A Mountain Springs Christmas

Chapter 17

seventeen

NOELLE

Noelle finished spooning the seasoned panko breadcrumbs on the brie-stuffed mushrooms, then glanced in the direction of the front door for the fiftieth time. She wasn’t only glancing when she heard people come in or out anymore—she was glancing every time she thought of Jack, which was about every four seconds, apparently.

“Ugh,” Makelle, Hope’s six-year-old daughter, said as she tried to turn the strips of pie crust dough into a lattice but kept getting mixed up on which one should be pulled back for another one to be laid down beneath it. “This is so hard!”

Noelle wiped off her hands on her apron. “Would you like some help?”

Makelle held up her hand like a stop sign. “No. You can’t help with your own birthday cake! Besides, my mom says it’s good to struggle because that’s what helps you to grow. And I really want to be taller because this girl in my class, Trisha, has me beat, and she’s not even nice. Don’t worry—I’ve got this.”

Noelle chuckled and glanced in the direction of the door again. Still no Jack. The place looked amazing, though. The big tree in the family room never looked better. Garlands were hung over every doorway, every side table and the mantle was decorated, the gingerbread train was moving around its tracks, Christmas music was playing over the speakers, and all of her family was surrounding her.

She should feel like she had everything she needed. But there was a particular pang of longing. A hole that wasn’t filled. And that hole was Jack-sized.

“He’ll come,” Hope said as she reached around Noelle to grab the tray of mushrooms to slide them into the oven. “He has to.”

She set the timer on the oven and took a breath. Based on their conversation in his office earlier today, she knew he would come. So why was she so nervous that he wouldn’t?

“Happy birthday to Noelle,” her five-year-old niece, Sadie, shouted out.

A chorus of voices shouted in return, “And to Noelle, a good night!”

Noelle grinned, held onto her Santa hat with birthday girl stitched into it, and took a slight bow as Sadie giggled.

Noelle went over to the big dining room table and helped Julianne to set it. She loved setting the table for this meal because they used the special white Christmas plates with the red rims, the white tablecloths, the red napkins with the red and white striped rings, the fancy crystal goblets, and the greenery down the center of the table that she and Gran-gran had picked out together.

She wished she hadn’t left the cards from Gran-gran at work. She wanted them home with her, especially over Christmas. She’d realized she’d forgotten them at the end of work the day before and had meant to grab them when she’d gone to give Jack her letter of resignation earlier today, but she’d had so many other thoughts in her head then that she’d forgotten. And it wasn’t like she could’ve just gone back at that point and seen Jack again after the way she left things.

The doorbell rang and her seven-year-old niece, Erika, jumped up to go get the door. She heard adult shoes stomping off snow, so she hurried over to the side of the family room by the stairs so she could see down the short hallway to the front door.

It was Rachel and Aiden, brushing snow out of their hair and off their coats before they stepped inside. She stood on her toes and peered around them but didn’t see Jack. Erika said, “You can put your coats right there,” and pointed to the couch in the living room, then she skipped back to the family room.

Noelle gave Aiden a hug. “Oh, I’m so glad you two came!”

“Me, too,” Aiden said, then added, “Santa is coming tonight, and it’s even snowing!” Captain had heard them come in, too, and was wagging his tail. Aiden gave the dog a big hug around the neck, then ran to join her nephews.

Then she gave Rachel a hug. “You look like you’re feeling pretty good.”

She smiled. “It’s been a good day.”

Noelle swallowed and couldn’t put off asking any longer. “Is Jack not coming?”

Rachel gave a little shrug. “I think he’s planning on it. He was still at work last I talked to him, so I told him a neighbor was heading this direction and could give us a ride. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

She nodded and walked with Rachel into the family room.

“Whoa! This place is magical,” Rachel said as she looked around in wonder.

Noelle looked around, too, with fresh eyes. It really was. She was lucky to be able to spend her Christmases here.

Rachel looked at her and must’ve been able to sense her nervousness because she put a hand on her arm and said, “He’ll come.”

She nodded and went to help the others with the last-minute preparations in the kitchen. But by the time they all sat down to eat, Jack still hadn’t come. She was starting to believe Rachel’s and Hope’s encouraging words a little less.

The sound of people chatting and the excitement of Christmas Eve filled the air as everyone passed around the plates of maple bacon Brussels sprouts, prime rib, mashed potatoes, stuffed mushrooms, and baked vegetables. But next to Noelle was an empty seat, and she felt that emptiness deep in her soul. Jack’s absence made her realize exactly how much she longed to have him at her side and how much she enjoyed every minute of being around him.

Why wasn’t he there? Did he decide he didn’t want to be? Did something happen to make him not be there? Would he have told Rachel if he wasn’t going to come, or was she just as clueless about the situation as Noelle was?

He had seemed that he wanted to accept Noelle’s resignation and date her when she’d laid her heart out for him earlier today. She should’ve just waited for his answer then, instead of letting everything come down to tonight. Then she wouldn’t be dealing with all this nervous anticipation right now.

“Happy birthday to Noelle,” Porter shouted.

Everyone else replied with “And to Noelle, a good night!”

She grinned at everyone, even though she wasn’t feeling it. Now that she’d experienced having Jack in her life, it no longer felt right to not have him there.

As they were all finishing up the meal, she saw Rachel, seated two chairs down from her, pull out her phone. She held her breath, hoping that it might be Jack and that Rachel would immediately turn to her with news.

But instead, Rachel just set her phone down and turned back to her conversation with Corbin, who sat on her other side. Noelle’s shoulders slumped a bit as she exhaled and pulled out her own phone, checking to make sure that there weren’t any messages that she hadn’t felt come in. There weren’t.

She turned to Aiden. “What do you hope Santa brings you for Christmas?”

“Paper,” Aiden said while driving half of a Brussels sprout on the end of his fork around his mashed potatoes like it was a racetrack.

“Paper?”

“Yeah. I used all we had making snowflakes, and I want to make some more.”

She chuckled. “You’re a cool kid, Aiden.”

Corbin stood up and put his napkin on the table. “I just realized that I forgot something we need for dessert. I’m going to go get it.”

Everyone looked at him in confusion.

“It’s Christmas Eve,” her mom said. “You’re not going to find a place that’s open. What did you forget? I’m sure we can come up with something or do without.”

He shook his head as he headed toward the front door. “No, it’s important. We really need it.” And then he rushed into the living room, and a moment later, they heard the front door open and close.

Noelle pushed some of her own food around her plate. She just wasn’t feeling so hungry.

“Is everyone done?” Katie asked. “I’m super proud of this year’s video, and I can’t wait for you all to see it!”

Everyone carried their plates to the kitchen and cleaned them up, then went to the family room side of the room and piled on the couches and floor, leaning against the sofas and legs. As everyone snuggled into each other, Noelle felt the loss of Jack even more, even though she had a nephew on one side of her, a niece on the other, and two nephews on her lap. She would give anything to be able to snuggle into Jack right now.

The video started with a screen saying An Allred Christmas , then went to her mom, who was standing in the kitchen, with everyone working on their gingerbread train cars in the background. “One of my favorite things about Christmas is family. You are all a huge part of what makes this holiday so special.”

Then her dad, obviously on the night of the Mystery Santa Hat activity, said, “I love you all. I want you to know that. I also want you to know that I still plan to take home the trophy tonight for Best Meal. That spot on our mantle has gone too long without a trophy, so we plan to give it all we’ve got.”

A few of her siblings, siblings-in-law, nieces, and nephews told a few things about their favorite Christmas things or things they loved about this year, then it cut to Aiden. “And I heard Mom tell Mrs. Sowards that she was glad that Jack asked Noelle for help because Jack has been more smiley since he started hanging out with Noelle. And she thinks that he’s pretty much in love with her. You know, the kind of love where there’s kissing and marriage and sneaking food off each other’s plates.”

Everyone in the room laughed and commented and clapped at Aiden’s clip, and Aiden beamed. Noelle’s face flamed just as red now as it had when she’d heard Aiden say it during the hayride.

Then the video cut to Jack, and she sat up straight. “I didn’t know you interviewed Jack!” It looked like it had been filmed the night of the hayride, too. She wasn’t even sure how it had happened without her noticing. It was when they were at her parents’ house, but she wasn’t sure if it was before they had left or after they’d returned.

“It’s hard for me to express how much I appreciate you all opening up your home and your traditions to Aiden and me and Rachel. This has all been unlike anything I’ve experienced. I grew up with all celebrations at Christmastime being non- existent. I thought I was fine without any of that because it was just the way things had always been. And I was fine.

“I didn’t know how much I had needed things like this—family, traditions, acceptance—until you showed it to me and healed a part of my heart that I hadn’t known had been broken.”

Tears were falling down Noelle’s face, and Weston turned from where he sat on her lap and said, “Are you sad?”

Someone passed a tissue down the couch to her, and she took it and dabbed at her eyes.

“I have loved seeing how much joy all of your traditions brought into Aiden’s life as well. And I have loved seeing Rachel’s face when Aiden tells her all about it. I know it has meant the world to her to know her son got to experience so many wonderful Christmas traditions. I will be forever grateful for you all.”

The tears were streaming now, and she heard more than a few sniffles from everyone else. Now Tommy had turned in her lap to watch her with concern on his face, too.

The front door opened, and twenty heads all turned in unison to see who it was. “All right,” Corbin said, “I got what we needed for dessert!”

And then he moved to the side, and Noelle saw Jack standing at the door, stomping the snow off his boots. He carried a couple of packages in one arm and a bouquet of beautiful red, green, and white flowers in the other, and she desperately wanted to be next to him.

As she extricated herself from her niece and nephews and the kids sitting on the floor who were using her legs for a backrest, Jack had made his way to where her mom had stood to welcome him. He handed her the flowers and said, “These are to say thank you for hosting tonight and for inviting us.”

She thanked him and gave him a hug, then Corbin took the two packages from him and set them on a side table.

Then Noelle got free, stepped between what seemed like a dozen legs outstretched on the floor, and breathed, “You came” as she finally reached him.

He looked at her with the softest, sweetest eyes and said, “I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. I got slowed down a little bit on the way here—a car slid through a traffic light and crashed into me.”

Noelle gasped, grabbed hold of his arms, holding them out, and stepped back a bit, checking him over for damage.

He let out a soft chuckle. “I’m okay. The people in the other car are okay. The paramedics checked us all out and gave us the green light to head home. Our cars, not so much. But the people are okay.” He smiled. “It looks like it’s my car’s turn in the shop while I drive a rental.”

She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, so overcome with emotions that he was okay. And he was here. But then she heard the slightest oof of air escape him, and she pulled back. “Oh! You’re injured.”

“I’m okay. I’ll probably be feeling it a bit in the morning, but I’m okay.” He reached for her hand and tugged her a little closer.

She gazed into his eyes, trying to decipher what he was thinking, especially after hearing what he’d said during the hayride. “I saw your interview in Katie’s video.”

“Oh yeah?”

Noelle nodded.

“That was for your family. There’s more I wanted to say to you.”

She leaned in a bit closer like she was being pulled. “Like what?” Her words came out a little breathier than she’d intended, and his eyes shifted quickly to all the people she knew were behind her before they came back to her eyes.

She should probably offer to take him into the living room or something so they could have a private moment. But he was here, and he was safe, and he was looking at her with those amazing eyes of his, and she didn’t think she could move her feet if she tried.

“Like how much I love that when you really smile, you get a dimple right there. Like now. And the way your eyes crinkle when you’re amused. And when you bite your bottom lip ever so subtly when you’re thinking or considering something new. And how you raise your left eyebrow slightly more than the right just before you share a brilliant idea.

“And the way you cock your head just slightly to the side when you hear someone talk about something that happened to them or when you notice someone is down, right before you jump in and do something to help. The way you look out for others. The way you put your all into everything you do.

“You are always so open with your emotions and your life, which has been both a blessing and a curse for me because it means that I’ve been falling in love with you every day for the past year and a half.”

She blushed and looked down. Had he really noticed all those things about her? What had she been doing at work all this time? Except for the last few weeks, when she’d been hyper-observant of everything about Jack, she felt like she’d spent the year and a half before that being remarkably un observant and not nearly good enough for this man, despite all the kind words he said about her.

Then, like he could read her mind perfectly, he said, “I wasn’t showing you the same courtesy you were showing me.”

Her eyes flew up to meet his.

“I have kept myself professional and closed off at work because I think I should be.” He took a deep breath. “A lot of people get an idea about who someone is and have a hard time seeing anything differently. Thank you for being willing to see beyond the only face I ever showed at work, even at times when I really didn’t want you to see beyond that. In these past few weeks, it has felt like you could see straight to my heart.”

His eyes were looking at her so earnestly, his voice slightly gruff, like the emotions behind what he was feeling were coming through. She felt all those emotions, too. “I haven’t ever had anyone be that way with me. To see past the things that most people would see and be judgmental about, then not go any further.

“But you were never judgmental. You saw the real me, and, probably without even realizing what you were doing, you gave me permission to be the real me. I’m grateful for that because it has made me feel like I could open myself up to love. And I can tell you that I’ve never been as happy in my life as I am when I’m around you.”

He gave her a smile that was sweet and soft and made happy fluttering in her chest.

“And I think I might be in love with you, too.” He smiled that smile that she had seen so often over the past few weeks. The one she loved so much because it felt like it was only for her. “In fact, I’m sure of it.”

She grabbed him by the front of his coat with both hands and pulled him in close. “You, mister, are one very amazing man, and I’m sure I’m in love with you, too.” Then she pressed her lips against his. She wanted him to wrap his arms around her and maybe even lower her into a dip and kiss her like he had in the living room when they’d been decorating the tree.

But she knew that her entire family was currently right behind her, probably all leaning forward with rapt attention. So she pulled back quickly and grinned at him, a giddiness filling her to the brim.

Then she turned to face her family, which apparently gave them permission to stop watching in utter silence because a cheer went up from the entire crew, and they all stood and swarmed them in a giant, lopsided, very crowded group hug.

A few minutes later, they were all seated around the table. The seat next to her that had been empty at dinnertime was now filled with a man who had at one time seemed like a Grinch, yet now it was her own heart that felt like it had just grown three sizes.

Someone turned the lights out, and her mom carried a piece of caramel apple pie on a plate toward her, the candle in it glowing brightly in the darkness as everyone sang happy birthday to her.

At the end of the song, Sadie shouted out, “Be sure to make a wish!”

She smiled at Jack. “I did, and it already came true.”

“Well, if that isn’t a Christmas miracle,” her dad said, “then I don’t know what is.”

Noelle chuckled, then blew out the candle.