by Aston, Jana
“Hmm,” he murmurs, staring at me, a small smile playing at his lips. “At what point did you figure out I wasn’t your co-worker’s brother?” I think he might actually find this snafu amusing.
“On Monday.” I let out a little grunt of a sigh. This is so embarrassing. “When I arrived at work and Jillian rushed into my office apologizing about her brother standing me up for pictures with Santa.”
“Hmm.” Another murmur. He’s rubbing two fingers across his lips while he watches me. “And what is it you thought you knew about me? Based on thinking I was your co-worker’s brother.”
“I thought you were jobless and living in your parents’ basement. And an incorrigible flirt incapable of commitment.”
“Well, that guy sounds charming.”
I nod. Yup. I bet I sound pretty charming right about now too.
“And what is it that you think you know about me based on what you’ve heard about me from my grandmother?”
“Well, your grandmother thinks that you’re the cat’s meow. She also thinks you need a wife.” I raise my brows and give him a little smirk.
“I do.”
“Oh, wow.” I drop the straw wrapper, fascinated by this development. Placing my palms on the table, I lean in, lowering my voice just a tad. “Do you have some kind of weird family inheritance you can only get if you’ve procured a wife and an heir by a certain age? I love that kind of nonsense in a romance novel but I wasn’t sure it still happened in real life. Or ever happened in real life, actually. How much time do you have left? Do you need the money for something really important like keeping your business open through the holidays? Tell. Me. Everything.” I punctuate my last words with the importance they deserve then wiggle my fingers before clasping them together in eager anticipation.
Teddy laughs good-naturedly, a smile covering his face. “Not like that. Obviously.”
“Bummer.”
“Doesn’t everyone want to find their person, Noel? The one they can tell all their secrets to?”
He leans in when he says it, his eyes on mine. His gaze is warm and sexy and intimate. Like he might be inviting me to tell him all my secrets, forever.
The waitress arrives with our pancakes and I distract myself with my fork, digging a hole into the center of the stack so I can eat the best part first. I might also be buying some time while I recover from the whirlwind to my guarded heart.
“So you were just at the library to return your grandmother’s books and I forced you into a Santa suit. Is that the gist of it? Why on earth did you go along with it?”
“I don’t know.” He waves a piece of bacon in the air between us. “Your vibe was really doing it for me and once I started talking to you I didn’t want to leave.”
“My vibe?” I’m dumbfounded. I’m pretty sure my vibe is cantankerous harridan.
“You were sexy as hell standing there tapping your foot as you sighed and looked at your watch every five seconds.”
“Impatience is a turn-on for you?”
“It is when it’s you. So much attitude packed into that sexy turtleneck you were wearing.” I roll my eyes before he can continue. “Besides, once I figured out who you were I thought perhaps my grandma had volunteered me to help out. Since you were so intent on sticking me in that Santa suit and my grandmother had been so intent on singing your praises to me every chance she got.”
“You were a very good sport, all things considered.”
“I really was.”
We’re quiet for a few moments while I stuff pancakes into my mouth as Teddy stares at me from across the table, but with a thoughtful expression instead of being horrified by the amount of maple syrup I’ve swirled into the melting butter crater in the middle of my pancake stack.
I mean, the thing is, he’s already seen me naked so there’s no point worrying about my figure now when there are pancakes to be consumed.
“Listen, I know that you were trying to one-night-stand me—” Teddy starts but I interrupt him before he can finish.
“I wasn’t!” I object, already shaking my head. But I was. I totally tried to one-night-stand him.
“You left your own house in order to avoid me,” he reminds me, brows raised in amused exasperation. “That was…” He trails off as if searching for the right word.
Crazy. Cowardly. Insane. Take your pick.
“Honestly a move I’ve never seen before, you little nutcase.”
I shrug. It wasn’t my finest moment. I think we can all agree.
“But I want more than that.”
“More?” Me too, is what I really want to say. Me too, me too, me too. I want more of him. More of us together. I want to tell him that I’ve never felt the way I feel when I’m around him. But I don’t, because it’s too soon, too crazy. Even crazier than having a one-night stand with a man you just met based on great chemistry and sexy eyes and his insistence that he finds you sexy. Crazier than ditching that same guy in your house like a little coward. So instead I stare at him with my heart beating a mile a minute, wondering where exactly this conversation is going.
“With you.”
The silence hangs between us. I think he’s waiting for me to respond, but my mind is moving faster than an agitated snow globe at the moment. “You want a long-distance relationship with a girl you had a one-night stand with?”
“No.”
Oh. Oh, God. He just wants to vacation-hookup me. Crap. I want more than that. I deserve more than that, even if it is scary. I’ve made so many mistakes in relationships. Picked the wrong guys. Expected too much, or too little. But I want more now. I deserve more.
“I want us to spend the rest of the month getting to know each other. Dating.”
“I’m terrible at dating,” I warn—or object, I’m not even sure which I’m doing, but he should probably know.
“I don’t care.”
“What do you mean?”
“You were terrible at dating before you met me. This is me and you, Noel. And we are going to be good together.” He grins. “Also I’m going to deadbolt the door when we have sleepovers so you can’t run away.”
I bite my lip between my teeth to keep from smiling. “We barely know each other.”
“No one knows anyone before they know them.”
“That was a mouthful.”
“What I mean is, you have to start somewhere, Noel. If you want to know someone, you have to start somewhere. Every day you choose who you want to spend time with. Who you want to know better and who is worthy of your time. I want to invest my time in us.”
Us.
I really like the sound of that.
“What happens when the holidays end and you have to go home?” I’m not sure why I’m even asking, because we’ll figure it out. Here or there, I want to be wherever Teddy is. I want to fill in all the things I don’t know about him with the things I do. And I know I can’t predict the future, I don’t know what will happen. But I know I want to.
“I’ll move to Reindeer Falls. I can work from anywhere.”
“Teddy, that’s insane.” I realize my fork is hanging in midair and I’m not even sure how long it’s been dangling there, a buttery heap of pancakes about to slide off and hit the table. I set the fork down and rub my hands against my thighs. “We barely even know each other. And can you even do that? Just leave your job? Your life in the city?”
“I can, actually. Besides, this is home.” He glances around the café we’re in and then out the window we’re sitting next to. It’s dark outside, so it feels more like midnight even though it’s only five thirty p.m. That’s Michigan in December for you. It’s started to snow, visible beneath the parking lot lights. Swirling gusts of snow blowing sideways that make being inside and warm even cozier than before. “There’s no place like home, right?”
Epilogue
One Year Later…
Christmas Eve
“The thing is, I don’t think he’s ever going to propose.” I toss my hands up in the air
in annoyance. “Mr Of Course I Need a Wife doesn’t actually want one.” I’m referring to my boyfriend, Teddy. My boyfriend who hasn’t proposed yet.
And yeah, yeah, fine. I know it’s only been a year, but when you know you know. And I knew a year ago. Now I’m just impatient.
“Noel, you’ve literally been dating for fifty-three weeks. I don’t think it’s time to panic about Teddy’s commitment level quite yet.” This is from Ginger.
Ginger, who was engaged by Valentine’s Day.
I turn and glare at her with all the disdain you can level on a pregnant woman. She’s due in five months and she’s got the most adorable baby bump you’ve ever seen in your life.
And a husband. She’s got that too. Because after Keller proposed in record time, he married her and knocked her up. Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am.
“You don’t get an opinion,” I remind her. “Since you’re blissfully domesticated you’re incapable of being objective.”
“Yup,” Holly agrees with me a moment before stuffing a bite of toast into her mouth and chewing. We’re at a corner table at Gingersnap’s, the restaurant Ginger’s husband opened next door to her bakery. The one he named after Ginger.
Ugh. Totally happy for them. Obviously. Not at all jealous.
“You’re the worst,” Holly agrees when she’s done chewing. “No opinion for you.”
Holly’s got the nerve to say this while eating toast with the same hand displaying her own engagement ring. I drop a pointed gaze to the ring and then back to Holly’s face. She at least has the decency to look chagrined.
“You know that just happened,” she protests, referring to her own engagement. Nick proposed a week ago. The ring was in an Advent calendar he made for her, stuck behind the door of the date of their one-year anniversary.
I know. Gross. Gross in a that-didn’t-happen-to-me-but-I’m-totally-happy-for-you-oh-my-God-how-romantic way.
I sigh, mentally chastising myself. The thing is, I am happy for both of my sisters. I really, really am. I just sorta thought Teddy might propose on our own one-year anniversary. But that date came and went last week.
“All I’m saying is, it feels like it’s been forever.” I know it hasn’t actually been forever. I know that a year is no time at all and I shouldn’t compare my relationship to anyone else’s. Especially not to Ginger and Keller, who moved at warp speed. Ginger and Keller are too ridiculous to even account for. I mean, sure, I might have fallen in love with my one-night stand, but we didn’t actually exchange “I love yous” for like… an entire week. And we weren’t engaged six weeks later.
As crazy as the start of our relationship was, every day since has been pretty normal. We’ve put in the work. Gotten to know each other. And I like him more every day than I did the day before. Truly. He’s my best friend. And he’s also really good in bed.
Ugh, now who’s gross? Me.
I’ve got it really good. I need to shelve my impatience.
“Why are you obsessing over this all of a sudden?” Holly asks, dumping a spot of cream into a freshly poured cup of coffee. She twirls her spoon through and taps it against the side of the cup, then raises her gaze to mine, waiting on an answer.
“I don’t even know.” I slump back in the booth, crossing my arms over my chest. Because I agree with her, it hasn’t been an issue at all, up until the last week. “I think it’s the holidays, you know? I think the holidays have made me engagement-horny.”
“Do you need a Countdown-to-Dickmas calendar? I’d be happy to make you one,” Holly offers, all wide-eyed and innocent.
“No, I get plenty of Dickmas, thank you very much,” I toss back at her. We’re sisters, giving each other grief is our jobs.
“Ugh, you guys. The baby can hear you.” Ginger wrinkles her nose at the two of us disapprovingly while Holly and I groan in unison.
“This place is hopping,” I comment with a glance around Gingersnaps. They managed to get the old auto shop renovated into a restaurant and bakery in just under nine months, and had their dual grand opening two months ago.
“It is.” Ginger beams. All her dreams have come to fruition. She found her dream man and opened her dream bakery. And now she’s got a bun in the oven. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. We’ve made so many bun-in-the-oven jokes Ginger has banned us from saying any more out loud.
“Doing so well,” Ginger continues. “And the Food Network hasn’t even started airing our show yet. That’ll bring in a load of tourists during the summer and winter seasons in Reindeer Falls.”
In addition to making them the new hosts of The Great Gingerbread Bake-Off, the Food Network also filmed an eight-episode series of Ginger and Keller renovating their auto shop into a bake shop, which I’m sure will do well for them because Ginger and Keller have a ton of chemistry on camera. And off.
Speaking of… Keller appears at our table to check on Ginger. He’s working today—they both are, actually, but Ginger took off early in order to have lunch with Holly and me. He kisses her before he leaves the table because they’re that couple. Kissy kissy. When they leave here they’re probably gonna hold hands and make snow angels together or something equally adorable. Holly reaches past them to grab an extra napkin from the end of the table and gives me a little eye roll with a head nod towards the newlyweds.
“How’s your Grinch?” I ask Holly.
“Deliciously Grinchy,” she responds, a wide grin covering her face. “I honestly cannot believe I ever thought his grumpy office persona was off-putting. Now I find it very sexy.”
“I’m sure you do, you little freak.”
“Whatever. I’m not the one who kissed Santa Claus.”
“Yeah, yeah, that will never get old for you, will it?”
Okay, so I’ll never ever admit this to either of my sisters, but Teddy and I might have had a slightly kinky reenactment of our first night together. Except I was the one in the Santa suit and the Santa suit consisted mostly of strategically placed ribbons, a belt and some furry white cuffs around my wrists.
I’m a really good girlfriend.
Total wife material.
Never mind. I’m not dwelling on that. I’m not.
I part ways with my sisters outside of Gingersnap’s with quick hugs and a chorus of “see you tomorrows.” Our parents are hosting Christmas dinner tomorrow. Tonight I’m celebrating Christmas Eve with Teddy’s family at his grandmother’s house. She’s already made me a stocking with my name on it. I haven’t seen it yet, but she told me about it. You know those really cool needlepoint stockings that grandmas make by hand? One of those. Teddy’s stocking is a teddy bear on account of it being made for him when he was born. Mine has a reindeer on it, because Mrs Carrington said I brought Teddy’s heart back to Reindeer Falls.
Gah, it’s so sappy I can hardly stand it.
By which I mean I love it. I’ve always secretly hoped I’d marry into a family that had a really cool stocking tradition. And honestly, I’m already a part of the family. Teddy and I have dinner with his family at least once a month. Mrs Carrington insisted I start calling her Gram over six months ago. Plus, I have that homemade stocking, which is very nearly as legally binding as an actual marriage certificate. Everyone knows those stockings are no joke.
Teddy’s already at my place when I get home. Truth be told, he very nearly lives with me because he’s over every night. Technically he has a place of his own but he mostly uses it as an office and a closet. He sleeps at my place every night before heading to his place in the morning when I leave for work.
When I walk in, he stands, and I think he shoves something into his pocket but honestly, it might just be my overactive imagination or Teddy checking for his cell phone. It might not be anything important. Before him he’s got a mess of wrapping paper and ribbon on the table. I thought we’d wrapped everything weeks ago.
“What are you doing?” I shrug out of my coat and hang it on a hook near the door, toeing off my boots before I make my way over to the table.
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br /> There are a stack of presents wrapped, and a few unwrapped. I spy a puzzle and an art set, not yet wrapped, amongst the pile.
“Picked up a few extra things for my nieces,” he says, wrapping his arms around me.
“Hmm,” I murmur, sinking into his embrace. Loving the warm cuddle after coming in from outside. Loving him. He’s a big softie for those kids. It’s another of the many things I adore about this man.
“Teddy Carrington, are you hiding something from me in your pants?” Gah! I was going to be patient, I really really was.
“I’d never hide anything in my pants from you.” He kisses the top of my head and moves back a few inches, hands moving to his waistband. “Want me to take them off?” he teases, hands on the button, his eyes flashing in amusement. I love his eyes too. He always looks at me like he really sees me. Like he’s paying attention.
“We don’t have time for you to take off your pants,” I say sadly with a glance at the clock.
“I guess you’ll just have to be patient then, won’t you?”
I slow-blink at him. Like… patient for sex or patient for the diamond ring he’s hiding in his pocket?
He laughs like he knows exactly what’s going through my head.
We load the car with a pile of presents and the gingerbread cheesecake I picked up this morning from Ginger’s Bake Shop for tonight’s dessert. It’s in a pink bakery box tied with red and white twine for a little holiday oomph.
Christmas Eve with Teddy’s family is loud and fun and everything I expected. I’ve met most of them, but I’m introduced to a few new faces, uncles and cousins I’d not had a chance to meet before. His grandmother, Mrs Carrington, is the perfect hostess. There’s enough food to feel us all several times over along with a cheery house full of Christmas splendor.
And at the end of it, there’s an engagement.
His grandmother’s.
To Mr Owens. It’s quite romantic actually. He proposes to her in front of the entire family after giving a speech about how much joy she’s brought to him and how happy he is to have her in his life.
