Page 76 of Mistletoe Misses
He grins, and I swear my toes tingle from that one small tip of his lips. “That’s okay. I’d much prefer a seduction over a compliment any day.”
With a quick kiss on my forehead, he holds the door open for me to enter after the others.
It takes only a few minutes to secure a table to seat the group, and we order dinner and drinks. Some of us even sign up for karaoke, while others claim they’d never touch a microphone.
We learn that Aaron is one of the former since he’s the first in our group to be called to the stage. Instead of a Christmas song like everyone before him had chosen, the music to “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake starts, and the full restaurant erupts. With each added dance move and butchered lyric, energy rumbles through the room again. Most everyone here knows to expect this from him, but he has a handful of tourists on their feet, cheering for more. It’s impossible not to cringe at the scene he’s making but also appreciate the free-spirited way he puts himself out there. He’s Maddox’s opposite in every way.
“Are you sure you two are related?” I ask him, earning a chuckle.
“He’s an anomaly, for sure.”
I smile at a long-time waitress here as she walks by our table, and she bends down to talk to us over the noise. “I’m rooting for you two.”
My eyes dart to a dumbfounded Maddox. He watches her scurry off but says nothing. Several minutes later, I’m given theyou’re up nextsignal from the DJ right before one of our high school classmates tiptoes to the table.
“I knew this day would come. I’m so happy for you,” she says.
Although Maddox sits next to me, he’s kept me at a distance physically—his attempt to subdue the rumor mill in a public setting. But he doesn’t realize he lost control the second we stepped inside together.
As he spins in his seat to face me, giving his back to the others, I survey the surrounding tables. Too many eyes are watching us for his comfort, and it shows in the new lines bracketing his eyes.
“What’s happening right now?”
“Everyone knows our secret.”
“How?”
“Oh, honey.” I don’t dare touch him in case he’s thinking about retreating. “If the window painting wasn’t blaring enough, the kiss you planted on me in front of it certainly said it all.”
“That was yesterday.”
“You’re not in Boston anymore. News travels faster here.” Surveying his thoughtful expression, I ask, “What do you want to do?”
He’s silent for a beat, then the best words I’ve heard in a long while flow from his lips with resolve. “Sing our song to me.”
“Maddox … I … Are you sure?”
“Ready for your special treat?” The crowd’s deafening applause in response to the DJ prevents Maddox from answering. I watch for any hesitation or concern from him as the DJ continues. “Put your hands together for Ember Falls’ country music sweetheart, Carmen Delilah.” The use of my stage name instead of the one I wrote on the form causes a flash of pain to darken Maddox’s eyes, but he quickly recovers.
“Go.”
I only half believe that he understands what he’s asking for, but at this point, I have no choice but to accept every inch he offers and trust him. He’s in for a little surprise, though. He doesn’t know I rewrote some of the lyrics.
The night he waltzed back into my life and flipped it upside down, I couldn’t sleep. All I could do was the one thing that used to bring me the most peace. I wrote a song. The drive to write left me when I escaped Ember Falls, but that night, nearly ten years later, the words flowed again—all because my muse was back.
The audience quiets as I speak with the DJ to change my song and step to mic stand. With a microphone in hand, I’m rarelynervous, especially with Maddox watching, but the spotlight is shining on more than just me this time. It’s on us.
Supercharged butterflies take off in my belly as the guitar strums the first notes, sending the first time I ever played that chord flowing through my mind. I had been sitting on the floor of my childhood bedroom for hours, seeking the right combination of notes and words to tell the boy I loved how much he meant to me.
And here I am again, singing my heart to the man I love.
“This one’s for you, babe.”
The audience’s collective gaze follows mine to Maddox. Despite everyone witnessing our heated exchange, his eyes never leave my face. There’s no mistaking how he feels about what’s happening between us. It’s the moment I’ve been waiting for since we talked on the street curb that first Sunday. Now that it’s finally happening, those electric flutters surge again, and I doubt they’ll ever stop.
He’s ready for me.
???
