Page 11 of Christmas Kisses (Majestic Falls: Christmas Spice #2)

Jessica

Two Weeks Later…

“You okay, hon?” I asked, tilting my head to catch the eyes of Katie, one of the shop’s parttime employees, a college student at Falls University, about a half mile from here. The girl, who was a few years younger than me, looked miserable.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, her eyes sliding to where a group of a few guys and some other girls sat around one of the small tables in the shop. Judging from the builds of the guys and the jerseys they wore, I had to guess they were hockey players.

“You know them?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she practically growled, spinning away to grab a broom.

Okay, there was something going on there, and she didn’t want to talk about it. Still, she practically seethed as she watched the group from the corner of her eye, and when one of the girls put her hand on the arm of one guy, Katie’s knuckles went so white I thought she’d snap the broom handle.

“Hey,” I said, coming up beside her. “We need to get the strawberries dipped tonight, because we have extra work to do in the morning. How about you head into the back and do a few trays for me?”

She glanced at the group again. “Sure.”

I noticed the guy, who seemed to have brought out my employee’s reaction, watching her retreat, his jaw clenched. Interesting.

“We’re closing in ten minutes,” I called to the group before I started wiping the counters.

I was anxious to be done for the night. Micha would be picking me up from the shop soon, and after a quick change at his place—soon to be our place, he assured me—we were heading over to the town center for the Christmas Market and caroling.

Caleb and Melody would be joining us, and I was excited to spend more time with them. We’d seen them regularly over the past weeks, and Melody was quickly becoming a good friend.

“Tell Katie I’ll be waiting for her outside so I can walk her home,” the guy she’d been watching told me.

“And you are?”

“She’ll know.”

“Well, I don’t,” I said, eyeing him and his jersey that said JAMES.

“I’m Ruger James. Her brother’s friend.”

I nodded, barely stopping myself from laughing at that dynamic. Brother’s best friend, huh? I had to wonder about how that was going for these two. Not well, I’d guess.

Micha pushed through the doors just as I’m Rugar James her totally off-limits crush walked out. Okay, he hadn’t said that, but he might as well have.

“Hey, babe,” Micha said. “Almost ready?”

My gaze ran over his green and red sweater with a giant moose in a Christmas scarf on the front. “Almost. Nice sweater.”

“Don’t be jealous. Yours is at home. Do you need any help?”

“I just sent Katie back to dip strawberries. That whole station will need to be cleaned up, and the candy from the cases needs to be stored, but otherwise, I’m done.”

“We can finish up here,” Moriah, one of my full-timers said as she came around the corner and started pulling trays from the case. “If you want to lock the front door, we can lock up the rest when we go.”

“You’re sure?” I asked as Micha came around the corner and pulled me to his side.

“She’s been doing this for years longer than you,” he said against my temple as he kissed me there. “She’s sure.”

Moriah’s chuckle agreed with him as she disappeared into the back with her hands full.

“I missed you today,” he said, pulling me against him face-to-face. His lips covered mine in a quick, workplace-acceptable kiss.

“Not my fault you had to work,” I teased.

He chuckled. “Good thing I was home, though. Your moving cube showed up today.”

“It did? It wasn’t supposed to get here for a few more days.”

“Merry Christmas early. You know what this means…”

“What?” I asked, looking up at him. He looked as smug as if he’d just been nominated for an Academy Award for his music score—something I was sure would happen someday.

“Everything you own, except for what you traveled here with, is at my house. Our house. You can be all moved in for Christmas, and I can wake up with you every morning from now on.”

“Spoiler alert: you kinda have been.” We hadn’t been apart for a single night since the day I’d decided I was staying in Majestic Falls, and not for a single moment had I regretted that choice, either.

“Yeah, but I want to know you’re coming home to me every night, or I’m coming home to you if I’ve had to be away. I want to know I’m waking with you in my arms every morning. I…”

“What?” I asked, breathless. He’d been on a roll, and his sudden pause jarred me.

“I was going to wait…until tonight to ask you, but now, here, seems…right.”

“Micha…?”

“I know it hasn’t been long, but we both know this is forever for us. I love you. You love me—”

“I do,” I verified, my heartrate taking off as I guessed where this was heading.

He didn’t loosen his hold on me, didn’t get on one knee. His arms stayed wrapped around me as his forehead tipped to mine. “I’m…pretty sure you know what I’m going to say…”

“Say it.”

“Jessica, I love you with all my heart. Will you marry me?”

Tears filled my eyes, and I nodded. “Yes. Yes!”

He was right. This was the perfect place, where I was surrounded by love and the enduring presence of my grandma. This perfect place was where this love between Micha and I would grow and flourish and become our happily ever after, too.