Page 71 of Festive Faking
Now, I just needed her to say yes.
Thankfully, I had an ace up my sleeve. Well, technically, my coat pocket, but who was counting?
Tucker clapped me on the shoulder where we stood in line to order drinks. “You nervous?”
I shot him a look that said,What do you think?
He chuckled. “Never mind. Stupid question. She’s gonna say yes.”
“Yeah. Just a big moment, you know?”
His lips twisted to the side. “Wish I did.”
“Sorry, man. Wasn’t thinking.” I grimaced, having forgotten about his painful past for half a second.
Tucker’s marriage had been a complete disaster. It’d had nothing to do with love and had ruined his chance of a future with the only girl he wanted. He was hung up on Bex to the pointwhere I knew he’d never move on, never consider falling in love again. His heart belonged to her, even though she pretended he didn’t exist.
“No hard feelings.” He waved me off. “You’ve got a lot weighin’ on your mind tonight.”
We reached the front of the line, and I ordered a couple of mulled wines, the same as the first time Aspen had brought me to this event. Back then, I’d been an outsider. Now, I was a fully-fledged member of the community. I was proud to say I personally knew each one of the six hundred souls that resided here. And I’d never been happier.
“Good luck!” Tuck called to my back as I made my way through the crowd in search of the woman I loved.
I raised one drink-filled hand to signal I’d heard him and accepted his well-wishes.
It wasn’t a surprise to find Aspen with Harper, the two of them watching Colt try to assist Barrett and Aubree in icing cookies at one of the kids’ stations.
My girl took a grateful sip of wine and hummed. “Delicious. Thanks, babe.”
Harper sighed. “Jealous.” She placed a hand over the bump that peeked through her open coat. “This is the last one, I swear.”
Aspen giggled. “Pretty sure you said that after Barrett.”
Her friend narrowed her eyes and fired back, “I’m going to have three kids in a few months. The two of you will never catch up at this rate.”
Mid-sip, Aspen sputtered and began to cough violently as her wine went down the wrong way at her friend’s words. I patted her on the back until she was able to take deep breaths.
Over her head, Harper shot me a knowing smile, and I widened my eyes, silently telling her to cool it. Of course, Aspen’s closest friend in town knew of my plans.
Voice rough, Aspen croaked out, “Not sure we’re there yet, but we’re happy to babysit anytime. Right, Mac?”
“Yep.”
I’d have kids with this woman tomorrow, but I could be patient if she wasn’t ready yet. If tonight went well, we had all the time in the world.
The lights on Main Street dimmed, and the announcement came that it was almost time for the tree lighting to commence.
Harper helped her husband wrangle their kids, as we left and moved further into the crowd, shuffling through bodies until we had an unobstructed view of the upcoming spectacle.
The countdown began, and I looped an arm around Aspen’s middle, pulling her back flush against my chest. Instead of watching the tree, I kept my eyes trained on her beautiful face. Those lashes fluttered closed, a soft smile gracing her lips in anticipation of the magical moment.
“Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . .”
Her blue eyes snapped open just in time for the crowd’s final chant of, “One.”
Twinkling lights moved up the tree from bottom to top, and she relaxed into my arms with a sigh when the star was finally illuminated.
“Beautiful,” I whispered in her ear. Like the first time, I meant Aspen, not the massive evergreen set before us.
