Page 31 of Better Not Pout
Ally hums and rolls her eyes, but she’s got a grin on her lips, so she’s really just giving him shit.
What she doesn’t know is that he’s been practicing asking her to marry him for two months now, and he’s been planning the proposal at Cedar Ridge so that everyone is there to see it.
Or to say about damn time, if we’re being honest.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ally. I love your scarf. It’s so cute,” Rosalie says as she glances down at the lavender scarf. “It looks so soft.”
“Oh my God, it really is. I told Zander earlier I wanted to have a pillow made out of this. I got it at this little boutique in Strawberry Hollow! We should go one day?”
Rosalie nods enthusiastically, a smile spreading on her face. “I’d love that. My best friend, Kennedy, would probably love to come too. We can exchange numbers later, and you can text me whenever you’re back in town.”
“Yes, that would be so fun!” Ally says, slipping her arm in the crook of Zander’s. “Do you guys want to go check out the vendors? I saw some of the cutest things earlier when we passed.”
I look over at Rosalie, letting her be the one to answer. I have something planned for later, but other than that, I’m happy to do whatever she wants to. Honestly, I like seeing the town from her view.
“Oh, yes. There are so many more booths this year too. Usually, it’s smaller, but I think a lot of people came over this year from Strawberry Hollow,” Rosalie says as she slides her hand around the curve of my elbow, looking up at me with a smile. “Now that Wells is a permanent resident of Mistletoe Falls, he can get a mistletoe ornament from one of the booths and hang it on the tree here in Town Square. It’s tradition.”
Instinctively, I pull her closer to my side, my mouth curving. “Can’t wait, Sugar.”
“Sugar?” Zander snorts, pulling both of our attention to him. He’s got a shit-eating grin from ear to fucking ear, and I grunt, “Don’t start.”
He lifts his hands in surrender. “Sorry, but that’s so fucking cute, baby brother. Adorable, really.” He looks down at Allybefore saying, “Babe, Sweet Sullivan’s is her family’s candy store. You loved their lemon drops.”
Ally’s face lights up, realization dawning. “Oh my God, yes! They were to die for. I’m hoarding the remaining ones all for myself. Sorry, not sorry, Zan.”
Rosalie giggles softly. “I don’t blame you. They’re my favorite thing too. You should try the caramel trees. They’re my Gramps’ specialty, and I swear, they just melt in your mouth. Honestly, he’s the magician behind all of the candy. He and my Grams run everything flawlessly.”
I think Rosalie might be the magic, and I’m not sure if she even realizes it.
“You’re just as much of an important part of the store as your grandparents are,” I say before looking over at Zander and Ally, who are staring at us with interest. Lifting my shoulder, I shrug. “She’s just being modest. Rosalie has a hand in every single thing at Sweet Sullivan’s, and I know she’s got big, exciting plans for the future of the store, right, Sugar?”
Her cheeks warm, and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, nodding. “One day. I really love making cookies, and I’d love to sell them in the store in the future. Right now, I only make them in my spare time… which is pretty scarce during the busy season. But, yes, I want to expand Sweet Sullivan’s to even more than it is now one day.” Suddenly, her eyes widen. “Oh. Speaking of sweets… if you have a sweet tooth, then we have to go get a churro. That booth over there has the best.”
“Hell yeah,” Zander says. “Let’s go there after the booths?”
With everyone in agreement, we make a quick pass through the vendors, the girls grabbing a bunch of different things. A lot of the vendors have handmade stuff, and I can tell that Rosalie’s drawn to the artistry. She purchases a few things for Kennedy and for her grandparents before she turns to me once we get to one of the last booths in the section.
“Didn’t you say that your mom collected Christmas villages?”
“Yeah. She’s got a collection that takes up a whole bookshelf at the cabin.”
Rosalie grabs my hand, tugging me to the end of the table, and picks up a small building. “Look at this one. It’s a replica of Sweet Sullivan’s! The owner says she makes all of these out of clay by hand. Do you think your mom would maybe… like it? For her village?”
For a moment, words are stuck somewhere in my throat, and I swallow, trying to unlodge them.
I can’t even believe she remembered something small I mentioned in passing about my mom, and I’m taken aback by how sweet the gesture is.
When I don’t respond, her eyes widen slightly, and she sets it back down onto the table. “Oh gosh, it was just an idea. I thought she might like it, and I didn’t want to show up empty-h?—”
“She’d love it, Sugar. Hell, she’ll probably cry,” I say, cutting her off. Grabbing her hand, I clutch it in mine, sweeping my thumb along the top, feeling her soft, silky skin beneath the pad as I lean in closer. “Thank you. That’s really thoughtful, and I know she’ll be ecstatic. You don’t have to bring anything though, you know that, right?”
Rosalie’s throat bobs, and she nods, holding my gaze intently. “I know. I want to.”
It’s an unexpectedly… intimate moment between us, one that makes my chest tight with the need to kiss her.
I lean forward and brush my lips gently along hers in a brief kiss before pulling back and lifting her hand to my lips and dropping a kiss there.
I don’t say anything more because I think the kiss said everything without having to say another word.
