by Leah Atwood
Forget it, I’m going now. The sky was overcast, and gray clouds loomed across the horizon. They didn’t invoke dreariness but, mixed with the earthy scent of logs burning in a nearby fireplace, created a homey and welcoming setting.
When he arrived at Kate’s, her outdoor decorations were still lit for the night with a slightly visible glow in the day. The candy canes marking the walkway made him smile. Kate did love her Christmas decorations—his own house was a testament to her affection for them.
He stopped at the door, collected his thoughts before ringing the doorbell. One arm supported the box of presents, but not all the gifts were inside. Kate swung open the door, wearing a ruby red fitted sweater. She greeted him with a kiss.
“Merry Christmas.” Her blue eyes twinkled with vibrant life, and she shivered. “Brr, it got cold overnight.”
“Makes it feel like Christmas, doesn’t it.” He stepped inside and carried the box, unloading the presents under her tree sophisticatedly adorned with vivid red, green, and gold baubles. It suited her.
Now that his hands were free, he pulled her to him, indulging in a long embrace. She smelled of cinnamon and sugar. Home. Cuddling with him, her contented sigh vibrated against his shirt. This was where he wanted to be forever.
“Oh, no.” Kate jerked away and ran to the kitchen. Smoke seeped out from the electric range. Throwing down the oven door, Kate waved her hand to dissipate the smoke. She grabbed a potholder and rescued a tray from the cavity. “They’re ruined.”
She dropped the tray on the stovetop. Eight cinnamon rolls had blackened tops. He picked up one and immediately dropped the scorching pastry. Hard as a rock, no way to salvage them.
“I’m sorry.” Kate's lips twitched. “Not really. The distraction was worth missing out on breakfast.”
Luke’s heart soared. From anyone else, it would have been an innocent comment. From Kate, it was acceptance of herself, an allowance for errors. “I wasn’t hungry anyway.”
“I’ll be right back.” A minute later, she returned with a portable fan. She set it on the counter and plugged it into an outlet. Powered it on and flipped the switch on the range hood. “It shouldn’t take long to clear out in here, then I’ll see what else I can make.”
Extending his arm, he clasped her hand and nodded toward the living room. “Want to open your presents?”
Her smile extended. “I have some for you, too.”
They sat in front of the tree. He insisted she open one of hers first and handed her a rectangular box wrapped in silver metallic paper with red snowflakes. Sliding a finger under the tape, she diligently opened the package without a single rip in the paper.
She lifted the lid of the black box and gasped. “It’s exquisite.”
Luke released his breath and his chest deflated with relief. “It called out to me when I saw it.”
“I love it.” She removed it and ran a finger over the necklace, tracing the delicate white gold chain down to the diamond pendant with a small opaque brown pearl on the bottom. “Will you put it on me?”
She pivoted her head, and he gathered her hair, savoring her silky tresses before laying it on her shoulder in the front. He reached for the necklace, letting their fingers brush. After he had secured the latch, she turned to face him again. The necklace sparkled against her slender neck.
“Your turn.” She handed a gift to him.
They continued until only one box remained. Luke purposely saved it as the final present. What it contained was small and thin, custom made. “Last one.”
Kate opened it with the same precision she’d exacted on the others. The unwrapped paper revealed a plain box with no markings. She looked up at him.
“Go ahead, open it.”
Lifting the flap, she peered into the box. She removed a wad of tissue wrap, unfolded it, and held out an ornament—a glazed ceramic snowman and snowwoman holding hands.
“Our First Christmas, Luke and Kate,” she read out loud. Her forehead creased. “The date is written for next year.”
He pulled out a small box he’d kept hidden in his pocket. Opened it and held it out. “I love you, Kate. Will you marry me and spend next Christmas as my wife?”
“Yes.” There wasn’t one hitch of hesitation in her answer. “I love you,” she whispered as he slid the ring on her finger.
They sealed their engagement with a kiss and another long embrace. Luke kept Kate close to him, marveling that he, the man who’d once spent two months deliberating on which new computer to purchase, actually proposed to Kate after a month of dating. Jumping into a large commitment after such a short timeframe was contrary to every part of his nature, but he’d never felt such peace about any decision. He knew with certainty that he and Kate were meant to share their lives.
There was still one present that couldn’t be delivered by traditional means. Reluctantly, he released her. “What time is it?”
“Nine fifty-five.” She gave him a peculiar look. “We still have two hours before my parents expect us.”
“I have one more present for you, but it couldn’t get here in time.” He pointed to her desk, positioned against the far wall. “Can I use your computer? I want to show you what it is.”
She looked at her ring. “You don’t have to get me anything else. You’ve already made this the best Christmas ever.”
“Trust me.”
“Go ahead. The password to log on is ‘Jasper’.”
“Cute. Real original.” He couldn’t resist teasing her.
“I know. Maybe one day I’ll change it, but it’s easy to remember.”
“All right.” He stood and walked across the room. “Close your eyes and cover your ears. No peeking until I say so.”
Closing his eyes, he said another prayer for everything to work right. He turned on the computer and followed all the instructions. 10:02—two minutes late by the time he got everything set.
But it worked. The image was grainy but obvious.
“It’s ready. Come see.” He stepped away from the computer when Kate reached him, no longer obstructing her view.
“Merry Christmas, Katie.” Evan’s voice rang clear through the computer speakers.
“Evan.” Sinking into the chair, Kate touched Evan’s face on the screen. “It’s really you.”
Luke watched her throat constrict and eyes fill with tears.
“Hey, don’t cry. Do I look that bad?” A hint of self-deprecation fringed his words.
“They’re happy tears,” she said between sniffles. Kate stared at Evan’s pixilated image. “And you do look horrible and wonderful all at the same time. How are you? Oh, forget I asked. I’ve come to hate that question.”
“Some things never change.” With a bittersweet smile in place, Evan shook his head. “I’ve been better, but I’ll be okay. They tell me I’ll be back in the states by the second week of January.”
From the conversation with his dad, Luke knew there was a lot Evan wasn’t telling Kate, and he admired the man’s bravery. She would find out soon enough the full scope of the tragedy that Evan had endured.
Her bottom lip trembled, and her smile wobbled. “Don’t forget you owe me a night out.”
“I haven’t.” Evan inhaled a deep breath. “Man, I missed you, Sis. I didn’t think I’d see you again.” He looked away from the camera and rubbed his battered eyes.
“I prayed. Every day I prayed for you, Evan. Everyone did, the entire country.”
Luke walked back to the tree, giving Kate and Evan privacy when the conversation became personal. Five minutes later, she called him back. Once he returned, she grasped his hand and pulled him so he was in view of the camera as well. Her eyes brimmed with love when she gazed at him.
Evan cleared his throat and grinned. “Are you going to tell me who this guy is? I’m assuming he’s someone special to go through the trouble he did to arrange this.”
“This is Luke, and you are the first person to know we’re getting married.” Bending her wrist, she
displayed her ring for the webcam.
“Congratulations. Take good care of her, Luke.”
“Don’t worry, I will.” Luke slid an arm around Kate.
“They’re telling me my time’s about up. Tell Mom and Dad I love them, and I’ll call as soon as I can. I love you, Katie. Merry Christmas.”
“I love you, too. Merry Christmas.” Her free hand touched the screen again, and it went black. She continued staring at the monitor for several seconds before turning to Luke. “You arranged this?”
He shrugged. “All I did was call my dad and had him pull a few strings to speed up the process.”
“Thank you.”
“Someone once told me, you do what you need to do for family.” His hand caressed her cheek. “And you’re family, Kate. You’re going to be my wife.”
A lazy smile reached across her face and she leaned into him. “I like the sound of that.”
Epilogue
Exactly One Year Later
The other side of the bed was empty when Kate woke up. What time is it? Her gaze flitted to an alarm clock on the nightstand. 7:04. Where was Luke? Four months into their marriage and she’d always been the one to awaken first. She swung her legs over the bed’s edge, the hardwood floor cold beneath her feet.
Luke came into the room. “Good morning.”
“Merry Christmas.” She was still a little groggy from sleep. “You’re up early for a holiday.”
“The dog wanted out.” He leaned over and gave her a kiss. “There’s something I want to show you when you’re out of bed.”
“What?”
“It’s outside.” His excitement was palpable, and she loved that her enthusiasm for all things Christmas had rubbed off on him.
“You better not have bought the inflatable Grinch.”
Laughing, he shook his head. “No, you made your feelings on that one perfectly clear.”
“And you know I have great taste.” Her gaze darted to the corner of their bedroom where they’d decorated a second tree with the ornaments they’d brought for him last year.
“Well, you did marry me, so I’d have to agree.”
She smirked and cast a pillow at him. “Then you have even better taste.”
“Are you going to get up now?”
“You’re worse than a kid.” Hard as she tried, she couldn’t feign a scowl.
“It’s worth it, I promise.”
“Okay, okay.” Standing up, she grabbed her robe and wrapped it around herself. Cinched the belt and slid her feet into a pair of slippers.
He grabbed her hand, pulling her behind him down the stairs of the home they’d bought together. “Close your eyes.”
Obeying, she felt his hands move to her shoulders and lead her to the door. The hinges squeaked when the front door opened, and a wall of cold air fell into the house.
“Open them.”
Her eyes spread wide. Three inches of freshly fallen snow blanketed the landscape. “A white Christmas.” Squatting down, she scooped a handful. The coldness of it bit her skin, but she didn’t care. It rarely snowed in Louisiana. A white Christmas was unheard of. “It’s beautiful.”
“Isn’t it? Jasper didn’t know what to do.”
“I bet not.” She looked out again, committing the image to memory.
“It’s almost like a miracle that it came at Christmas.”
“Speaking of… I have a present for you.”
A playful grin danced on Luke’s mouth. “Speaking of what?”
“You’ll see.” She cast a wink. “Come in by the tree.” Once they’d moved from the door to the living room, she grabbed a tiny box wrapped in a paper different than the rest. “This is for you.”
He ripped the paper away, and she waited for it to hit him.
In his hand, he held a small ornament with a miniature snowman that matched the style he gave her last year. Written in gold paint was Baby’s First Christmas.
“I thought we’d get a head start on next year’s tree,” she said when he didn’t say anything.
She knew the second he realized. His smile stretched from ear to ear, his brown eyes danced with joy.
“When?”
“End of July.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
“We’re really having a baby?”
She giggled. “Yes, we are.”
His arms folded her to him. “Christmas really is the season of miracles.”
Note from Leah
Dear Reader,
Providing wholesome but heartfelt romance is a passion of mine. The Come to Me series has affected my life in ways I never imagined possible. It began a story for a friend and became a calling and mission.
I’m honored you’ve chosen these books to read, and I pray that you’ve enjoyed the stories of the couples and their friends.
There are more contemporary romances on the way. In December 2015, the first Modern Conveniences book will release, a series about modern day marriages of convenience in which each couple is brought together by a modern day convenience. Then in the spring of 2016, the Always Faithful series will begin, where we’ll reunite with Evan and get to know him and his friends. I hope you’ll join me for the journey!
Until next time,
Leah
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Contemporary Romance Novels
Come to Me Alive
Come to Me Free
Come to Me Again
Come to Me Joyful (Bonus NOVELLA)
Brides of Weatherton Novellas
After the Rain
Fire and Ice
Winds of Change
Whiter than Snow
Dancing on Dew (December 2015)
Texas Wildflowers Novelette Series
Free to Love
Free to Heal
Free to Protect
Free to Serve
Free to Roam
Free to Forgive
Mail-Order Short Stories and Novelettes
The Ultimatum Bride
A Man to Be Proud Of
Their First Noelle
The Not Quite Mail-Order Bride
The Mail-Order Bride’s Quilt
Riches of the Heart
Unlikely Substitute
The Most Wonderful Bride of the Year
