy 3
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About the Author
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Lydia Michaels is the award winning and bestselling author of over forty titles. She is the consecutive winner of the 2018 & 2019 Author of the Year Award from Happenings Media, as well as the recipient of the 2014 Best Author Award from the Courier Times. She has been featured in USA Today, Romantic Times Magazine, Love & Lace, and more. As the host and founder of the East Coast Author Convention, the Behind the Keys Author Retreat, and Read Between the Wines, she continues to celebrate her growing love for readers and romance novels around the world.
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Gran’s Irish Cream
This recipe originally belonged to Joann, one of the many women who inspired the character of Maureen McCullough. It was later passed down to my mother, who greatly influenced Maureen’s maternal side. In our family we call it Nonna’s Irish Cream, and I love that, through Gran, I am able to share the recipe with all of you!
Christmas has always been a big deal in our family, and the women do an extraordinary job of filling the season with extra magic. While Christmas remains one of the most commercialized holidays, we still value gifts from the heart and quality time together above all else.
Pining For You: Jasper Falls Page 25
