Chapter 12
twelve
. . .
Wells
Sleighed It
Part of me is still contemplating turning back and hitting Bradley in his pompous, smug face, even after he’s gone out of sight.
I told her to forget about him, yet here I am, still thinking about punching the shit out of him.
But fuck, he’s such a goddamn prick, and I hate the way that he talked to her. The way he looked down his nose at her. How he acted like she’s so insignificant.
Possessiveness ripples through me.
It might be unwarranted, but it doesn’t change the feeling.
“Wells! Rosalie, over here!” I hear from across the snow-covered lawn, where Zander and Allison are standing beside the gazebo.
I grab Rosalie’s hand, tangling my fingers in hers and squeezing lightly. Not just because of who we’re in front of, but because I want her to know that we’re in this together.
There’s a soft smile playing at the corner of her lips as she looks up at me, her eyes bright in the reflection of the warm lantern lampposts around us.
“Glad you two lovebirds finally made it,” Zander chuckles as we walk up, his arm slung over Allison’s shoulders. “I was beginning to think you ditched us.”
“Thought about it,” I say, lifting a shoulder.
Rosalie’s elbow hits my side. “He’s lying. We just stopped for hot chocolate on the way.”
And because her ex is a douchebag who wants to bring her down any chance he can, but I keep that to myself, trying to push it out of my head so I don’t get annoyed again. Instead, I focus on Rosalie.
“Ally, this is my girl, Rosalie. Rosalie, this is Ally, my brother’s girlfriend. She’s basically part of our family at this point. They’ve been together since high school.”
“Hi.” Ally smiles, extending her hand to shake Rosalie’s. “I’ve been telling this guy I’m waiting on a ring for years now, but you know.”
Zander groans dramatically at the same time that Rosalie giggles, and he shoves his hands in his unruly hair that’s the same shade as mine. “You can’t rush perfection, love. I told you that.”
Ally hums and rolls her eyes, but she’s got a grin on her lips, so she’s really just giving him shit.
What she doesn’t know is that he’s been practicing asking her to marry him for two months now, and he’s been planning the proposal at Cedar Ridge so that everyone is there to see it.
Or to say about damn time, if we’re being honest.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ally. I love your scarf. It’s so cute,” Rosalie says as she glances down at the lavender scarf. “It looks so soft.”
“Oh my God, it really is. I told Zander earlier I wanted to have a pillow made out of this. I got it at this little boutique in Strawberry Hollow! We should go one day?”
Rosalie nods enthusiastically, a smile spreading on her face. “I’d love that. My best friend, Kennedy, would probably love to come too. We can exchange numbers later, and you can text me whenever you’re back in town.”
“Yes, that would be so fun!” Ally says, slipping her arm in the crook of Zander’s. “Do you guys want to go check out the vendors? I saw some of the cutest things earlier when we passed.”
I look over at Rosalie, letting her be the one to answer. I have something planned for later, but other than that, I’m happy to do whatever she wants to. Honestly, I like seeing the town from her view.
“Oh, yes. There are so many more booths this year too. Usually, it’s smaller, but I think a lot of people came over this year from Strawberry Hollow,” Rosalie says as she slides her hand around the curve of my elbow, looking up at me with a smile.
“Now that Wells is a permanent resident of Mistletoe Falls, he can get a mistletoe ornament from one of the booths and hang it on the tree here in Town Square. It’s tradition. ”
Instinctively, I pull her closer to my side, my mouth curving. “Can’t wait, Sugar.”
“Sugar?” Zander snorts, pulling both of our attention to him. He’s got a shit-eating grin from ear to fucking ear, and I grunt, “Don’t start.”
He lifts his hands in surrender. “Sorry, but that’s so fucking cute, baby brother. Adorable, really.” He looks down at Ally before saying, “Babe, Sweet Sullivan’s is her family’s candy store. You loved their lemon drops.”
Ally’s face lights up, realization dawning. “Oh my God, yes! They were to die for. I’m hoarding the remaining ones all for myself. Sorry, not sorry, Zan.”
Rosalie giggles softly. “I don’t blame you. They’re my favorite thing too. You should try the caramel trees. They’re my Gramps’ specialty, and I swear, they just melt in your mouth. Honestly, he’s the magician behind all of the candy. He and my Grams run everything flawlessly.”
I think Rosalie might be the magic, and I’m not sure if she even realizes it.
“You’re just as much of an important part of the store as your grandparents are,” I say before looking over at Zander and Ally, who are staring at us with interest. Lifting my shoulder, I shrug.
“She’s just being modest. Rosalie has a hand in every single thing at Sweet Sullivan’s, and I know she’s got big, exciting plans for the future of the store, right, Sugar? ”
Her cheeks warm, and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, nodding.
“One day. I really love making cookies, and I’d love to sell them in the store in the future.
Right now, I only make them in my spare time…
which is pretty scarce during the busy season.
But, yes, I want to expand Sweet Sullivan’s to even more than it is now one day.
” Suddenly, her eyes widen. “Oh. Speaking of sweets… if you have a sweet tooth, then we have to go get a churro. That booth over there has the best.”
“Hell yeah,” Zander says. “Let’s go there after the booths?”
With everyone in agreement, we make a quick pass through the vendors, the girls grabbing a bunch of different things.
A lot of the vendors have handmade stuff, and I can tell that Rosalie’s drawn to the artistry.
She purchases a few things for Kennedy and for her grandparents before she turns to me once we get to one of the last booths in the section.
“Didn’t you say that your mom collected Christmas villages?”
“Yeah. She’s got a collection that takes up a whole bookshelf at the cabin.”
Rosalie grabs my hand, tugging me to the end of the table, and picks up a small building. “Look at this one. It’s a replica of Sweet Sullivan’s! The owner says she makes all of these out of clay by hand. Do you think your mom would maybe… like it? For her village?”
For a moment, words are stuck somewhere in my throat, and I swallow, trying to unlodge them.
I can’t even believe she remembered something small I mentioned in passing about my mom, and I’m taken aback by how sweet the gesture is.
When I don’t respond, her eyes widen slightly, and she sets it back down onto the table. “Oh gosh, it was just an idea. I thought she might like it, and I didn’t want to show up empty-h—”
“She’d love it, Sugar. Hell, she’ll probably cry,” I say, cutting her off.
Grabbing her hand, I clutch it in mine, sweeping my thumb along the top, feeling her soft, silky skin beneath the pad as I lean in closer.
“Thank you. That’s really thoughtful, and I know she’ll be ecstatic.
You don’t have to bring anything though, you know that, right? ”
Rosalie’s throat bobs, and she nods, holding my gaze intently. “I know. I want to.”
It’s an unexpectedly… intimate moment between us, one that makes my chest tight with the need to kiss her.
I lean forward and brush my lips gently along hers in a brief kiss before pulling back and lifting her hand to my lips and dropping a kiss there.
I don’t say anything more because I think the kiss said everything without having to say another word.
“Overheard Rosalie earlier,” Zander murmurs quietly beside me as we walk behind the girls to the other side of Town Square for the surprise I have planned. “About the Christmas village. I like her, Wells. You look good together.”
I shove my hands deeper into my pockets. “She’s…” I trail off, my gaze flicking to the woman in question.
The truth is that Rosalie Sullivan is something I never saw coming.
This entire arrangement, my undeniable attraction to her.
All of it.
“Incredible” is how I ultimately describe her.
Zander’s mouth twitches. “Yeah, she’s sweet. Like sugar, that is.”
“Fuck off,” I grunt on a laugh.
“Hey, only fair after the literal years of shit that you’ve given me about Ally. In all seriousness though… I’m glad you found her. It’s nice to see you finally have someone that you care about. It’s clear you do, and I’m happy for you, little brother.”
Apparently, we’re even more convincing than I thought we’d be, I realize as my brother’s eyes shine with sincerity. But it honestly didn’t feel like a performance at all. It’s effortless with her.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” Pulling my hands from my pockets, I slap him on the back affectionately before tossing an arm around his shoulder.
We come to a stop at the meet-up point, and when Rosalie spots my surprise for her, she whips toward me. “No way. You didn’t!”
I shrug, my mouth twitching with a grin. “Told you… best date of your life, Sugar.”
“Damn, dude, you’re making me look bad in front of my woman. A horse-drawn carriage? C’mon,” Zander says as he walks over to the chestnut-brown horse with a thick, black mane. “Sorry I didn’t think of it first, babe.”
Ally’s eyes glisten with amusement. “There’s always next year. Wells, you’ve got brownie points for this, for sure. Enjoy your ride, Rosalie!” Ally says to us as she hops into their carriage.
They’ve been decked out in garland, lights, and bells to look more like a sleigh rather than a carriage. Even the horses have fake antlers on the top of their heads that are blinking with colorful twinkle lights.
Rosalie’s hand curves around my arm, pulling my attention to her bright smile. “How did you know?”
My brow furrows. “What do you mean?”