Page 24 of Promise Yule Be Mine (Christmas Falls: Season 2)

24

NOVA

“ S o…how is the wedding coming along?” Nikita asked and I stared at him.

He had a very cheeky grin on his face. Did he know about his brother and me? Had he figured it out? Or was he just being a funny guy, considering how many wedding mishaps we’d had up until now?

Kody choked on the mouthful of stew he was chewing and Jenna started patting his back while staring at me as if she expected me to answer. I mean, it would fall on me if I were still planning her wedding, but I wasn’t. I wasn’t planning any wedding. Well, maybe mine if we decided to go ahead with her crazy idea, but so far Kody hadn’t touched on the subject and I was too scared to bring it up.

Besides, it was probably for the best if we didn’t go through with it. I mean who in their right mind married someone after barely a month of knowing them? It’d be sheer insanity. Sheer insanity that I wanted to revel in, but that was neither here or there.

“Uhm…” I turned to Nikita. “It’s going…well?”

It was the best I could manage under the circumstances.

“Are you not sure?” Nikita frowned but that grin was still plastered on his face.

Oh, he wasn’t even my brother and I wanted to smack him on the back of the head. Especially if he knew what he was doing.

“I…I am.” I cleared my throat and straightened up. “Yeah, yes. Everything is going well.”

“If you say so,” he replied and returned to his plate while Kody’s parents stared at their sons in utter befuddlement.

“Just a week left until the big day,” Mrs. Campbell said after a minute of silence. “How do you feel, sweetie?” She grabbed Jenna’s hand and squeezed, and I didn’t miss the way my friend’s cheeks turned red.

Okay, this was officially torture. I had no idea why I’d agreed to this dinner. I mean, I knew Kody wanted his parents to get to know me, but I’d rather we told them the truth than having to lie throughout the evening. It definitely wouldn’t score any points in my favor when they’d find out about me and what was really going on.

Jenna pursed her lips and stared at her plate.

“Boy, I’m full,” she said instead of answering Shelly’s question, which only made Kody’s mom’s frown deeper.

“Is something going on?” she asked Kody.

Kody paused and dropped his spoon back into his plate. He cleared his throat.

“Actually,” he said, “there’s something I wanted to say.”

I grimaced.

Was he about to tell them the truth? Was he about to admit that Jenna and he are not going ahead with their wedding? My gut took a tumble but my heart sank. I was both excited and terrified.

“What’s happened? Are you guys okay?” Mr. Campbell asked.

Kody nodded and pushed his chair back.

“This might come as a shock, but…the last few weeks have been the best of my life,” he said to everyone around the table before his gaze rested on me. “I met the most wonderful person I could ever have the luck of meeting and even though I might not know his favorite color or his favorite movie yet, I know more than enough about him to know that I want to do this.”

He dropped to one knee and put his hand into his pocket. My heart leapt and I couldn’t peel my eyes away from his bright, wonderful eyes and the way he looked at me.

“What’s going on?” Shelly exclaimed, but Jenna shushed her.

“Nova, my sweet, sweet Nova, you came into my life like a supernova that illuminated all the parts of me I’d been trying to suppress, to hide, to quieten.” He took my hand in his and held it close to his lips. I couldn’t breathe. “You made me fall for you a little more each day until I couldn’t take it anymore and no one in all my life has ever made me feel this way. That’s why I know you’re the one for me and I would be the happiest man on Earth if you agreed to marry me.”

“What?” Kody’s dad shouted.

“Oh my God!” Nikita cooed.

But I didn’t have eyes for any of them. I couldn’t look at anyone but him.

He opened the little ring box he held in his free hand and revealed a golden band with a floral filigree pattern all around and a small spattering of diamonds here and there.

It reminded me of Christmas and Christmas Falls, of warm cuddles in bed and holding his hand on the ice rink. It was the perfect representation of all he made me feel and exactly to my style. I could barely breathe, let alone talk, but somehow I found my words, shaky as they were and said:

“Y-yes. I’ll marry you Kody. I’m in love with you too and it would make me so happy to spend the rest of my life with you.”

His smile widened and he pulled the ring out so he could slip it around my finger. I froze, the metal both cool and constricting yet it was the most wonderful feeling I’d ever felt.

I was engaged.

I was engaged to Kody. The most perfect man in the world.

This couldn’t be real. This had to be a dream. A fever dream. Something.

And yet, when Kody pulled me close and gave me the biggest kiss he’d ever given me I knew the truth. I knew this was real. This was my life.

“Will someone tell us what the heck is going on? Kody? Jenna?” Shelly demanded.

Kody pulled away but still held my hand. “Right,” he said. “Sorry. I meant to say but I was so nervous I just jumped right into it.”

“Jump right into what? I’m so confused? Are you guys in a throuple? Is that what you’re trying to tell us?” Shelly asked.

“No, Mom. We’re not a throuple. The…the truth is…” Kody glanced at Jenna and she gave him an encouraging nod. “Jenna and I were only getting married so we could have a family. We were never a couple or in love. I mean, I love her, but as my best friend. We just decided we had enough of dating assholes and thought we would skip straight into having a family.”

“Okay,” Shelly said. “So…you’re not getting married?”

Jenna shook her head. “I changed my mind. I didn’t want to give up on love,” she said. “And I didn’t want Kody to give up either, especially after I saw how into Nova he was and vice versa.”

Shelly looked at me and I pursed my lips bracing for whatever she wanted to throw my way.

“To be honest,” she said. “I’m relieved.”

“What?” Kody asked.

“Well, yes, I’m relieved. One day you came home and said you’re engaged when you haven’t been with Jenna since your early twenties and that only lasted a month.”

“Two,” Jenna corrected, only to get glared down by Shelly.

“I sensed there was something wrong when neither of you seemed too excited about the wedding. At least not after the initial announcement. I mean, you didn’t even send invites until two weeks ago. So yeah, I’m relieved.”

“Oh,” Kody said.

“And don’t get us started on you two,” Nikita said, waving a hand between Kody and me.

“What?” I asked.

Michael, Kody’s dad, laughed. “You two can’t stop staring at each other. I was actually embarrassed for Jenna because you never look at her that way.”

Shelly nodded.

“So…you knew?” Kody asked.

“Not knew , but we could tell there was something going on,” Michael answered.

“Well,” Kody said, “I’m glad you could sense something, because I’m in love with Nova and we decided, with your blessing of course, to get married next week.”

Shelly’s eyes almost popped out of her head.

“So soon? Are you sure?”

Kody brought my hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

“Well, in that case…” Shelly pushed her chair back and walked around the table to embrace us both, followed by Michael and Nikita.

“You guys are adorable together,” Nikita said when he let go of me.

“Thanks. We think so too.” I chuckled.

“Jett is going to be so shocked when he finds out,” he said.

I turned to Kody, the question obvious on my face. “He’s our best friend. He knew about Jenna and I but I haven’t told him about you. He’s been busy.”

“Well, I think everyone is going to be shocked,” Jenna said. “I’ve got an idea.”

Kody and I groaned.

“No. No more of your wild ideas.”

“I was only going to say why don’t we surprise everyone at the wedding?”

I narrowed my eyes, staring at her. “I need to get your head tested.”

She embraced me. “It was just a suggestion. Why bother explaining it to everyone. Let them all find out at the same time.”

I groaned again.

Why did she start making sense when I knew full well she didn’t?

“Yeah, why don’t we do it during the speeches at the party when everyone will be super confused,” Kody suggested, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Oh,” she jumped on the spot. “I just remembered. Please don’t kill me.”

“What?” I glared at her.

“Nothing. I just…well, when I was away I sort of…canceled the catering.”

“What?” Kody said.

“Please don’t be angry with me.” She looked from him to me, tail between her legs and I couldn’t help but laugh. “What? Why are you laughing?”

“Nothing. You’re just lucky I know a guy. And he owes me a favor.”