Blame It On The Carols (Sugarplum Falls #6)

Twenty-Two | Makayla

Twenty-Two

Makayla

I t still felt weird to me that there was a caroling competition on a Friday, but now that I knew it was all choirs in Sugarplum Falls, it didn’t surprise me. I’d been reminded that things worked differently in a small town than they did in a big city like LA. People moved at their own pace, and if the town said to shut things down because something was happening, that was exactly what everyone did.

I stood in front of the full-length mirror in the breakroom at the mall where the competition was taking place. I had been here a few times when I was younger, but they had changed so much and expanded on it over the past few years, making it much larger than I remembered.

I smoothed a hand over the shimmery red glitter dress I was wearing and caught a glimpse of someone behind me.

“You look amazing,” Aiden said, wrapping his arms around my waist and planting a kiss behind my ear.

“Thank you. It feels nice to be dressed up again. I haven’t worn something like this in a while.”

“Well, stay for New Year’s, and we’ll get dressed up and go out to celebrate.”

I turned to face him, cupping his jaw in my hand.

“I would love that.”

He leaned in and kissed the tip of my nose, not wanting to smear the red lipstick I’d just applied.

“You’re going to kill it out there,” he said, stepping away and letting his eyes rake over my body one more time. “The other choirs have been great, but you’re going to blow everyone away.”

I inhaled slowly and released it, hoping what he said was true. He waved and left just as my mother walked in.

“You look beautiful, honey,” she said, pulling me in for a quick hug. “The ladies are all ready so we thought we’d see if you were so we can get a group picture before we go on stage.”

“Of course. Show me the way.”

My mother was wearing a gold shimmery dress, much like the one I had on, but with short sleeves and a belt around the waist that had little bells on it. I felt a little self-conscious in the tight dress I had on, especially with the slit up the thigh, but the ladies of the choir had assured me it was perfect. I had no idea what to expect from any of the other choirs, especially since two of them were school-aged children.

“Alright, if you want to stand there in the center, we’ll all line up around you,” my mother said, pointing to a spot in the middle where the other ladies were standing.

I nodded and got into place, smiling when their bells started clinking from the matching belts they had on.

We got a few photos and then lined up to the side of the stage where the Sugarplum Silvers were currently performing. I looked back at the ladies behind me, laughing when I noticed how they were all super into the performance. The men all wore matching suits with red blazers and a red and white polka dot tie. Their hair—all silver—was slicked back and their moves were in sync, making me believe they had what it took if they ever wanted to start an elderly boy band. I was honestly surprised by some of their moves, given their age, but I was even more surprised by the way the ladies were hootin' and hollerin' beside me, with the exception of my mom. She already had her silver fox, who just happened to be in the crowd waiting to watch her perform.

“Alright, let’s give it up for the Sugarplum Silvers,” an older man announced as the men took a quick bow and exited the stage. I felt butterflies in my stomach as he announced us next and the ladies took the lead going up on stage. I was to go on last and take my spot in front.

I gripped the microphone in my hand tighter and carefully made my way up the few stairs to the stage. It was surprising how many people were there in the crowd to watch, but my attention immediately went to the back, where Aiden and Sam were standing. Aiden winked at me, causing the butterflies to swarm wildly in my stomach as I took my place on the X toward the front of the stage.

I lowered my head and focused on my breathing while I waited for the music to start. I had done this what felt like a thousand times, yet I had never performed like this in front of Aiden before.

The music began and the impulse to run off the stage washed over me. I opened my eyes, trying not to panic as they immediately went to Aiden again. He smiled widely and nodded, giving me the encouragement I needed to do this.

I lifted the microphone to my lips and started singing.

Just like the few times we’d rehearsed it, the ladies of the choir were immediately in sync and harmonizing with me as I sang Silent Night. The entire mall seemed to have gone quiet, not a screaming child or person talking for miles.

My hips began to sway gently with the music as I began walking across the stage, finally feeling in my element again.

Before I knew it, the song was over and led into the next in our set, Jingle Bell Rock—where the ladies made full use of the bells attached to their belts as they moved in time with the song. I smiled and did my best to keep from laughing so I could keep my composure and avoid messing up the words I was supposed to be singing.

We made it through O Come All Ye Faithful and White Christmas before ending with O Holy Night. This was the only song we hadn’t rehearsed much together as a group, but I had been practicing it by myself while Aiden was at work.

It wasn’t until I got close to the middle of the song that I noticed the ladies weren’t singing as loudly as they should have been. It was almost as if the entire room had gone silent again. I closed my eyes and gave it everything I had as I belted out the last fall on your knees , hitting notes I’d never hit before and surprising myself with the amount of control I had while singing this song with more conviction than ever before.

Once I was done, I opened my eyes and found all eyes on me. I glanced nervously over my shoulder and found my mom wiping tears from her cheeks, as well as a few of the other ladies. Just then, clapping erupted all around me, and I could hear Aiden and Sam cheering from the very back.

The ladies all rushed up and wrapped their arms around me as I covered my mouth to keep from crying. Singing in front of thousands of fans was nothing compared to the rush I just got from performing in front of the people of Sugarplum Falls.