Melodies and Mistletoe (Christmas in the City Book 3)

by Kasey Stockton

  “Among other things,” she said, her breath clouding before her.

  Ryan’s knuckles brushed against her cheekbone, his thumb moving to trace her jaw until his fingers rested around her neck. Chills ran down her shoulders, her skin heating from his touch. “And here I thought I’d just met the woman of my dreams, and she’s about to leave me.”

  “We don’t know that yet,” Hailey whispered. For all they knew, Jo wouldn’t offer her anything, and she’d remain Kendra’s nanny forever.

  “So do we pretend, just for tonight, that you aren’t going anywhere?” he asked.

  “Yes.” Her hands slid up his coat, gripping his collar as his other arm went around her waist, pulling her tightly against him.

  Ryan’s forehead came down to rest against hers, their breath mingling. “It’s not just your voice, you know. I think you are incredible.”

  Hailey sucked in a breath of surprise, his words reaching her heart and wrapping it in an embrace. Tugging on his coat, she pulled him closer, touching her lips to his.

  Ryan reacted immediately, pressing her closer to him as he deepened the kiss, pouring heat into her body with the touch of his lips. He buried his fingers in her hair, tilting her head this way, then that, until she melted, and her legs refused to hold her up.

  Hailey backed up, sucking in a breath of air before sliding her hands over his chest and pulling his neck to bring him closer again. She could not seem to get enough of Ryan, and she didn’t want it to end.

  A whistle sounded like a catcall and they broke apart, grinning at each other as a group of teenagers passed them.

  “Getting high on the high line?” one of the kids asked.

  Ryan held her gaze. “Ignore them.”

  “It’s not untrue.” She laughed. “But not high the way they think.” She felt like she was floating on happiness, instead.

  But maybe that wasn’t a good idea. Not until they knew what the future held. “I think I need to get home.”

  “Probably a good idea,” Ryan agreed. “I would keep you up here all night if it was up to me.”

  Hailey didn’t know if that made things better or worse, but she took Ryan’s hand and started back toward the steps that would lead them to his car.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The meeting was today, and Ryan shook with nervous energy. He’d texted Hailey off and on over the last few days, and she still hadn’t heard anything from Jo. He needed to reach out to his ex-girlfriend, but he didn’t have the time. Once the meeting was over, though, he would.

  He just needed to win back Bradshaw’s account first.

  Amber stepped into his office, glancing around. “It hasn’t changed much since Dad worked in here.”

  “Yeah, I haven’t had time for a makeover yet.”

  She shrugged. “Keep it. Dad had good taste.”

  “Do you feel ready?” Ryan asked.

  Amber pulled out her phone and absently scrolled. “It’s Bradshaw. He’s known us since we were in diapers. I don’t know why you’re so worried.”

  “Because this is business. Relationships can only get you so far. He’s not going to throw his money away on something that won’t give him a return.”

  Amber rolled her eyes, following him from the office and down to the board room. They set up for the meeting and were waiting when Bradshaw finally arrived in a slick suit, his hair combed over a shiny scalp. He shook Ryan’s hand and accepted a hug from Amber before they each took their seats.

  “How’s your mother?” Bradshaw asked.

  “She’s happy down in Orlando,” Amber said. “She just flew home yesterday, actually. We got to have her here for the holidays.”

  “I’m sorry to have missed her. I always enjoy seeing your mother.” His ruddy cheeks rounded in a smile. “It takes me back quite a ways, you know.”

  “Of course.”

  Bradshaw leaned back in his chair, narrowing his gaze on Ryan. “So you want me to let you keep my ad account for your failing magazine. Show me why I should take a chance on you.”

  Amber seemed to freeze beside Ryan, and he knew a moment of pride that he’d guessed exactly how this meeting was going to go. He pulled out his PowerPoint clicker and began his presentation.

  It took all of thirty minutes to show the increase in their numbers since he’d taken the helm at Sound Magazine and his ideas and projections on how it would continue to grow. He had a good team, they had only been missing a decent leader. And somehow, Ryan fit the role.

  He’d made the executive decision not to critique videos on YouTube anymore—something about Hailey’s hurt had made him second-guess that avenue—but he had other ideas for the channel to promote traffic to the online portion of the magazine. Not to mention that the special New Year’s Eve edition had only been live for two days and had already surpassed sales and clicks from every other edition in the last three years.

  Bradshaw, however, didn’t reveal a stitch of feeling throughout the entire presentation.

  Amber delivered her spiel for her portion of the ad account—her fashion magazine—and Carter, who came in late, explained how he planned to shift the vibe of the magazine to fit a younger audience in order to stay relevant.

  They completed the presentation to silence, Bradshaw chewing his cheek as he gazed past Ryan’s head. It took every fiber of control Ryan had not to pound his fist on the table and demand an answer right away. His heart hummed and his fingers tapped his leg restlessly underneath the table.

  “You know,” Bradshaw said, drawing out the words excruciatingly slowly. “I almost felt for a minute like I was thrown back thirty years, and it was your father up there convincing me to take a chance on him. You’ve got his flair, Ryan. It sounds like you inherited his brain, too.”

  Bradshaw stood, and Ryan followed suit, chair legs scraping the floor as everyone rose. “We’ll renew with you. I like where things are heading.”

  All of Ryan’s breath left his lungs in one fell swoop, and his entire body relaxed. He reached forward to shake Bradshaw’s hand, hoping he wouldn’t crumple into a pile on the floor.

  “I’ll have my office get in touch, and we’ll sign by the end of the week.”

  “Great.” Ryan did his best to sound professional. “Thank you.”

  “Hey, don’t thank me.” Bradshaw smiled. “I haven’t handed you anything. You earned this.”

  Ryan watched the man walk out of his office before pulling out his phone while Amber began gathering her things. The first thing he wanted to do was send Hailey a text to let her know he’d gotten the account, but he needed to do something else first.

  Stepping into the hall, he dialed Jo’s number and put the phone to his ear.

  “Hey.” She answered right away. “I’m about to get on a plane. Is it urgent?”

  “I just wanted to touch base with you about Hailey Grant. I haven’t heard anything.”

  “Hailey? She’s not interested in a contract. I did try, though, so don’t throw rocks at me or anything.”

  Not interested? That morning her mournful report had been that she still hadn’t heard anything from Jo—followed shortly by forcing Ryan to promise not to interfere. He broke the promise now, but what good were contacts if he wasn’t going to use them?

  “She told you that?” Ryan asked.

  Muffled announcements through an intercom sounded through the speaker. “I have to go, Ryan.”

  “Just answer me, please. Hailey turned you down?”

  “She never reached out to me. I told Amber to have her call me, and I’ve heard nothing. She had seventy-two hours, which I thought was really generous of me.”

  Ryan closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. Amber was going to answer for this. “If she never got the message, what then? Does she still have a chance to accept your offer?”

  Jo was silent, but the sound of people and speakers in the background proved she hadn’t hung up yet.

  “Jo, please?”

  “Fine, Ryan. She ha
s until I land in LA. If I have a message on my phone, I’ll consider it.”

  Relief relaxed his shoulders. “Thanks, Jo.”

  She laughed. “You always were a weakness of mine.”

  Ryan smiled. “Safe travels.”

  “Thanks.” She hung up the phone, and Ryan turned back toward the boardroom.

  “Hey, Amber.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket, tamping down frustration. “Want to explain why Jo thinks Hailey isn’t interested in a contract with Remmy Records?”

  Amber froze, glancing to Carter then Ryan.

  Carter lifted his hands, walking from the room. “I’m out.”

  Her eyes wide, she tilted her head to the side. “Come on. You know I don’t want to lose my nanny.”

  His stomach wound tight, disbelief forcing a scoff from his throat. “So you jeopardized her career?”

  “If she really loved Kendra, she wouldn’t—”

  “Are you serious, Amber?” It took all of Ryan’s self-control not to leap over the table and yell at his sister. “You think Hailey doesn’t love Kendra if she decides to chase her dream? That’s beyond selfish of you.”

  Her eyes were hard but laced with panic. Did she even realize how horrible her actions were? “You don’t understand, Ryan. You don’t have kids.”

  “Maybe not, but I do know I wouldn’t try to get in the way of someone else’s success like that. It’s just low, Amber.”

  She closed her eyes, rubbing over her eyebrows with her fingertips. “I know. But when Jo told us her plans and asked me to pass it on to Hailey, I freaked out. I really don’t want to lose her.”

  “It looks like you might anyway.”

  She glanced up sharply. “Are you going to tell her what I did?”

  “No. I think you should.”

  Amber held his gaze. “You’re actually into her, aren’t you?”

  “I am.”

  She threw her arms out to the sides. “Then why aren’t you trying harder to keep her in New York?”

  “Because I care about her more than that.”

  Amber rolled her eyes. “Fine. Go. Tell her everything. I don’t think I can.”

  “I really think this should come from you.”

  She sank down into her seat, frowning. “Well, it won’t. So I guess it’s up to you.”

  He nodded and turned to leave the room. This was something he wanted to do in person.

  The Central Park Zoo and its leaf cutter ants had been everything Kendra had dreamed they would be, and now she lay asleep, cuddled by Hailey on the sofa as A Bug’s Life played on the TV in front of them. The elevator dinged to let them know someone was coming, and Hailey craned her neck to see who it was.

  She’d been trying to tell herself over the last few days that it was fine that Jo didn’t offer her a contract and that she wasn’t totally crushed. Both of which were horrible, huge lies.

  But Ryan and his sweet texts had been a balm over the sting of rejection, of course.

  When he stepped through the kitchen and caught her gaze, her entire body felt lighter. She smiled at him, and he motioned to her, whispering. “Can you sneak away for a second?”

  She took a pillow from the end of the sofa and carefully lifted Kendra’s head, sliding the pillow underneath her as Hailey scooted down the cushion. She got up, tiptoeing from the room and into the kitchen, the movie playing softly in the background. Ryan leaned against the counter, so she rested her hands on the island, leaving the large slab of granite between them.

  “Did you get the account?” she asked.

  He grinned. “Yes.”

  Hailey squealed before slapping her hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide. She waited a second but didn’t hear any stirring, so she must not have woken Kendra. Lowering her voice, she whispered. “Congrats! I can’t imagine how relieved you must be.”

  “Immensely, of course. But that’s not all.”

  “What happened?”

  “I talked to Jo.”

  Hailey stiffened. Ryan’s face was a work of stone, and she couldn’t tell if he was about to deliver good news or bad.

  His voice was steady. “There was a mix-up, and—”

  “A mix-up?”

  He cleared his throat. “Yes. It turns out that Jo asked my sister to have you call her if you were interested in pursuing a contract with Remmy.”

  Hailey’s breath caught, and the marble floor felt like it fell away. “But Amber never said anything to me.”

  Ryan’s gaze flicked to the living room behind her. “Because of Kendra.”

  “But…” Her brain wouldn’t wrap around the situation. She closed her eyes, running it through her head. “So Amber intentionally didn’t tell me.”

  “She didn’t want to lose you. If it matters, I do think she’s ashamed of what she did.”

  Hailey scoffed, anger and confusion warring within her. Her hands gripped the counter tightly, her knuckles turning white. “So what now? Have I missed my shot?”

  “Jo said you have until she lands in LA to leave her a message with your interest and she’ll consider it within the window of her initial offer.”

  The breath left her lungs in one fell swoop, and she turned around, leaning against the island, and dropped her head in her hands. This was it. Her dreams were about to be realized. She could uproot her entire life, move across the country, and chase a music career.

  Strong arms came around her as Ryan pulled her against him, and she slid her arms around his waist, resting her forehead against his collar bone.

  Could she do it? Could she leave her family, Kendra, Nikki, and this amazing guy?

  It would be so, so hard. But she thought she could. No, she knew she could.

  “What are you going to do?” he asked.

  She leaned back, looking him in the eye. “I’m going to do it. I’m going to tell her yes.”

  His eyes were sad, but he smiled. “Good.”

  “I don’t think it’s the end of the world. We can stay in touch. I know I’ll need your advice every step of the way. If you’re willing to stay my friend, that is.”

  “Your friend?” He shook his head. “I don’t think I’m willing to do that.”

  Her heart sank, and her arms slackened their hold, but Ryan tightened his. He bent his head to see directly into her eyes. “If you’ll have me, I want to be much more than just your friend.”

  “I’m moving across the country.”

  “Not for forever. We can fly to see each other, and once things get under control with Sound I’ll be able to do ninety percent of my job remotely.”

  Hailey’s body stilled. She was unable to believe what she was hearing. “You want to try a long-distance relationship?”

  “I want to try. Whatever that looks like. I’m not willing to give you up quite yet. I just got you.”

  Hailey stood up on tiptoes and pressed her lips to Ryan’s, her heart thudding as he returned the kiss.

  When he pulled away, his grin was wide. “So that’s a yes?”

  She nodded. “Can I get Jo’s number from you?”

  “Absolutely.” He pulled out his phone and sent the contact to her, watching her as she dialed the number and stepped into the foyer to leave her message.

  She had no idea what the future held at this point, but she was pretty glad she’d have the chance to find out.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Hailey sat on the floor of Kendra’s room, fishing through the canvas bag holding the Bug Bingo pieces before pulling one out. “Caddis Fly.”

  Kendra squealed. “Yes! I have that one.” She chose a green tile from the pile on the floor and placed it on her bingo card, grinning up at Hailey. “One more square and I’ll have Bingo. I think I’m going to win.”

  “I could still win. Stranger things have happened.”

  Kendra took the bag and dug into it, pulling out another tile. “Vampire moth.”

  “I don’t have it.”

  “Me, neither.” Kendra found the vampire moth
on the master-key board and put the tile down before handing the bag to Hailey.

  It had been a week since Hailey had left a message on Jo’s phone, and they had spent time going back and forth about contract details and negotiating. Ryan really knew his stuff, and his lawyer was even better. She didn’t know how she would have managed to secure a good deal for herself without her team.

  She took the canvas bag of pieces and reached forward to brush Kendra’s hair out of her face. The hardest part about taking this contract was leaving Kendra. “Hey, how about we put this game away after the first person gets a Bingo and go downstairs for some hot chocolate?”

  “Okay. Now draw a piece.”

  Hailey chuckled. “Stag beetle.”

  “Yes! Bingo!” Hailey put a green marker on her bingo card before she jumped to her feet and did a happy dance.

  “Well done, Ken. Now help me get the game put away.”

  “Should we play until blackout?”

  Hailey lifted an eyebrow. “Hot chocolate or blackout? I don’t think we have time for both.”

  “Okay, hot chocolate.” Kendra grinned, dropping to her knees to gather the green marker pieces and put them back in the Bug Bingo box. Her phone buzzed and she pulled it from her pocket, reading the text.

  Ryan: Dinner tonight? I can meet you at Amber’s, and we can go from there.

  Hailey: Sounds great. Can’t wait to see you.

  Ryan: I’m grinning right now.

  Hailey: Pics or it didn’t happen.

  Kendra crawled over, putting her face between Hailey and the phone. “Who are you texting?”

  Hailey slapped her phone against her chest, her cheeks warming. “Your uncle Ryan.” She reached for the bingo boards and stacked them in the box, shutting the lid and carrying the game to Kendra’s closet.

  “Do you love him?” Kendra asked, her tiny voice thoughtful.

  Hailey put the game on the shelf and fixed a smile on her face. She didn’t know if she loved Ryan or not, but she imagined that one day she would. She followed Kendra from the room, and they made their way downstairs to the kitchen. “I care about him.”

  Amber stood near the fridge, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes fixed on Hailey. “Ken, run and get your pajamas on.”