Page 128 of Royal Icing
“It’s something that will uplift us and bring us together in new ways,” he said. “The garden will grow food for the people in town and teach our children about agriculture. The library will educate our children, help our adults, and open doors to other worlds for people who just need to escape for a little while. The new soup kitchen will feed and shelter our hungry. All of this isonly possible because you stood with me. You made your voices heard. I hope that you always do. Because together, as your new minister for charitable giving—or whatever my new title is”—a chuckle rippled through the crowd—“we can do some amazing things.”
He scanned the audience. “I’m going to be setting up a website where you can leave suggestions for services or amenities you’d like to see in your community. I’m also going to be visiting each province this year to host some town hall meetings and see what matters most to you all. Thank you so much for your time and for your belief in this project. Now go spend the holidays with your families.”
He put the microphone down, and the crowd whistled and cheered. Together with Kat and Pierre, he dug the golden shovel into the partially frozen earth and broke the ground. This was the moment he had been working toward for months. It was amazing—the culmination of a dream he had fought for with everything he had—but it didn’t mean as much without Emma at his side.
When would he see her again? He was still onboarding as a new member of parliament. He didn’t even have an office yet, let alone a staff. It would be difficult to get away to New York with everything so in flux. Would serving his country always mean such deeply personal sacrifice?
He tried to dismiss the thoughts as he shook hands and took pictures with a number of people in the crowd, but his heart wasn’t in it.
He missed waking up and watching as she smiled and rolled away from him, hair tousled from a night of lovemaking. They had known each other for so short a time, but there was no denying the staggering depths of his feelings for her.
From the moment the project received the green light, he had been working on a new plan. There was no guarantee it wouldconvince her, and he wasn’t certain that he was understanding succession rights for rent-controlled apartments correctly. Why would Emma compromise her carefully curated goals to move here for six months out of the year?
But he had to try. As soon as he got his first paycheck from parliament, he was going to buy her a plane ticket and make his plea.
He shook the last hand and said goodbye to Kat and Pierre, who were examining the lot. He was almost back to his truck when he noticed someone was leaning against it. His hackles went up for an instant, anticipating the press wanting a comment on his personal life. But he broke into a smile when he recognized who stood there.
Emma.
“What are you doing here?” he gathered her into his arms and squeezed her tightly, lifting her into the air.
“I wanted to see the groundbreaking. You were amazing,” she said into his lapel, slightly muffled by the fabric.
He pulled back just to look at her again. It was really her. The glow of the white Christmas lights strung above brought out the spun gold in her hair. She must have been exhausted, but she was unbelievably lovely.
Finally, finally, everything was perfect. Well, almost.
“I can’t believe you came,” he said. “You didn’t have to do that. But I’m so glad you’re here. I—I wanted to show you something.”
The nerves had reemerged. It was now or never.
“Can we talk first?” she asked.
He froze. Did she come all this way to break up with him face to face? On Christmas Eve? The thought was unbearable. All of this would mean nothing without her. If it hadn’t been for her and Lola, this project never would have gotten off the ground.
“Of course.”
They set off toward the village green. Snow drifted down, big fat flakes that dusted her jacket and caught in her hair. House windows glowed with happy families crowded around fireplaces and sharing meals. A group was caroling down the street. It was the perfect Christmas Eve, if someone liked that sort of thing.
The silence was killing him.
“Did you want to go to my apartment to warm up and chat?”
“No, my mom’s there and I don’t really want to say this in front of her. I hope you don’t mind that I used your spare key.”
“Of course not.” His heart rate inched up another notch. The unknown was killing him.
They stopped in the center of town, under a crisscross of brilliantly colored lights. The lone traffic light shifted to red, policing vehicles that weren’t there.
Emma turned to him and took both of his hands. She was really here. No matter what she had to say, he was so happy to see her.
“This is going to sound insane,” she began. She averted her gaze, glancing over her shoulder at the merry carolers, who had switched to “Silent Night.”
“Go on,” he said.
She turned back to him. “I’m in love with you.”
A thousand feelings hit him at the same time—joy, disbelief, a soaring sensation like he had just been catapulted into the air.
