by Debbie Mason
Grayson got up from the stool and reached for her hand. “Come on, I’ll take you for a drive. We’ll stop at the bakery, and I’ll buy you a cupcake.”
“Okay. That’d be nice,” Cat said, sounding slightly mollified.
“Uh, uh, low fat and low cholesterol, my cranky sister. You have to take care of my perfect kidney,” Chloe said, coming up behind Cat. Looking gorgeous and glamorous in a robe trimmed with the same feathery stuff as her pink slippers.
Cat crossed her arms and scowled at her sister. “How long have you been listening in the hall?”
“Long enough to know I’m the perfect patient and you’re not. And long enough to know that my boyfriend’s been here like forever and hasn’t come to see me yet.” She gave him a playful pout, then ran and threw herself in his arms. “Close your eyes, family. PDA coming your way.”
Easton laughed. “You’re turning into a brat,” he said, then kissed her. It felt good to have her back in his arms, so good that he almost dropped to his knee and proposed to her then and there.
“She is. And now that you’re back, you can keep her in line,” Cat said.
“Happy to,” he said, looking into Chloe’s sparkling green eyes.
“I missed you. Next time I’m going with you.”
Ty and a tall, good-looking brunette joined them in the kitchen. There was something oddly familiar about the woman, but Easton couldn’t place her. “You can’t go with him, Diva. You’ll be busy with your new movie,” Ty said.
Easton frowned. “What movie?”
“She took the role—”
“Ty, do you mind?” Chloe said to the stylist. Sometimes they reminded Easton of an old married couple. She turned back to Easton. “I wanted to surprise you. I agreed to do the movie with Dallas.”
“That’s great. But I thought you weren’t happy with the producer or the script.”
“Oh, that’s the best part. She’s rewriting the script and taking on the role of producer, too,” Ty said.
“Ty!” Chloe stamped her slipper. “That’s not fair. I wanted to tell him.”
“I saved the best part for you. I didn’t tell him you bought the rights to your perfume…” He grimaced. “Sorry. Jill, we better go.”
Easton stared at the woman. “That’s not Jill.”
“Yes, it is. Doesn’t she look amazing?” Chloe said, her anger at Ty forgotten.
Now that he looked at the woman more closely, the blue eyes were the same and so was the shape of her face. But it was the long hair that was throwing him off. And possibly the figure she’d been hiding under her uniform. She wasn’t hiding much of it in the red dress she had on.
Jill, her lips pressed in a flat line, said, “Extensions.”
“We’ve convinced her to grow her hair out. Her own is even more gorgeous than the extensions. Sawyer won’t know what hit him when he sees her.”
“Chloe!” Jill said, stamping her high-heeled boot. The woman had obviously been spending a lot of time with Ty and Chloe. But Sawyer? Guess Easton shouldn’t be surprised; she’d been the guy’s shadow growing up. Though he figured Sawyer might be surprised, and not in a good way.
“Don’t worry, Jill. No one will say anything. We’re good at keeping secrets.” Chloe arched an eyebrow at Ty. “Well, most of us are. Jill’s going to ask Sawyer to the prom.”
When the seniors at Christmas High found out about Chloe’s surgery, they’d voted to delay the prom until she could attend. It was being held Friday night. The same day they were to get word as to whether the school would remain open or close. Chloe was touched and excited—overly so, Easton had thought—until he remembered she hadn’t attended their prom. He smiled to himself. He’d just figured out the when and how of his proposal.
“We just need to work on her walk. But we’ve got a few days, so we’re good.”
“And her.” Ty moved his eyebrows up and down behind his glasses at Chloe. “You know…”
“You’re right, I forgot,” Chloe said.
“They’re kind of scary,” Jill said to the room at large.
“You’re telling me,” Cat said, tugging on Grayson’s hand. “Let’s get out of here before they set their makeover eyes on me.”
“Too late,” Chloe told her. “We’re having an at-home spa day on Thursday. Mommsy, you’re invited, too.”
As Grayson, Cat, Jill, and Ty headed out, his father said, “Okay, Mommsy, why don’t we go for a walk and leave these kids alone for a bit?”
“Come on,” Chloe said, taking Easton by the hand. “I have a surprise for you.” She opened the door to her bedroom and stood back. “What do you think?”
Before he’d left, her bedroom looked like it had been designed for a princess. With its canopied bed and lacy bedding and over-the-top femininity, it hadn’t exactly been a place he’d wanted to spend time. But she’d redecorated in creams and blues and exchanged the canopied bed that had barely held the two of them with a king-size one. And while he was happy with the changes, he was a little worried they meant she wanted to live at the ranch with her sister and Grayson. Though it wasn’t something he could bring up without spoiling his proposal.
“Looks amazing,” he said, lifting her into his arms. He closed the door with his foot and carried her to the bed. Settling her carefully on the middle of the mattress, he took off his boots before stretching out beside her. At the sound of paper crinkling beneath him, he raised his hip. “Sorry,” he said, holding up the paper. “I hope it wasn’t important.”
She turned on her side to face him. “No, it’s the design for my butterfly tattoo, but I’ve decided not to get one.”
“You were going to get a tattoo?”
“Yes, I planned to transform my scar into a beautiful butterfly.” Right, he shouldn’t be surprised. She didn’t like ugly. “But I’ve decided I want to leave my scar just the way it is.”
Now that was a surprise. “Why the change of heart?”
“Because in a way it’s beautiful, too. Just like your scars. They’re proof that we’re strong, we’re survivors. We were hurt, but now we’re healed.” She lifted a shoulder and gave him a small smile as if embarrassed.
He stroked her cheek. “I love you, Chloe O’Connor.” And if he hadn’t already decided to ask her to marry him, that would have done it for him. “Now, if you don’t mind, I think I should check out your beautiful scar.”
She laughed. “As long as I get to check out yours.”
* * *
Chloe sat in the backseat of the limo with Easton, Grayson, and Cat. She was both nervous and excited. She was going to the prom with Easton McBride. The thought made her practically giddy. At thirty-two, she knew that was a little silly. But she didn’t care. From now on, she planned to enjoy each and every minute of her life. She wasn’t going to let fear or worry stand in her way.
Though she was nervous about the outcome of the vote. In case it didn’t go the way she hoped, she’d talked to Madison about setting up an after-hours bus service so the kids didn’t have to miss out on school activities if single parents like Jenny couldn’t afford the time and money to get them there.
“We’re here,” she said when they pulled into the parking lot. The trees had been decorated with white lights, a class banner draped above the front doors.
“Honestly, you’d think it was your prom,” her sister said, then her eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute, isn’t that the dress you were going to wear to prom?”
She had on a pale yellow, floor-length dress with a sweetheart neckline trimmed in crystals. “Yes,” she admitted, and while it was, her shoes were new. She’d found them online. They were beaded with the same crystals as her dress. They were totes fab, and Chloe loved them.
“Really?” Easton said with a low whistle. “If you’d come to the prom wearing that dress, I would have forgiven you in a heartbeat.”
“You would have?”
“Yeah, but it’s probably better it worked out the way it did. I don’t think my sevente
en-year-old self could have handled you.”
“And you would have had to follow me to Hollywood.” She kissed the underside of his jaw just before the driver opened the door and helped her out.
“Did you decide what to do with the beach house?” Cat asked, when she joined her on the sidewalk.
“I thought I’d rent it out as a vacation home. That way, if family want to use it, I can block out their time. Why don’t you and Grayson have your honeymoon there?” They were getting married this fall.
“So you’ve decided you’re going to make Christmas your home base then?”
She nodded. She’d told Easton when he came back from his business trip. He hadn’t said much, just smiled. She’d found his reaction odd and somewhat disconcerting. Then again, they’d been making up for lost time when she’d mentioned it.
“That’s great. Now the whole family will be in town. Grayson, what do you think?” she asked when he joined them. Chloe just offered us the beach house for our honeymoon.”
Chloe stopped listening to the couple when Easton got out of the limo. He had on a black tux and white dress shirt. He’d refused to wear a tie. But with it or without, he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. She looped her arm through his, and he smiled down at her. “Happy?”
“Very,” she said as they walked toward the doors. There was a long line waiting to get into the auditorium. “It looks like everyone in town is here. I didn’t know Ethan and Skye were coming. Oh look, there’s Nell, Madison, and Gage.”
Easton’s lips twitched, and he shared a look with Cat and Grayson before saying, “Guess the whole family decided to show up.”
“Do you know something I don’t?”
“Nope, not a thing.”
While they waited in line, they talked to pretty much everyone in town. And again, it felt like they all knew something Chloe didn’t. There were sly glances exchanged, secret smiles, good-natured chuckles. But she forgot everything when she saw the auditorium. To get into the room, you had to walk on boards made to look like a castle drawbridge. Cardboard cutouts of castle exteriors were staggered throughout the room. And miniature pink, white, and blue lights were twined in tulle and draped from the ceiling to the walls, while artificial trees in containers were bunched in each corner of the room and wrapped in white lights. Round tables covered in white tablecloths ringed the dance floor. They’d transformed the auditorium into the fairy world Chloe had once envisioned as a child.
Within minutes of entering, Chloe was whisked away by the excited prom committee. She looked back at Easton and gave him an apologetic smile. He had his hands in his pockets watching her with an indulgent look on his face. By the time she found her way back to him half an hour later, he was surrounded by former members of the football team. She was beginning to think popularity was overrated.
“Chloe.” She pivoted to see Vera Woods waving her over. Trumpets sounded, and the principal walked onto the stage. “It’s time,” Vera said in an excited whisper. “Get up there.”
The older woman gently pushed Chloe toward the stairs.
Mr. Lowry tapped the microphone. “Ladies and gentleman, let’s give a warm round of applause for Chloe O’Connor. She’ll be reading the results of the vote to you.” He waved a sealed envelope over his head.
Chloe walked across the stage to the cheers and whistles of the crowd gathering below her. It was as exciting as when she’d been awarded a Daytime Emmy. But more nerve-racking given that the results would impact so many people. She thanked everyone who helped with the proposal, then turned to the band behind her and asked for a drum roll. She picked out several members of her family in the audience, including the most important one, Easton. He smiled and winked as she opened the envelope.
She looked down, silently reading the results. The room went utterly quiet, then sounds of disappointment started to come from the audience. Chloe figured she’d left them in suspense long enough. She looked up and smiled. “Christmas High is saved!”
She waved the paper, laughing when the principal picked her up and spun her around. The band played the school song, and everyone sang along, including Chloe. She looked for Easton in the audience as she made her way off the stage, but she was immediately swept up in a crowd of people who wanted to thank her for saving the school. It felt as though an hour had passed before she made it to the refreshment station. The DJ was playing a mix of current songs and ones from the 90s, and the dance floor was packed. She spotted Jill wearing the ruffled red dress and matching heels Chloe and Ty had picked out for her, standing by the punch bowl.
"Congratulations. You did good," Jill said, filling a glass and handing it to her.
“Thanks. Where’s Sawyer?” Chloe asked, accepting the punch.
Jill waved a hand to her left. “Over there somewhere with Brandi.”
“You didn’t ask him, did you?” They’d been afraid she’d chicken out at the last minute.
“No, I—”
Chloe put her drink on the table and took Jill’s from her. “Go ask him to dance.”
“He’s with Brandi.”
Chloe stretched up on her toes to see if she could find the couple. She spotted them leaning against the far wall talking. And she wasn’t the only one looking at them—so was Nell McBride. The older woman, arms crossed, head cocked, studied the couple. As if Nell sensed her attention, she glanced back and caught Chloe’s eye. Nell grinned, nudged her head in Sawyer and Brandi’s direction, and held up seven fingers. Oh no, she’d picked them for the couple in her next book! Chloe frantically shook her head, pointing at Jill, then Sawyer.
Nell looked like she was mulling the idea over, then slowly nodded and gave Chloe a thumbs-up. Yes! This was perfect.
“All right, Jill, I’ll go with you and distract Brandi.” But just as Chloe was about to lead her away, the music stopped, and the principal once more took the stage.
“It’s that time you’ve all been waiting for. We’re going to announce this year’s prom king and queen.” The kids cheered.
Chloe smiled and turned away, saying to Jill, “Let’s work our way toward them, and then it won’t be so obvious what we’re up to when the music starts.”
Jill was looking at her, her blue eyes dancing with amusement.
“What? Do I have lipstick on my teeth?” She smiled and rubbed her finger across them.
Jill laughed. “No, you were just voted prom queen. Get up there.”
“I was not.” But when people started yelling at her to go get her crown, she realized it wasn’t a joke. She was the queen. As Chloe walked across the dance floor, she searched for Easton. She heard whistling and turned. Cat, Easton, and Ty, who had on a powder-blue tux, were standing on chairs, yelling, “Hail, Queen Chloe!”
Laughing, she covered her face with her hand, then headed up the stairs to accept her crown. She waved to her loyal subjects as the principal read off the name of her king. “And this year’s prom king is…Easton McBride!”
The crowd cheered, and Chloe looked up, surprised to see Easton already walking across the stage. He grinned at what must have been her stunned expression, bending down so the much-shorter principal could place the crown on his head. Then Mr. Lowry joined their hands together and presented them to audience.
“This is what all the secret smiles were about earlier. You set this up,” she whispered out of the side of her mouth as they bowed to their subjects.
“I might have had a little something to do with it,” he said and took her other hand in his, turning her to face him, and then he started to go down on one knee.
“Easton!” She reached for him. Afraid his leg had given out, she tried to hold him up.
He raised an eyebrow. “Scarlett, do you mind? I’m trying to propose to you here.”
She dropped her hands from under his arms and took a startled step back. “You’re what?”
He gave his head a slight shake and lowered himself on one knee, holding up an open ring box. “Chloe O’Connor, wil
l you do me the honor of becoming my wife, and making me a very happy man for the rest of my life?”
“I…You’re serious.” And as it finally dawned on her that he was, she was overcome with happiness. There was only one other time she’d been filled with such a feeling of warmth and joy. She smiled, knowing in her heart it was a sign they truly were a match made in heaven. “Yes, Easton McBride, I’ll marry you. And I’ll do my very best to make you a happy man for the rest of your life.”
“You already have,” he said, rising to his feet. And as he slid a pink, princess-cut diamond ring on her finger, the crowd whistled and clapped, their family and friends gathered at the front of the stage. “But I have to tell you, Scarlett, you had me a little worried there,” he added.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I don’t know why, you had me from the day your white knight captured my queen.”
“You’re telling me you fell in love with me the first day we played chess?” he said with a laugh.
“Yes, when did you fall in love with me?”
He put his arms around her, resting his forehead against hers. “The day you turned my cabin into a dollhouse.”
Behind them, the DJ played Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.” And as they swayed to the music on stage, Chloe said, “Did you pick the song?” She smiled knowingly when he nodded. “You’ve loved me since you were seventeen. You just didn’t know it then.”
Listening to the lyrics, he smiled. “You might be right, Scarlett.” And then he kissed her, and it didn’t matter how long he’d loved her. They had now and forever to make up for lost time.
Jill has had a crush on Sawyer for forever, but her chance to share her true feelings is right now . . .
Please see the next page for a preview of
Happy Ever After in Christmas.
Marry me?”
Jill Flaherty squinted behind her sunglasses at the elderly man hunched over his walker, smiling up at her. He’d forgotten his dentures again. But Mr. Gorski was determined, she’d give him that. This was her third marriage proposal in a week. If he was five decades younger, Jill might consider his offer. Her chances of striking a proposal off her life-goal list by the time she hit thirty were bleak. She’d be lucky if she was in a relationship by then. Heck, she’d settle for a date. The approach of the big 3-0 hung over her like an ominous black cloud. Her mother had died two days before her own thirtieth birthday. October was only five months away.
