Page 23 of Promise Yule Be Mine (Christmas Falls: Season 2)
23
KODY
I couldn’t believe the whirlwind of the last few days. How everything had gone down and more importantly how everything had worked out.
Yes, Jenna’s suggestion was wild at best, but like she said, we didn’t have to commit to anything just yet. We simply had to spend time with one another without the pressure of my promise to Jenna or Nova’s faithfulness to his best friend. We could just be us, and it was liberating.
However, since we weren’t going to announce any updates on the wedding we had to keep ourselves on the DL, at least as far as Christmas Falls was concerned. Spending time with our wedding planner might not have been suspicious but if my supposed bride was never with us it could get people talking and after everything we’d been through, that was the last thing we needed. So after a day spent at the Milton Falls Christmas Tree Farm Light Maze and Frosty’s for cocktails I decided enough was enough and made alternate arrangements.
“So, where are we going today?” Nova asked from the passenger seat.
He was facing the back, his hand between the two seats, feeding Cookie and Milk some of the treats I’d bought from the Arts and Crafts Fair.
“It’s a surprise,” I said and kept driving.
I drove through town, through the suburbs all the way out onto the interstate and into Springfield by memory alone. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise so the GPS had stayed off the whole drive. Even when I got lost trying to find the bed and breakfast.
“What is that?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“What does it look like?” I smiled.
“I know what it is. What I meant is what are we doing here?”
I turned off the engine and turned to face him.
“I thought it was high time we spent some alone time away from prying eyes, so for the next three days we are staying here and doing whatever we damn well please.”
Nova’s eyes went wide and his smile deepened. “That’s very sweet of you, Kody. But I don’t have any clothes with me.”
“Not to worry. Jenna packed a bag for you and snuck it out into the car.”
“Really?” His grin reached from ear to ear.
“Unless you don’t like it? We can always just go back.”
He shook his head. “Of course I like it. I’m just…no one’s ever surprised me like this. I…I like it.”
I reached for his thigh and gave it a squeeze, feeling both warm and light because I was finally able to do so, knowing he wanted me the same way I wanted him.
“In that case, I’m sure I can make a habit of it.”
He didn’t respond. Just smiled and leaned in to kiss me. That was enough for me to make a mental note to come up with more and more things to surprise him with, both in the next couple of weeks and, God willing, for the rest of our lives.
But first things first…
“What do you say? Should we check in?”
He nodded and we exited the car, unclipped the dogs from the back seat and walked inside. The woman at reception took my name and in a matter of seconds gave us our key and took us to our room.
“I’m surprised it’s ready already,” Nova said as we walked down the hallway.
“I paid for early check-in and late check-out so we can have all the time we want.”
“Here you go,” the receptionist opened the door. “The bathroom is right over there and you’ll find our doggie welcome package on the coffee table. Anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask.”
She closed the door behind her and left us to our own devices. Which started with testing just how comfortable the bed was.
Then we opened the welcome package for the dogs, which included a dental stick for each, a stuffed toy perfect for shredding and cuddling, a ball and a Christmas-themed bag of treats in the shape of gingerbread men, Christmas trees and holly.
“I feel like lunch,” Nova said after we’d unpacked and changed clothes.
We pried the dogs away from their little gifts and went out into town.
“Anything in particular you’re craving?” I asked and turned into Grand Avenue.
“I don’t know. What kind of food do you like? I could do with some Asian.”
“Do you like Korean Barbecue? Or Indian? Springfield has pretty much anything.”
“Hmmm. I wouldn’t be opposed to Indian, if you’re not.”
I smiled and shook my head. “I love Indian.”
“Perfect,” he said and I had the sense his question had been a test. A test I’d passed with flying colors.
To be honest, he had too.
I may have been the owner of an All-American pub but that didn’t mean I wasn’t into food from all around the world. I mean, I wasn’t going to kick him to the curb if he only liked burgers and fries, but it would make life so much easier if our interests aligned.
I found a selection of Indian restaurants in the area and we made our way to one I’d heard good things about. We walked onto the heated terrace and took a seat.
Nova rubbed his hands together and blew on them, and I felt a tad guilty.
“Shoot. I didn’t think of that.”
“Huh?” Nova frowned and turned to me.
“I’m so used to sitting outside all year round if I have the dogs that I didn’t think they’d be a problem if I brought them over.”
“What? Nonsense. I love that you brought them with us. It shows how important they are to you. And if they’re important to you, they have to be important to your partner.”
Partner .
That word had always left a bitter taste in my mouth but for some reason, when Nova said it, it didn’t sound so bad.
“So you don’t mind?” I looked down at his hands and he smiled.
“Of course not. Although maybe we can switch seats if you don’t mind so I can be under the heater.”
I glanced at the lava-red lamp above me and nodded. “Sure,” I said and stood when Nova stared at me with a smirk on his face. “What?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “Actually, why don’t you stay put and I can scooch right next to you.”
“That works too,” I said and sat back down, pulling my chair to the side so Nova could fit his beside me.
“There,” he said, threading his fingers through mine. “Much better.”
I stared at him, the butterflies in my stomach going completely haywire and spreading through every part of me, through all my limbs, my mind, and I couldn’t help but breathe him in, breathe in the moment and revel in the way he made me feel.
“What?” he asked when I hadn’t stopped staring for a while.
“Nothing. I…I was just thinking how perfect you are,” I said.
I didn’t know what someone melting looked like, but the way Nova reacted to my words could be described perfectly as melting into a puddle. He leaned closer, his lips seeking mine, and I put us both out of our misery and kissed him.
“That’s not fair,” he said when we pulled away from each other.
“What’s not fair?”
“You’re the one who’s perfect. Not me.”
“Let’s just agree we’re both perfect then.”
“That’s mighty big of us.” He grinned.
“No one else has to know we’re perfect. It will be our own perfect little secret.”
I offered my hand and we shook on it as if it were a business deal.
“Are you ready to order?” our waiter asked, and we had to stop gazing into each other’s eyes to get some food.
We ended up with a lot of poppadoms, peshwari naan drizzled with honey and coconut shavings to share, keema rice and a lentil dal and a lamb rogan josh. It was all delicious but it tasted even better thanks to the company, which was all kinds of promising for our future together, wasn’t it?
“How about we burn some calories?” I suggested when we came out and dropped the dogs back at the bed and breakfast before heading to the ice rink where we spent the next hour going around in circles holding hands like they did in the movies.
I fully expected having to teach Nova how to skate but it turned out he was as proficient as I was, meaning we could just about skate without falling and breaking our knees, which was more than enough to have a good time.
“I’m sleepy,” he said when we left the rink.
“Skating will do that to you. Let’s go back to the room and have a little nap.”
“Mr. Campbell, I like the way you think,” he said, and pulled me by the jumper to plant a kiss to my lips, making me go weak at the knees.
And that was pretty much exactly how our mini getaway went, with lots of kisses, lots of food, and lots of holiday adventures.
Which was why when we were driving back to Christmas Falls on Monday afternoon, accompanied by Michael Bublé Christmas songs, with Nova’s hand on my leg and his eyes on me while I drove, I knew I wanted this. I wanted this comfortable, warm, cozy feeling for the rest of my life.
I knew what I wanted to do when the week was up. I knew I wanted to marry Nova and hold on to him and this feeling in my heart for as long as I lived and breathed.
I just hoped he felt the same.
I needed to make sure he knew I wanted to marry him for him and not because I didn’t want to waste the money we’d already paid.
I needed him to know that I wanted to marry him because I loved him.
I wanted to marry this supernova of a man who had scorched my very soul from the moment I’d laid eyes on him.