Chapter Seventeen
THE HOLIDAY PAJAMA PARTY with her family had been a smashing success.
With the exception of the dozen or so glares she’d received from Gemma, everything had been perfect.
They had agreed to make this an annual holiday tradition.
Bailey couldn’t be happier about the fact that they were all finally talking about their father and what he’d meant to all of them.
Her dad had been an ordinary guy, but he still deserved a legacy.
It was Christmas Eve, and Bailey had decided to hang out by herself at home instead of attending any festivities.
She wasn’t in the mood for socializing or putting a happy face on.
She had no idea how long it would take to heal her broken heart.
There didn’t seem to be a timetable for something like this.
She really needed to put her big-girl panties on and talk openly and honestly with Landon.
Maybe there was a chance for her very own happy ending.
Wasn’t that what always happened in Hallmark movies?
Her doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts. Bailey looked at Foxy Brown and made a face.
“Who in the world is out ringing doorbells on Christmas Eve?” she asked, determined to simply ignore it. When the ringing continued, she jumped up from her comfy couch and stormed over to the door. Putting on her grumpiest face, Bailey wrenched the door open with Foxy Brown at her heels.
Standing on her doorstep was a group of carolers dressed in black cloaks with red flowers on the chest. They were smiling at her as they began to sing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
“No, this can’t be happening,” she muttered.
The dreaded carolers. Her worst nightmare come to life.
She didn’t know what the etiquette was once they’d started singing.
Could she tell them to leave? No, that definitely wouldn’t be in the spirit of Christmas.
Now that she’d sort of embraced the holidays, she needed to do better, be better.
The more they sang, the more Bailey began to realize that they weren’t awful. They were pretty amazing. Their voices were blended in perfect harmony. It was so heartwarming that it brought tears to her eyes. When they were done, Bailey began clapping enthusiastically.
“Thank you,” she said. “That was a gift I didn’t know that I needed.”
With shouts of Merry Christmas, they practically floated away to the next house, singing as they left. Bailey stared after them, waving with Foxy Brown in her arms. Suddenly Landon was standing a few feet away from her, grinning.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, flabbergasted by his sudden appearance. “Is everything all right with Hattie?” Her heart was threatening to pound out of her chest.
“Hattie’s fine. I came to bring you something. Can I come in?” he asked, closing the distance between them.
“I-I really wasn’t expecting company.” She looked down at her pajamas, wishing she was wearing something nicer. Acting as if he’d been invited in, Landon stepped inside the door. “Landon, it’s really not a good time,” she said, closing the door behind him.
He looked around the room. “It doesn’t seem as if I interrupted anything.”
“I was resting,” she said, feeling flustered.
“Maybe it’s a good idea if we talk about why you ended things. I have a few questions, if that’s okay.”
Eek! She hadn’t seen this coming. She figured Landon would go quietly into the good night, never questioning her rationale for breaking up with him. And yet he’d shown up here out of the blue wanting to ask questions. A part of her was rejoicing.
“Questions?” she asked. “Like what?”
“Did you really think that walking away from me would ever be what I wanted?” Landon asked. He was standing so close to her she could see the flecks in his brown eyes.
“Landon Stone. Get out of here. Scram,” she said, her voice cracking. “Kick rocks.”
He let out a chuckle. “Is this supposed to be your tough act? It’s going to take a lot more than this to make me walk away from you.”
What was he doing? She had made a huge sacrifice for love, and now he was throwing it back in her face.
“I don’t want you. I don’t love you. What part of that don’t you understand?” Her voice was trembling, and she could barely get the words out of her mouth.
He got really close to her and said, “I don’t believe you. I do think you love me.”
Bailey let out a brittle laugh. “Can’t you take no for an answer?”
“Not when it comes to you.”
His standing so close was making her falter. She didn’t know how much longer she could resist him.
“Why won’t you just leave? Go back to California and get your good name back. Make them pay for what they did to you.” Her voice cracked.
“Because I love you, Bailey. I choose you,” he said, tracing her lips with his fingertip.
“Landon,” she cried, breaking down. “I love you, too, but you’ve lost so much, and I want so badly for you to get it all back. Knowing that you were considering staying in Moose Falls for me just broke my heart.”
“And you breaking up with me broke me, Bailey, in a way I don’t ever want to go through again.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, pressing little kisses all over his face. “I was trying to do the right thing, but hurting you was hard. And I kept going back and forth about hunting you down and taking it all back.” She began to sniffle. “It’s hard being noble.”
“Bailey, I love you. That means more to me than getting justice for what was done to me. Don’t you see? Loving you has shown me that there are only a few things in life that I need to survive in this world.”
“Oh, Landon. I’m so grateful you came here. How did you know that I was lying to you?”
A little smile played around his lips. “I honestly couldn’t believe that text you sent. I really questioned it, but my heart was so shattered I was numb. Until your sister Gemma came to see me.”
“Gemma talked to you?” Bailey was shocked. It wasn’t like Gemma to interfere in her love life. But then again, Gemma knew that Bailey had never been in love before.
“She did,” he said with a nod. “Thankfully she told me what you’d done. And I’m so grateful, because now I know how you really feel about me. About us. And there’s nothing standing in our way.” He swept his hand across her cheek.
“Are you sure about California?” Bailey asked. She needed to be sure.
“Bailey, I don’t need California to be happy, but I do need you.”
Those words were magic to her ears. He’d just said everything she needed to hear.
“I love you, Landon Stone,” she said, “and I want to spend all my Christmases with you.”
Landon leaned down and swept a kiss over Bailey’s lips. She couldn’t believe how she’d ended up with this incredible man, who loved her like nobody’s business. She wasn’t going to take this love for granted. She would nurture it each and every day. It was like Hattie always said… YOLO.