Page 26 of Suddenly Mine

CHRISTIAN

Christian checked his watch as he paced. It was coming up for half past seven and he still hadn’t seen her. Fifth Avenue was dark and drenched and absolutely heaving with people. It was raining so hard it was impossible to see to the other side of the street, and Carroll’s Department Store had three main entrances, not to mention the staff access doors and loading areas around the back. He didn’t even know what time Merry got off work — for all he knew she’d slipped out already.

What are you doing?he asked himself, wiping the rain from his face. At least he’d had the good sense to pick up another jacket, given Merry still had his lumberjack and the temperature had dropped another few degrees overnight. It was an old Hermès, but he hoped it wouldn’t be too obvious.

He’d gotten off work an hour ago, and he hadn’t managed to stop thinking about the conversation with his father. He didn’t know how to explain it, just that the idea of staying felt too complicated and heavy.

All he knew was that the one thing tempting him to even think about staying was Merry. That and the fact that every time he thought about her, something cinched tight in his chest. Someone had ruined Christmas for her, and though he knew it was dangerous, Christian wanted to make it better before he left.

A gust of bitterly cold wind tore up the street and he pulled his jacket tight around his neck, shivering. A group of people came out of Carroll’s, holding bags and moaning about the weather. He squinted into the store, trying hopelessly to find Merry in the crowds.

“You look like you’ve been swimming in the Hudson.”

The voice startled him, and he spun around like he was being attacked.

“Whoa!” Merry flinched at his sudden movement. “I’m not going to headbutt you again, I promise.”

“Merry!” To his immense astonishment, she was there, wearing his lumberjack coat, the hood pulled up, and her eyes gleaming from the shadows.

“The one and only,” she replied. “What are you doing out here?”

“Waiting,” he said, too flabbergasted to form a complete sentence.

“Waiting for what? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“Uh . . .” He paused, cocking his head. “You.”

Merry started to laugh. “Wait, what?” Her teeth tugged at her bottom lip. “Me? You’re standing on Fifth Avenue in the cold and the rain waiting for me?”

Christian nodded, his pulse racing like the engines of the taxis that roared past.

“Why?” she asked, as if it was the most unbelievable thing in the world that anyone would want to see her.

“I have a plan,” he said. “If you are willing.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “A plan?”

He shoved his hands deep into his wet pockets. “I wanted to kidnap you for the night.”

Her eyes widened and he rushed on. “Not in a weird way. In a Christmas way.”

Merry blinked. “A Christmas way?”

He grinned. “You said you weren’t feeling it this year. Christmas. New York. All of it. I thought that maybe I could change your mind.”

Merry was silent, staring at him through the rain. For a moment, he thought he’d gone too far. Then she pushed herhood back, letting the droplets bead across her hair. “What did you have in mind?”

He smiled wider, feeling the shift, the small miracle of it. “Come with me and find out.”

He hailed a cab and they climbed in out of the drizzle, sitting in the warmth as the driver honked his way across town, shouting so loudly it was impossible to have a conversation. The cab pulled to a juddering halt, Christian paid and ran around to open the door for Merry with a little bow, like they were stepping into a ballroom instead of a crowded Midtown sidewalk.

“Oh, wow,” Merry breathed, taking Christian’s hand as she climbed out of the cab and into the glittering wonderland of Bryant Park Winter Village.

It was utterly magnificent. Strings of red and green bulbs glittered like jewels through the mist, and the scent of roasted chestnuts drifted over from a nearby vendor. Christian didn’t say anything. He just watched her face light up.

“Okay,” she said, turning to him with wide eyes. “This was a good idea.”

The air was thick with the delicious aromas of sizzling meats, cinnamon sugar, melted cheese and spiced cider. Strings of lights criss-crossed overhead, glittering like stars. The booths were bustling, music spilling from speakers, and people wrapped in scarves smiled as they queued. Merry stopped short, soaking it all in.