Chapter 30 Natalie
Natalie
Woody’s old fire truck rumbled into town, pushing snow aside as it went. His Christmas music filled the air, and he waved to the townspeople who came outside to see where the noise was coming from.
I sat in Jensen’s lap, my head tucked against his shoulder, his arms around me. The heat coming from the vent helped, but I wouldn’t be able to get truly warm until I changed out of my wet clothes. But even as a few shivers still overtook me, Jensen was there, and I knew we were safe.
We turned onto our street just as “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” began. It was as if we’d planned the playlist.
I sat up and looked out the window. Snow blanketed the neighborhood, hanging heavily on the trees and covering the ground. Christmas lights twinkled through the white, and a few more flakes drifted through the air, the last vestiges of the previous night’s snowstorm.
Woody pulled up next to my house and parked. The front door flew open, and Annabel came tearing out into the snow, still dressed in her pajamas.
“Santa?” She stopped in the middle of the yard. “Is that you?”
Nina appeared in the doorway. “Annabel, you don’t have—”
She was probably about to say “shoes,” but her mouth dropped open, and she stared in disbelief as the three of us got out of the fire engine.
Annabel squealed. “It is you! And you brought them home!”
Nina kept gaping while Jensen and I finished climbing out of the truck. My legs were wobbly, almost crumpling beneath me, but Jensen kept me steady.
“Merry Christmas, Anna-banana,” I said. “Sorry we’re late.”
She rushed over and grabbed us both. A moment later, Nina joined the group hug.
“Where have you been?” Nina asked. “I thought you were next door. I’ve been saying all morning that of course you’ll be here, you pinky promised, but I went over to the apartment, and no one was there and I was about to call 911.”
“Breathe,” I said. “It’s such a long story. And I’m freezing.”
Annabel didn’t seem to want to let go, so Jensen reached down and picked her up. I was surprised he had it in him, after carrying me through the woods.
“Woody… I mean, Santa,” I said. “You’re a Christmas miracle. You saved our lives. Literally.”
“Ho, ho, ho,” he said, playing up his character. “Happy to help. You all have a very Merry Christmas.”
“Thank you, Santa,” Annabel said. “See, Mom. I told you Santa would bring them home.”
“I don’t really know what’s happening, but thank you,” Nina said. “Merry Christmas.”
Jensen carried Annabel inside while Nina and I followed.
Dry clothes were the first order of business, so Jensen went to the apartment, and I went upstairs to change.
After donning my holiday pajamas, plus two pairs of socks, and a hat—it felt like I might never be warm again—I went downstairs and curled up on the couch with a blanket.
Nina had obviously let Annabel open some of her presents.
The floor in front of the tree was littered with bows and torn wrapping paper.
Her stocking had been unceremoniously dumped out, leaving a pile of candy and trinkets on the floor, and more than a few discarded wrappers indicated she’d already eaten a lot of chocolate.
Because Nina was the best sister ever, she brought me a hot cup of coffee, and when I took the first sip, I grinned at the added splash of Irish Cream. Nothing had ever tasted so good.
Understandably, she was not willing to wait for a better time to find out what had happened.
She put on a Christmas movie for Annabel, and in a quiet voice, I told her everything.
From Jensen’s job and the stolen necklace to agreeing to help and our adventures tracking down the thief, all the way to my abduction in the boutique and being held as bait by Jensen’s longtime nemesis.
She gasped when I told her what had happened to Julian and gaped at me in awe when I described how I’d ended it when Archer had been about to kill Jensen.
“You are such a badass,” she said, just above a whisper. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this. I mean, I can. I totally believe you. And I already knew you were amazing, but this is all so wild.”
“I know. I’m not quite sure how this is all real, but here we are.”
“Do you need anything else? Are you getting warm?”
“I’m fine for now. I think I’m finally starting to thaw.”
“I feel like such an idiot for not realizing you were gone sooner. I knew you weren’t here last night, but I figured you were just spending the night with Jensen.
And this morning I thought you were sleeping in.
Annabel kept asking if she could go wake you and finally I said yes.
I went over there with her, and of course, no one was there. ”
“I’m so sorry. We were stuck in the blizzard with no signal.”
“It’s okay. I’m just so glad you’re all right.”
“I’m so glad Woody came along with his plow. I don’t know what we would have done.”
“Half the roads must be closed. That storm was no joke.” Her eyes widened. “Speaking of, I need to check my phone. I invited Dylan and Lucy to come over, but I wonder if he can even get out of his driveway.”
“Aw, you invited them for Christmas?”
“I know, it probably seems too soon to spend a holiday together.”
“Not at all. Sometimes things are so right, they have to move fast.”
Her smile said it all. “Yes. Exactly. I knew you’d get it. I’ll be right back.”
I did get it. Jensen and I hadn’t known each other for very long, but what was happening between us was still very real. And it was right.
Maybe even a Christmas miracle.
He came in dressed in his holiday pajamas, his hair damp beneath his Santa hat. I lifted the blanket so he could snuggle in next to me. He sat and covered us both, then pulled me almost into his lap with his arms around me.
“Merry Christmas, darling,” he whispered in my ear.
“Merry Christmas. Did you let Maple know we’re okay?”
“Of course. She sends her best.”
“What’s going to happen with the, um… bodies?”
“They’re buried in snow. No one will discover them until spring.”
My mouth dropped open.
“I’m kidding,” he said with a grin. “No need to worry. My organization will handle it.”
I let out a relieved breath. But for some reason—past experience, probably—a pang of doubt hit me. It was like stepping on something sharp.
What if I was wrong? What if it wasn’t real?
After all, we’d been through a lot. Facing death could make people say or do things they wouldn’t have otherwise. When Jensen had said he loved me, had it been genuine? Or just relief that we were still alive?
Annabel was still occupied with her movie, and I could hear Nina in the kitchen, talking to Dylan on the phone.
I had to know, even if it ruined my Christmas.
“Jensen…” My voice was soft and tentative. “Last night was a lot. And now that we’re back, and we didn’t die, I’m wondering… We said a lot of things, and…”
Placing a knuckle beneath my chin, he lifted my gaze to his. “I meant what I said.”
“You did?”
With the hint of a grin, he nodded.
“You still mean it?”
The corners of his mouth lifted a little more. “I still mean it.”
“We’re talking about the same thing, right?”
Leaning down, he kissed me, and when he spoke again, his voice was low and quiet—just for me.
“I love you. I have no idea how this happened to me. I thought I was immune. But I’m not immune to you, nor do I want to be.
I’m in love with you, my beautiful Natalie.
So fucking in love. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. ”
“I love you, too. So much. But this is crazy, right?”
“Not at all. Falling in love with you is the most sane thing I’ve ever done.”
“What’s going to happen? You have a life. I have a life. Are we going to try to do things long distance? How will this work?”
“You think I’d leave you?”
“No, I don’t think you’d leave. Not like that. But we live hours apart. I’m just trying to be practical.”
“I can live wherever I like. And where I like is with you. I’ll stay if you’ll have me.”
Reaching up, I ran my hand along the stubble on his jaw. “Yes. Stay.”
He kissed me again—deep and slow. Fortunately, Annabel’s eyes were still glued to the TV, or she probably would have groaned and called us gross.
“Besides,” he said when he pulled away, “I could use a partner. Hunting art thieves isn’t exactly as glamorous as nursing in the emergency department, but…”
I laughed.
“You’ve gone and spoiled me,” he continued. “I can’t imagine doing my job without you.”
“You want me to hunt art thieves with you?”
“It’s not a bad way to make a living. Speaking of, once my fee comes through, we’ll have to make arrangements to transfer your half. It might be a day or two because of the holidays.”
“How much is it?”
“Half a million pounds.”
Stunned, I gaped at him. “They paid you half a million pounds to get the necklace back?”
“No, they paid me a million pounds. Well, a bit more than that. My organization takes their cut, of course. Your portion is half a million.”
Shock reverberated through me. I had no idea what to say. When he’d offered me a portion of his fee, it hadn’t occurred to me that it would be so much money. Even with the conversion from pounds to dollars, it was more than I could have dreamed.
“Is that not enough?” he asked. “It’s quite standard for this type of job.”
I laughed, and tears gathered in the corners of my eyes. “No, it’s so much. You have no idea what this means. There was a flood in the basement, and the furnace could go out any minute, and my car, and all the bills. I don’t know what to say.”
“How about, ‘Jensen, I’m madly in love with you, and you’re the best Christmas present I could have asked for.’”
“That’s the thing. I wouldn’t have thought to ask for you. Or for this. I didn’t think it was possible.”
“Neither did I. But here we are.”
Annabel’s cheerful voice carried over the sound of the TV. “Mr. Jensen, I have a present for you!”
Raising his eyebrows, he looked at me. I shrugged. I didn’t know what it was.
She dug through the wrapping paper beneath the tree and produced a thick sheet of paper.
With a bright smile, she brought it over and handed it to him.
It was a crayon drawing of two people, a man and a woman.
The man had dark hair, a scribbled beard, and he was dressed in what was probably meant to be a black suit.
The woman wore a white dress, and a flush crept across my cheeks when I realized what it was.
“That’s you,” Annabel said, pointing at the man. “And that’s Auntie Natalie.”
“And what is Auntie Natalie wearing, Miss Annabel?”
“A wedding dress!”
“Is she, now?” Jensen grinned. “It’s a beautiful present. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas,” he said.
I wanted to bury myself in the blanket. She’d drawn me as a bride with Jensen as the groom. That had to be freaking him out.
But he just smiled at me, then turned back to Annabel.
“I’m afraid our presents to you are going to be a little late,” he said. “We got caught in the snowstorm, and my car is stuck. Santa couldn’t manage to get it out.”
“That’s okay.” Annabel climbed into our laps. “Mommy got me presents. And then we can just do Christmas again.”
“I like the way you think,” he said.
Annabel stayed on our lap and told us all about the presents she’d opened that morning. Nina was busy in the kitchen making pancakes. I felt a little bad that she was doing all the work, although pancakes weren’t really a two-person job.
And I had survived an abduction and a blizzard.
It wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door. Annabel bounded out of our laps and hurried to answer it.
She jumped up and down with excitement as her little friend Lucy ran in, followed closely by Dylan. He had an armful of presents, and Nina came out to greet him with a kiss.
Jensen leaned in and spoke quietly in my ear. “I’m all for staying, but we’ll need to find a new place to live. I predict this house is going to get crowded very soon.”
I had a feeling he was right.
Dylan and Lucy joined us in the living room, and the girls opened their presents. Wrapping paper went flying, and the air was filled with giggles and exclamations of glee. I nestled against Jensen, enjoying the Christmas chaos and the warmth of his body snuggled with mine.
When the last of the presents had been torn open, we all crowded around the dining table for the Thatcher family Christmas morning tradition of pancakes with red and green sprinkles.
Sitting at the table, surrounded by the people I loved, I realized something. Nina and I weren’t alone anymore.
We’d been on our own for so long, it hadn’t occurred to me that things would ever be different.
And sure, her relationship with Dylan was new, and there was no guarantee they’d wind up together in the long run, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they did.
And while what I had with Jensen had only just begun, I knew it was something special.
He was mine, and I was his. Those were our real Christmas presents. Each other.
And it was the best Christmas ever.