Page 60 of Suddenly Mine
“Not a chance,” he said, voice still rough. “I’ve been thinking about doing that since I last saw you. Here, I have something for you.”
“You’ve already given me too much,” she said as he reluctantly let go of her. “I can’t accept anything else.”
“This is different.” He held out the box, beautifully wrapped in shiny, red paper. “Please. Open it.”
With shaking fingers, Merry picked at the paper, carefully opening the present. Inside was a black box, and when she opened it her jaw dropped.
“Do you—” Christian started, worried that she hated it. “I mean, if you don’t . . .”
“I love it.” She gently took the elegant silver chain out of the box and held it up in front of her. Hanging from the end of it was the beautiful silver spiral that had once belonged to his mum, that now spun magically in the air in front of her. “Oh, Christian, I love it so much. But you shouldn’t have.”
“I didn’t buy it,” he said. “It belonged to my mum.”
Merry looked past the spiral, and he could barely see her face through his sudden blur of tears. He cleared his throat.
“She loved spirals,” he said. “They always reminded her of life, of love. Things don’t always seem to be going in the direction you want them to, but—”
“You’re always moving forward,” Merry said alongside him.
He smiled at her, frowning. “How did you know?”
“Because she’s right.”
“May I?” he said, and she turned, allowing him to fasten the necklace. The glittering spiral complemented the dress completely, a perfect finishing touch. He took Merry in his arms again, leaning down and kissing the top of her head.
And in that moment, something shifted in him. It was like the loose strands of his life — the lies, the half-truths, the guarded pieces he’d held back — began to weave themselves into something whole again. He felt it settle in his chest with quiet certainty. After tonight, he was going to tell her everything.
“Let’s dance.” He held out his hand and Merry took it.
The band had switched songs, and one of the clerks from the store had taken the mic, belting out a Nat King Cole tune with a pretty good voice. Christian and Merry danced together, not a care in the world. They danced as if they knew the night would go on for ever.
It was only when the crowd started to clap that Christian looked up. The song had finished and the girl with the microphone left the stage with a curtsy.
“Any other takers?” said the singer from the band, offering the microphone to the audience.
“How about it?” asked Christian. “A duet?”
Merry laughed, then realised he was being serious. “In front of all these people? No way!”
“It doesn’t have to be for them,” he said. “It’s just for us.”
Merry hesitated. “Okay,” she said, laughing. “Okay, let’s do it.”
He took her hand, leading her through the crowd. People started cheering as they saw them, and the singer handed the microphone to Christian.
“Any requests?” the singer asked.
Merry smiled. “‘Baby It’s Cold Outside?’” she replied, looking at Christian.
He nodded enthusiastically. “You read my mind.”
The band kicked off, the music almost overpowering. It was incredible, intoxicating, especially when Christian lifted the microphone to his mouth. For a moment, his mind a drew a blank. Then the words began to flow.
The rest of the room seemed to melt away until it was just the two of them. Merry held Christian’s hand, singing her heart out just for him. It really was as if they had been put under a spell, a wonderful, unbreakable spell that would hold them in this moment like a snow globe.
They sang the last line together, reaching a crescendo.
The band ended the song with a flourish, and the crowd broke into rapturous applause, the sound of it pulling Merry back to the real world. She looked around, feeling suddenly sheepish at standing there in front of everyone. But there was so much goodwill in the room, so much warmth, that she quickly found herself smiling again.