Page 43 of Jingl
Trace doesn’t answer. Instead, he cups my face and kisses me deeply as the audience around us claps. I don’t know if it’s for the composition, the kiss, our love, or what, but I don’t care. They all dissolve away and it’s just Trace and me on stage.
“I love you, Shae. Jingle. My Shae.” Trace presses his forehead to mine.
“I love you, Trace. Always have.” Always will.
Chapter 21
Trace
As soon as the lights went out and stars projected all over the hall, tears sprang to my eyes. Shae.My Shaetold the entire audience and town that he loves me. Only a handful will know how significant the stars are. Peggy grabbed my hand and squeezed when I sniffled. I couldn’t take my eyes off Shae as he played. Each new part I knew exactly where the composition was in our lives, from childhood to my move to coming back home. So when he finished, I couldn’t keep my trap shut. I had to kiss him. Had to tell him I love him.
Now we’re standing on stage, tears dripping down both our faces. We look like a mess. But Shae is perfect whether he’s happy and smiling or filled with emotion. He’s mine.
Above us, the elf squad whoops and hollers. The audience claps. I feel like I’m caught in a daydream. That’s just Shae and me.
Emily gives us a little bit of time to whisper a few sweet nothings to each other. Then I let Shae go.
“You gotta finish the show, babe.” I kiss his knuckles and walk offstage. Shae’s so pink in the face, probably finally coming back to reality that we just kissed in a packed concert.
Shae waves to the audience as the rest of the orchestra files back in and he rushes to the piano to play a lively “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.”
Peggy takes my hand when I get back to my seat. I’m grateful for this woman in so many ways. She leans in and drops her head on my shoulder.
“My boys. I know you’ll be good to each other.”
“Absolutely.” I can’t take my eyes off Shae as he goes into the second part of the concert. Passion is etched on his face as he plays each note. It really is like he feels each sound in his soul and I hope that never leaves him.
Once the concert is over, Emily takes to the stage once more to thank everyone for coming and supporting the arts. She announces it’s been a record amount of donations and I have to wonder if that’s Shae’s doing.
Peggy stands and stretches. “That was spectacular.”
“It really was.”
“I’m heading home. You two should go out and celebrate or something.”
“I think the elf squad was wanting to do something at Felix’s diner.”
Peggy nods. “Sounds good, kiddo. Enjoy yourselves.” She rubs her hand through my hair as she heads out.
I wait for Shae in the audience. People mill around me, a few giving me congratulations, which makes me feel weird. Shae’s the one with the skills. I’m just the one he chose to love.
Soon enough, the seats are cleared out, and it’s just me waiting. Shae comes flying from the stage and down the stairs until he plows into my arms. He drops his bag behind me. I love the feel of him. The scent of him. The way his hair tickles my nose when he presses his head to my chest. He’s in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but kept the jingling boots. He’d washed his face from the glitter, and he’s simply Shae, which is just as good as Jingle or sparkly Shae. I love him no matter what he wears or looks like.
We stand here for who knows how long, but I’m happy to stand here for eternity, if that’s what Shae wants. But both of our stomachs rumble, making us chuckle. He refused to eat anything other than a protein bar beforehand because he said it’d make his stomach upset.
“Let’s go meet the guys,” I say as I take his hand before I grab his bag and lead him out of the events plaza.
Shae’s a chatterbox as I drive to Felix’s.
“I was so damn nervous.”
“You did amazing. And the stars…” I want to stop and kiss him again, but keep my eyes on the road. “Shae that was beautiful.”
“I thought it was a good fit for us. No matter where we are, we have stars on our ceilings. I wanted to set the romantic mood.”
When my family moved, I’d demanded to have more stars and Dad took me out to buy enough to cover the ceiling just like back home. Dad thought I was being ridiculous since I was fourteen, but I didn’t care. They reminded me of Shae and I needed them. Then when I moved back to Frostdale the first thing I did was get my stars up, with Wendy and Mom laughing as I did.
“I can’t believe you pulled it off without anyone knowing,” I say.
