Page 97 of Holly Ever After

“You,” I answer honestly.

His broad shoulders shake with a light laugh as he tucks my hair behind my ear.

“Something funny?”

“Yeah, because you are, without a doubt, the most terrifying woman I have ever met.”

The moment feels suspended, drawn out between heartbeats and breaths, waiting for a decision, a definitive path forward. The silence in the room, filled only with our shallow breaths, is like fragile glass—one wrong move and it could shatter.

I can feel the tremble in my hands, the heat of his body so close to mine, the intensity in those dark eyes that don't just see me, they see through me. It's overwhelming, it's frightening, and yet it's the most alive I've felt in...well, ever.

“Why me?” The question slips out, genuine curiosity mingled with the remnants of self-doubt. “You could have anyone. Why wait for me?”

He leans in closer, so close that I can count the dark lashes framing his eyes, feel his breath mingling with mine. “Because it's always been you, you infuriating, incredible woman. It was you when you were off limits, and it's you now. The waiting never bothered me. It was the not having that did.”

My heart clenches.

“Sean, I—” The rest of the sentence gets stuck in my throat, but he understands. Of course, he understands.

“Don't,” he whispers, his forehead resting against mine. “For once, stop fighting me. You can go back to fighting me later. I want you to keep fighting me every day after this. But right now, I want you to tell me to kiss you. Stay here with me and let me kiss this stubborn, beautiful woman.”

And so, I stay. I stay as his lips finally capture mine in a kiss that feels like a resolution and a new beginning all at once. I stay as his arms wrap around me, not just holding me in place, but making it clear they're where I belong. I stay because, despite the fear and the uncertainty of the future, there's nowhere else I'd rather be.

Thirty-Nine

Sean

The festive lights from Holly's parents' house cast a warm glow on the snowy walkway. The sound of chatter and clinking glasses spills out as her father swings the door open. “Sean! Brenda! Merry Christmas. Come on in.”

I nod at him, trying to keep my nerves at bay. It's not the holiday celebration that has me on edge—it's the secret Holly and I have been harboring. And now, the very room I'm about to walk into is filled with the very people we've been avoiding telling.

I put the gifts down just in time for little Mia to lunge into my arms, breaking my stream of thought. Her giggles and the weight of her small frame ground me for a moment. But as I step into the living room, filled with tinsel-strewn decor, gifts, and the delicious aroma of roast wafting from the kitchen, my gaze is magnetically pulled to one person.

Holly.

Our eyes lock. There's a hint of mischief in hers, but the blush creeping up her cheeks is pure embarrassment. Ignoring the sensation of Mia's small hands squishing my face together, my lips twitch into an amused smile as I take in Holly's outfit.

“What the hell are you wearing?”

Perched atop her head is a damn wedding veil.

My mother, ever the romantic, lets out a delighted sigh. “Oh, Holly, you look stunning. You're going to be a beautiful bride.”

Chuckling, I tease, “Planning a wedding already, Squirt?”

The deepening shade of red on her face is adorable. She rolls her eyes, clearly searching for an escape. “No, my mother thought it would be hilarious to make me wear her old wedding veil. She practically ambushed me. You’re lucky I’m not in the dress too.”

Before she can elaborate, Karen intercepts with a bright grin. “I just thought she could use a little motivation. What's wrong with envisioning the future?”

Then, like a snowball effect, one by one, various family members jump in with unsolicited advice about Holly's non-existent wedding. My mother talks about the best season to get married, Rachel predicts the lucky guy's profession, Karen discusses the ideal honeymoon destination. Each comment pushes my buttons, my possessiveness growing with every word.

I feel a heat, a rage, starting to build in me at the thought of them pairing Holly with anyone other than me. It's irrational, but it's there, growing with each passing second.

I press a kiss to the top of Mia’s head and put her down. My steps are measured but swift as I close the distance between Holly and me. I see the realization dawning in her eyes, the nervous anticipation of what I'm about to do.

Without any hesitation, I cup her face, pulling her into a deep kiss. Around us, the room goes pin-drop silent, the previous cacophony replaced by stunned stillness.

I pull away just to hear her whisper, “What the fuck?”

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