Chapter Nineteen
Jacob
Every day since the ice rink had been magical with Amariah.
Mr. Adam was proud, grinning every time I stopped by to check in.
I couldn’t lie, seeing that light back in his eyes kept me going.
Every late-night talk, every laugh we’d shared felt like mending something that had long been broken.
I wanted Amariah to remember what home felt like.
What we felt like. And I was well on my way.
Her heart had opened to me, leaving me confident that once I made my move, we would be together as a couple.
And today, on the twelfth day of Christmas, I had one more special gift up my sleeve for my true love: the Christmas pretzels.
Skye Ridge hadn’t sold them in years, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me.
Not when I knew how much they meant to Amariah.
It had taken more calls than I’d care to admit.
I’d tracked down the candy shop’s retired supplier, digging through old contact lists they’d provided, and even making a drive out of town, but I’d finally found a vendor.
It was a small miracle, really. Or as Amariah would call it, a Christmas miracle.
When I pulled up to the Lukes’ house, I grabbed the box from the passenger seat and took a second to steady myself before knocking.
The door swung open, and there she was. Amariah. Her hair was loose, framing her face, and the soft light from inside made her skin glow like amber.
“Jacob,” she said, surprise lighting her tone.
“Afternoon, Mari,” I said, smiling. “Thought I’d make a special delivery.”
She eyed the red-ribboned box in my hand, curiosity flickering across her face. “What’s this?”
“A little something for your dad and for you.”
She ushered me inside, closing the door before leading me into the living room. When she opened the lid, her hand flew to her mouth. The scent filled the room instantly with hints of warm sugar sprinkles, salt, and white chocolate.
She gasped, eyes wide. “Christmas pretzels,” she whispered. “You found them?”
I grinned. “Had to get creative, but yeah.”
Her voice wavered. “But you said no one in Skye Ridge has sold these in years.”
“They haven’t,” I said, my chest tightening at the way her eyes glistened. “I had to call in a favor or two. Figured I’d bring a little Christmas miracle to the Lukes’ doorstep.”
She laughed through the emotion, shaking her head. “You’re unbelievable, Jacob Gold.”
“Anything for an unbelievable woman,” I said, meaning every word. Seeing her eyes bright and excited, looking at me like I mattered again, was worth every minute I’d spent hunting them down.
She popped one pretzel into her mouth, then another. “Oh my gosh,” she groaned between bites, eyes closed in bliss. “They taste exactly the same.”
I chuckled. “That was the goal.”
For a moment, I just watched her enjoy something so simple, bathed in the glow of the fire with joy written all over her face. It hit me then: I didn’t want to wait until Christmas. I didn’t want to wait another day, another second, to claim Amariah Luke as mine.
“Hey,” I said, brushing the back of my neck, “I was thinking, maybe we could grab dinner tonight. Nothing fancy, just something light so that we can talk.”
She set the box on the table, intrigue brightening her expression. For a second, I wasn’t sure she’d say yes. Then she smiled, that small, shy smile that always undid me. “Dinner sounds—”
Ding-dong. The sound of the doorbell interrupted her.
She glanced toward the door. “Hold that thought,” she said, stepping away.
I sank into the sofa, nervously adjusting the box on the table as I waited, still replaying her almost-answer in my head until I heard a man’s voice.
“Hey, Amariah.”
Something about the way he said her name made my stomach drop.
It felt familiar in the wrong kind of way.
It was too smooth, too confident, too practiced.
I stood, stepping toward the entryway between the foyer and the living room, and froze.
A tall, polished man, sharply dressed as if he’d just stepped off the pages of a magazine, stood in the doorway.
“Aaron,” she said, her tone caught somewhere between shock and discomfort.
Aaron? She was also on a first-name basis with him, which made my mind run wild. Who is this man?
He moved inside the house, not waiting to be invited. Amariah stepped aside, allowing him in and closing the door behind him.
He gave a faint smile. “I came to town to surprise you.” That’s when he finally noticed my presence. His gaze flicked to me, appraising. “And you are?”
I straightened and made my way toward them in the foyer. “Jacob Gold,” I said, with caution. “I’m Amariah’s friend, and I manage her dad’s store.”
His hand shot out for a handshake, his smile smug. “Ah. Got it. Well, I’m Aaron…Aaron Baker, Amariah’s fiancé.”
The words gutted me. Fiancé. Amariah’s. Amariah’s fiancé.
This can’t be true. For a moment, I thought maybe I’d misheard him, but the silence that followed told me I hadn’t. Amariah froze. Her lips parted, eyes darting between us, and I realized it was true.
A punch to the face would’ve hurt less.
“Jacob—” she started, but I shook my head to stop her. I couldn’t hear whatever explanation followed. My quickened heartbeats drowned the words out.
Swallowing the small lump that had lodged itself in my throat, I forced a small nod. My voice sounded calm, though I felt the ground shift under me. “I didn’t realize you were…engaged.”
Still, she said nothing. The air in the room was replaced by cold tension. The warmth between us all vanished in one word.
I cleared my throat and stepped back toward the door. “I should go,” I said softly. “I’ll let you two catch up.”
Her eyes were pleading now. “Jacob, wait—”
But I couldn’t. Not now. Not with my heart on the floor and her fiancé staring as if he’d bested me.
Without another word or a backward glance, I rushed out of the front door.
The cold hit me as soon as I stepped outside, sharper than before.
The snow was falling heavier, fast enough to blur the world around me, but it didn’t matter.
I needed the air, needed space to keep from feeling the weight in my chest, or punching a wall, or punching him.
Behind me, the door clicked shut. Shut to the house. Shut to me. Shut to us.
This entire time, I’d been fooling myself all along.
Here I was trying to rebuild and start anew for something that she’d already promised to someone else.
I stared down at my gloved hands, still shaking from the anger rippling through me.
Twelve days down. Thirteen left. And suddenly, there was nothing for me to count down for anymore.
Amariah Luke had ripped my heart out of my chest. Déjà vu at its worst.