Page 77 of Mistletoe Misses
Maddox
My brain struggles to comprehend what my ears are hearing. For one, I can’t get past how stunning she looks with the lights on her. Everything about her—her ocean-blue eyes, angelic voice, unwavering conviction—as she pours her love into the lyrics takes my breath away.
Now for a thousand miles
And for all of our years
We’ll never have to question
We have all we need here
I hear Mom gasp behind me and feel Kendall’s hand on my arm, but I can’t look away from my world singing to me like she used to. Except this time, it hits me harder and square in the chest. We may have drifted apart over the years, but true love never diminishes. In our case, the time apart seems to have made it indestructible.
I wish I had seen it sooner
But glad I see it now
From this day ’til forever
We’ll make every second count
Every word fills me with a shot of liquid courage, and as she belts out the final note, I rocket to my feet and make my way to the front of the stage. She opens her eyes and finds me standing there, accepting the love she poured into the song, and jumps into my arms.
The applause is louder this time, cheering on an ideal more than us—the romantic belief that love can survive through adversity and destructive life choices. Love is the foundation of hope. Without it, all is lost. If I’ve learned anything since returning to Ember Falls, it’s thatI’mmisplaced without love in my life. The love and support of my family, the people who give me a place to call home, and the woman who makes me whole.
With Carmen using her entire body to hold me, I can see that now. I’d been wasting away, a wandering, and numb fraction of the man I want to be, for far too long. It feels incredible to be me again.
“I guess it’s official,” she says as she unravels her legs and finds the floor again. “I’m your girlfriend in public and private.”
“And I’m your boyfriend.”
“Want to seal that with a kiss?”
To answer, I dip her back as I did outside the window painting and kick it up a level, more than lust fueling the gesture thistime. I know we have an audience and that they’re hanging onto every movement we make, but if they’re going to butt into our moment, we might as well give them a show.
???
“That was quite the scene you made in there,” Cooper says on the way to our next destination. Carmen had been intercepted by Kaitlyn as soon as we exited the bar, who is surely phishing for the same information Cooper will be in this conversation.
I size him up, not surprised that he didn’t wear a stitch of Christmas-themed clothing. At least I made an effort.
“Gotta give her credit, though,” he adds before I can respond. “I thought it would take longer.”
For what he’s implying, all he’ll get from me is a scowl.
He ignores me and shrugs. “Maybe you’ve embellished your feelings on the matter over the years.”
“I don’t embellish.”
“No. You’ve always been a straight shooter unless it involves her. Then, you tuck tail and run.”
“Not anymore.”
“Thank goodness. Now Mom can stop praying for your dumb ass to come out of hiding.”
An audible exhale forces its way out of my body. It would be nice if people would stop bringing up my poor choices. I was a dejected recluse. I get it. Can we move on now? “I wasn’t hiding.”
“The hell you weren’t. Welcome back to the real world, dumbass.” He slaps my back and jogs forward to catch up with Izzie.
