“Yes, Christmas is saved because of you,” Marla enthused, smacking a loud kiss against his cheek. “You’re my hero!”
“It’s not saved for everyone,” Maddie murmured, glancing at Wanda.
“Come on, love,” Nick prodded. “Let’s get you home and warm. It’s over. We need to look ahead and not watch what’s behind us for things we can’t change.”
Maddie was reluctant, but she didn’t know what else to do. “Home it is. Let’s get out of here.”
23
Twenty-Three
The smell of turkey in the oven had Nick’s mouth watering when he came downstairs the next day. Dinner was still hours away, but Nick was hopeful he would get to spend some quality time with Maddie and the snow before the daylight turned to darkness.
They’d had a restful night despite Maddie waking once due to a nightmare. Nick held her, stroking the back of her head until she slipped back under, and then he joined her a few minutes later. She was haunted by Wanda’s death, but also resigned to what happened. Wanda had to die to save Marla. She couldn’t change it and she didn’t have the inclination to play the “what if” game.
She’d been quiet when she woke and immediately climbed into the shower. Nick had been on the phone with Dale for a bit – a few loose ends with the case to tie up – but Maddie was already gone from the bathroom by the time he offered his partner a merry Christmas and disconnected.
“Maddie?”
He didn’t hear an answer, and when he shuffled into the storefront to check the window seat he caught a hint of movement on the front lawn. Maddie, her hair tucked under a knit cap and her fingers covered with warm mittens, bent over so she could pack some snow. She was the picture of pure perfection as she hopped about in the powdery snow, a smile lighting up her face even as the events of the previous evening stalked her.
Nick watched her a moment, mesmerized. She kept lifting her eyes to the sky and opening her mouth to catch the falling flakes. It didn’t take him long to make up his mind. He slipped into his coat, boots, hat, and gloves and joined her on the lawn within minutes.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming outside?” Nick asked, causing Maddie’s shoulders to jolt.
“You were on the phone with Dale and I didn’t want to disturb you. I left a note.” Maddie’s smile was sweet when she fixed it on him. “I told you to prepare for war if you decided to come outside. Are you ready for war?” She playfully tossed the pile of snow in her hand on his face, causing Nick to chuckle as he grabbed her around the waist and tugged her into the huge drift on the side of the nearby tree.
Maddie giggled so hard Nick couldn’t help but enjoy the sound of her laughter reverberating against his chest. He rolled so his back was to the ground and she was perched on top of him. She loved the snow, but she was so slim he didn’t want to risk her catching a chill.
“Why do you look so serious?” Maddie asked, sobering. “It’s Christmas Eve. This is our first Christmas together as a couple. Why aren’t you happy?”
“I am happy,” Nick said, brushing her hair away from her face. “I’ve never been happier, my Maddie. Never.”
“Then why aren’t you smiling?”
“Because there’s something I need to tell you and it’s made me a bit shaky.”
“What? You can tell me anything.”
Nick rolled so he could help push Maddie to her feet, keeping his smile in place as he remained on one knee and dug in his pocket. “It’s something fairly big, love.”
“What do you mean?” Maddie was confused, and when Nick remained on his knees instead of standing, her heart caught in her throat. Then, when she saw the box in the center of his hand, her stomach rolled. It was almost painful. “What are you doing?”
Nick smiled as he opened the box, enjoying the way Maddie’s eyes widened when she saw the large stone in the white gold setting. For some reason, all of the nerves that plagued him for weeks leading up to the event disappeared now that the moment was officially here.
“I love you, Maddie. I’ve loved you my entire life.”
“Nicky … .”
Nick remained focused. “We’ve had a rough road to get here,” he said. “Things haven’t been perfect, and no matter how they shift in the future, they’ll never be perfect. Nothing is. That doesn’t mean you don’t make me perfectly happy.
“I want to spend my life with you,” he continued. “I want to have children with you. I want to grow old with you. I want to be with you, and only you.”
“Nicky.” His name was barely a whisper on the soft wind.
“Maddie, I swear I will never leave you. I swear that you’re the only one I’ll ever want. I swear I will give you the best forever I’m capable of giving you. That is if you want the same thing, of course. So, Maddie Graves, will you marry me?”
Maddie opened her mouth to answer, her shaking fingers touching the ring’s mammoth stone as she dropped to her knees. Only a strangled cry escaped from her throat as tears coursed down her cheeks and she leaned into him so he could help support her weight.
“Was that a yes?” Nick asked.
Maddie nodded as she gave into the tears, throwing her arms around his neck. “Yes. I … yes.”
Nick chuckled as he rubbed her back and tugged her close. He couldn’t believe he’d been so nervous about the proposal. In hindsight, there was only one way it could ever go. You can’t fight destiny, after all. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Forever.”
“Forever and ever.”
FROM THE safety of the tree line, Olivia Graves’ spirit watched the proposal with so much love she almost thought it was possible for her ghostly chest to burst. That was an illusion, of course, but the happiness was real.
Olivia smiled as she watched Nick put the ring on Maddie’s finger and then tug her into his lap. She couldn’t hear what they whispered – it wasn’t really her business, after all – but she couldn’t ignore the happiness emanating from them. They practically glowed with joy.
Olivia was so lost in the scene she almost didn’t notice the stranger standing amidst the trees. He watched the scene, too, although the look on his face was much harder to read. She recognized him, of course. It had been years since she’d seen him, but age couldn’t erase everything. She’d recognize that profile anywhere.
“What are you doing here?” Olivia hissed the question as she approached the man, glaring at him. He couldn’t hear her but, he gripped a heavy coat around his broad shoulders all the same. “Go away. Don’t you even think of ruining this for her.”
The stranger didn’t respond to Olivia. He didn’t take his eyes off Maddie and Nick for a long time either. Finally he heaved out a sigh and turned on his heel, leaving Maddie and Nick to their perfect day and disappearing into the falling white flakes.
Maddie Graves’ father didn’t say a word as he walked away from his daughter … again. He didn’t look back.
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Acknowledgments
I’m a romantic at heart. A true romantic. I love the idea of a happy ending, so much so I have trouble writing a sad one. The world is sad enough. I like escaping in fiction. That’s just me. I like sarcasm and snark – but I’m not sure a sad ending is in me. If you’re looking for an edge like that, you’re probably looking in the wrong place. Just FYI.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Books by Lily Harper Hart
Hardy Brothers Security
Deadly Intentions
Deadly Intuition
Deadly Illusions
Deadly Proposal
Deadly Prospects
Deadly Ever After
Deadly Honeymoon
Deadly Questions
Deadly Addition
Deadly Vacation
Deadly Secrets
Deadly Storm
Deadly Dealings
Deadly Christmas
Deadly Desperados
Deadly Arrival
Deadly Rivalry
Deadly Memories
Deadly Adventure
Deadly Reunion
Deadly Conflicts
Deadly Payback
Deadly Waves
Deadly Forever
A Maddie Graves Mystery
Grave Homecoming
Grave Insight
Grave Delight
Grave Misgivings
Grave Concerns
Grave Discovery
Grave Decisions
Grave Seasons
An Ivy Morgan Mystery
Wicked Days
Wicked Dreams
Wicked Times
Wicked Places
Wicked Warning
Wicked Fog
A Harper Harlow Mystery
Ghostly Interests
Ghostly Issues
Ghostly Deceits
Ghostly Worries
Ghostly Images
A Rowan Gray Mystery
Welcoming Seas
Grave Holiday (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 9) Page 20
