Blame It On The Carols (Sugarplum Falls #6)

Twenty-Three | Aiden

Twenty-Three

Aiden

“Y ou were amazing,” I said, picking Makayla up and spinning her in my arms as I hugged her tighter than ever. “Oh my God, Mak. Where in the world did you learn to sing like that?”

She giggled, the sound sending warm fuzzies straight to my heart as I set her down and made sure she wasn’t too dizzy from all the spinning.

“I don’t know,” she admitted as a faint blush kissed her cheeks. “It just kinda came out of me, and I went with it. I’d been practicing that song by myself for a while now, but I didn’t know I could do that.”

I stepped back as more people came to congratulate her because I didn’t want to continue to hog her.

“I’m going to head back to the shop to close for the day, but I’ll meet you at the bar in an hour,” Sam said, clapping my shoulder as I nodded.

Makayla didn’t know it yet, but we had already started planning a party for tonight to celebrate the Sugarplum Sweetheart’s win. Mainly it was Sam’s idea, and I just ran with it because I wanted to shower Mak with as much attention as possible. Plus, the entire town was buzzing with electricity after her performance, and no one had been able to stop talking about it. It was no surprise when they were announced as the winners.

I stepped to the side to get out of the way while I checked my phone. Jackie confirmed that she had brought in extra help to get everything set up for tonight. There was a text message from Curtis acknowledging that we were having a party and that extra security would be provided there as well.

We had someone permanently stationed at my house, as well as at Jill’s house, to make sure Kevin didn’t get into either while they were gone. With security constantly following Makayla, it made it easier to be prepared if Kevin decided to make a move.

So far I had dinner covered by ordering plenty of pizza for everyone. Sam was going to pick up some wings on his way over, and Andi was bringing dessert. A few of the ladies from the church offered to bring some dishes as well, so I thanked them for their generosity and let them know Jackie would be there to help them set up when they were ready. Everyone was working on getting stuff handled while I was focused on Makayla and how happy she looked. I hadn’t seen her smile like this in a long time, and deep down, I hoped it was enough to make her consider staying in Sugarplum Falls.

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A fter Makayla got changed , we headed to the bar. I didn’t tell her there was anything planned and hoped that no one had spoiled the surprise for her yet. While Sugarplum Falls loved a good party, they were also the worst secret keepers when it came to parties.

By the time we got there, the parking lot was already halfway full, which immediately caught Makayla’s attention.

“What’s going on?” she asked as she unbuckled and reached for the door handle.

“You’ll see.”

I hopped out of the truck and rushed around to help her out. I could tell she was nervous but loved that she trusted me enough to go inside.

I opened the door and held it for her, gently placing my hand on her lower back to guide her in as everyone yelled surprise .

She jumped back, her hands flying to her mouth as she looked around.

“Oh my gosh! What is all of this?”

“It’s a celebration,” I said, my voice low in her ear as everyone cheered her name. “You led the Sugarplum Sweethearts to victory today, and everyone wanted to have a party to celebrate.”

She turned and looked at me, a smile on her beautiful face.

“This is too much,” she said with a soft laugh. “If you keep throwing parties for me, I might not ever leave.”

I swallowed hard, trying to get past the lump forming in my throat as hope rose to the surface. I would go broke throwing parties for her every day if that’s what it took to get her to stay.

We made our way inside, everyone lining up to take their turn hugging and congratulating her again. It was nice to see how easily everyone welcomed her back but also to see how receptive she was to all of the attention. Even though Makayla was a famous superstar who could sell out a tour within hours, she was still the same humble girl I fell in love with all those years ago.