Chapter 25 #2
Whew, it was cold. The morning sun was already bright, pushing back the winter-gray clouds to reveal patches of cerulean sky. The screen door snapped behind us, and I huddled into my new sweater as I followed Olivia’s beeline toward the barn.
“I’m so sorry I forgot. With Paul showing up…” She shook her head, a little grin still lingering on her cheeks. “I had no idea.”
“Totally fine, sis. Obviously your marriage is more important than my travel accessories.” I shivered again as we crunched across the frosty grass to the barn.
It was kind of nice to have one more gift to open.
Hopefully it was Samsonite or something sturdy, because my current bag was bursting at the seams. Not that I’d be traveling much anytime soon.
Olivia swung open the barn door.
My eyes instantly glossed with tears.
Nick had briefly second-guessed wearing the party hat, but the shocked expression on Holly’s face assured him it’d been the right way to go.
“Happy birthday, Holly.” He adjusted the string under his chin and fought the urge to look up at the mistletoe he’d taped over his head. Time for that later, hopefully.
But right now, her mouth was still open, unspeaking, her wide eyes teary. He nervously gestured to the space behind him that he and Olivia had spent an hour decorating earlier that morning. “Since you’re turning thirty, I thought you might enjoy a classic kid-themed birthday party.”
He’d very intentionally not used Christmas colors.
Instead, red, blue, and yellow streamers crisscrossed the rafters, trailing down the support beams and looping around the stall doors.
Balloon clusters—Olivia had graciously blown them all up while he taped streamers—were bunched in various corners, also in primary colors, while a couple of strategically placed space heaters knocked the worst of the chill from the air.
Holly stepped cautiously inside the barn. She wore a sweater he’d never seen before that hugged her figure and brightened her eyes. Man, she made thirty look amazing. “This is all…for me?”
“All for you.” He clasped his hands in front of him, waiting, not fully ready to surrender his under-the-mistletoe stance.
Just in case.
“How did you do this?” Holly bit her bottom lip. Was that a smile peeking through? Oh, he hoped so. He’d not seen her texts asking if they could talk until he remembered to charge his phone halfway to Point Bluff. And of course, that’d been in the middle of the night.
He nodded toward Olivia still lingering in the doorway, a hopeful grin on her face. “Olivia helped. Snuck me in the house to crash for a few hours, then helped me decorate this morning.”
“Aha!” Holly spun toward her sister. “So that’s where you were when Janie said you were ‘getting coffee ages ago.’?”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “Sneaking away from your kids on Christmas morning should be an Olympic sport. You owe me.” She pointed at Nick. “Make it count. You’ve got maybe ten minutes, then the whole family is going to descend.” Olivia backed out of the barn and started to shut the door.
Holly shot out her hand. “Wait—what do you mean? There’s really a party?”
“Of course, silly. It’s your birthday.” Olivia grinned, shaking her hair out of her face. “They’ve been in on everything.” She pursed her lips. “I’m guessing the holiday family photo will also happen in here, so keep that in mind.” She winked.
The door slid shut.
Holly finally looked directly at Nick, and everything he felt deep in his chest radiated out of her eyes. Wariness. Anxiety.
And a little bit of Christmas spirit.
She took a tentative step in his direction, her gaze self-consciously lowering and then darting around the barn.
No doubt taking in the table laden with classic childhood snacks like juice boxes, Fruit Roll-Ups, and Dunkaroos (and of course, coffee) against the back wall.
The giant poster of Pin the Tail on the Donkey.
Candy Land, Twister, and other classic board games stacked and ready to play on a rolled-out rubber mat—all of which had been available at the twenty-four-hour superstore near his house.
That poor elderly clerk working bored on Christmas Eve said he made her night.
Nick waited semi-patiently, not wanting to rush Holly. Not wanting to be rejected.
She stopped a foot away, so close and yet so far.
“I wasn’t ignoring you.” He cleared his throat, his voice sounding abnormally loud in the quiet space. “My phone died, and I left my charger. Then by the time I got it powered up, I was on my way here, and I wanted to surprise you.”
She nodded slowly. “I just have one question.”
Nerves flooded his stomach, and he shifted his weight. “Shoot, birthday girl.”
She wet her lips, eyes studying his, with what seemed to be more like a dozen questions lingering in their depths. “Was any of it real?”
“Holly.” Nick’s heart ached that she still wasn’t sure. “Don’t you get it by now? It was all real.”
Fresh tears glossed her eyes, hope swimming in their depths.
He offered a helpless shrug. “You had me wanting to buy you a real love fern from the minute I saw you.”
She snort-laughed at that, hugging herself with both arms.
“Okay, so maybe it took a minute after the whole Christmas booby-trapping of my door.” He held her gaze. “But only a minute. By the time we got to the ugly sweaters, I was having a blast. I was…falling for you.” He shook his head. “One glitter-glued pom-pom at a time.”
“But I was awful to you yesterday.” She worried her bottom lip. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you a chance to explain.”
“I should have tried harder.” Man, she needed a hug. “Or at least, I should have stayed so I could have tried again.” He took a breath and risked holding out his arms to her.
She stepped into them immediately, and the gentle weight of her head against his chest lifted a thousand pounds from his shoulders. Nick hugged her tight, breathing in her vanilla scent and red curls.
What a gift.
“Your new sweater is missing a hideous sequined cat, but you still look pretty.”
She chuckled against his chest, raised her head to meet his gaze. A soft smile settled over her face. “Thank you—for all of this. It means a lot.”
“ You mean a lot.” He swallowed. “To me.”
She nestled back into his arms. “You do remember we live three hours apart, right?”
“Ah. Details.” He scoffed.
“I suppose seeing how I don’t have a job and can’t afford my apartment anymore, the long-distance element could change.”
He pressed his lips against the top of her head.
“What I’m hearing is you’re open to moving?
Because I happen to know this guy starting a nonprofit.
Seems like he could use someone in his corner—someone really good at organizing schemes and thinking outside the box—to help him get fundraising and grants. ”
“Weird.” Holly pulled back to look at him, her green eyes sparkling. “I happen to know a girl who seems totally free to do that.”
Hope knocked. Joy flooded. “The pay isn’t great, but it comes with some perks.” Nick adjusted his grip on her, fighting the urge to look up at the telltale greenery overhead.
Not yet.
“Perks, huh?” She tilted her head, snaking her arms up around his neck. Electricity shot down his leg. “I like snacks.”
Look up, look up. He nodded, trying to appear unaffected. Trying not to snatch the mistletoe from the rafter and drape it on top of her head. “Snacks can be arranged.”
“I like kisses too.” Her voice dropped to a whisper and chills cascaded down his back.
Finally. “Those can also be arranged.” He gestured upward with his eyes.
She followed his gaze, and a smile slowly slid across her face. “It seems those were arranged.” She squinted at him. “Wait—is that why you haven’t moved from this spot since I walked in?”
“Wow, beauty and brains. You’re the whole package, Holly Sinclair.” Nick lowered his head the final inch. Their lips grazed each other, tentative, cautious. Then with more urgency as familiarity grew. He tugged her in closer. Colors and lights exploded.
POP.
Literally, exploded.
Nick jerked back. No, wait. Just one of the balloons. He chuckled.
“Oh my gosh.” Holly was slightly breathless, her arms still wrapped around his neck. “I just realized I didn’t get you a Christmas gift! Except for”—her voice dropped to a whisper—“the snow globe. I thought about ordering you a new ramen bowl, but I never actually added it to my cart.”
“Are you kidding? You’ve given me so much. You showed me how to love Christmas.” Nick shook his head. “I was actually watching Elf when I had this idea to throw you a party. You reminded me of a character in the movie.”
“Ah. The lovely Zooey Deschanel?” Holly batted her eyes.
“Actually, Will Ferrell.”
She abruptly stopped blinking.
“Not like that.” Nick laughed. “I meant that I was grumpy ole Walter, and all your Christmas shenanigans were exactly what Buddy the Elf would have come up with. I believe you even quoted his list at one point.”
“I did.” She snorted. “And you busted me.”
He sobered. “What I’m trying to say is, your spirit is contagious, Holly. Even when you’re trying to be annoying, you’re someone I want to be around.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Even when I’m blowing up giant inflatable snowmen above your bed?”
“Especially then.” He tightened his grip around her waist. “I think in order to stop hating Christmas, we just had to hate it together for a minute.”
“I know I’ve been really selfish.” Holly twisted her lips to the side. “Last night, I finally saw how I’ve been making the holidays about me. And no one can be happy when they’re at the center of Christmas.”
“No one is perfect.” Nick gave her a squeeze. “Not even me, unfortunately.” He grimaced. “And I’m learning to be okay with that too.” One day at a time.
“I’m sorry I doubted you. Once I knew you were the buyer for my parents, everything just sort of imploded in my mind.
I never thought you’d be interested in me for me, so it made more sense that you’d have an ulterior motive.
” She sighed. “But I’ve worked things out with my mom, and with Lydia.
I think that had to happen to give me clarity.
I didn’t even realize how much I was carrying and projecting. ”
“I’m happy to hear that, for your sake.”
She drew back and took a deep breath. “And I think you should reconsider buying the property—if you still want it, knowing how crazy the previous occupants were.” She grinned.
Good grief, she was beautiful. “Are you sure?” He smoothed his thumb over her cheekbone, catching a leftover tear. “I don’t want to be the reason you lose anything important to you.”
“I think I’m only gaining important things.” She stretched up on tiptoe and kissed him again, until the barn tilted and all the primary colors surrounding them swirled.
“I think our ten minutes is almost up.” He turned his head, unable to resist pressing another quick kiss against her cheek. “Might want to fix your hair.”
She stepped back and smoothed her curls. “Guess what? I genuinely wasn’t upset that most of my family didn’t tell me happy birthday this morning.” She gave a little bow. “Personal growth, right?”
He high-fived her. “And now you know it’s all because you had a surprise party waiting for you.”
“I guess my family had to get one more secret in. Like there haven’t been enough this holiday.” She patted her curls one last time before scooting back into his arms. “And speaking of secrets, I guess this is the end of the operations, once and for all. Piper will be relieved.”
“I have to admit, I wasn’t sad to see Operation: Naughty List go.” He shuddered.
“You have to admit, Operation: Jack & Sally had a good run.” She winced. “Except maybe the whole punch-in-the-face part.”
“Besides that part. Regardless…” Nick pressed his forehead to hers. “I much prefer Operation: Holly & Nick.”
“You sure?” Joy and something sassy and uniquely Holly lit her eyes. “Even though I plan to absolutely obliterate you in Pin the Tail on the Donkey in a minute?”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Might even cheat at Twister.”
“I’m okay with that too.”
“So what are you not okay with?”
He tilted his head, pretending to think. “Hating Valentine’s Day?”
“What about St. Patrick’s Day?”
He shrugged. “I could take it or leave it.”
“New Year’s?” She squinted.
He scrunched his face. “We can’t possibly hate on the one holiday that guarantees a kiss at midnight.”
“Well, you know New Year’s is in a week…” She tilted her head back. “We should practice a little more.”
His stomach flipped. “Well, I’m definitely okay with that. ”
“Merry Christmas, Nick.” She smiled up into his eyes.
He paused, only a breath away from her lips. “Happy birthday, Holly Berry.” Then he kissed her.
Best. Christmas. Ever.