Heart of Christmas (Curiosity Bay #4)

22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

MacGregor

The kiss had been explosive, and I couldn’t wait to explore Audrey, but I had to take one step at a time.

We could only go so far in the middle of her family’s antique store, and the door chime, alerting us to customers, only made that more apparent.

I stepped back, and she gently moved her fingers to her lips. “Friends don’t kiss like that, do they?”

Chuckling, I shook my head. “None that I have. We’ll talk in a bit. Maybe at lunch?”

She nodded with a dreamy look, and I couldn’t have felt better about telling her how I felt.

“You can leave Jasper here so Dottie isn’t heartbroken.”

“Sounds good. I’m going to pop over next door and get some coffee.”

Audrey nodded as she walked toward the customers who’d started looking at some mid-century modern furniture.

Things felt so right, and I couldn’t even imagine staying in Wyoming with my brothers this week while Audrey was here on Marigold. I didn’t know what that meant for my future, and it was way too soon to think about, but I was excited for the first time in a very long time.

I spotted Mae and Tyler.

“Hey, congratulations,” I told Tyler, giving him a hug. “How was the honeymoon?”

Tyler grinned and glanced at Mae. “Pretty sensational. The beaches had sand that just slipped between your toes.”

“It’s not just pebbles and barnacles like here?” I teased.

“Hey, now.” Mae laughed. “We have a few stretches of sand.”

“So, what brings you to this fine island in the middle of a rainy and dreary holiday season?” Tyler smiled, eyeing me.

“It just so happens that we had a beautiful stretch of snow while you were frolicking in the sand and sun. Curiosity Bay was beautiful, dude.”

“And you just had to come back for more or…?” Tyler smirked.

I glanced at Mae, and she chuckled. “I might have told him something about you and Audrey.”

“Here, grab this and make yourself useful while I pester you with questions to make sure you’re okay for my sister-in-law.” He handed me a garland and pointed at the far corner where a bookcase stood with a ladder next to it.

“That’s not subtle.” I laughed, taking the faux pine garland from him and following him to the ladder.

“Anchor this to the one next to it,” he instructed. “Why Audrey? Why now?” His voice was quieter now that we were alone.

“It’s always been Audrey,” I said, climbing the ladder.

I attached the garland, and he shook his head at my answer.

“How so?”

I looked down at him as he watched me closely. “Do you remember that girl who blocked me on social media all those years ago and vanished into thin air?”

His expression fell. “Yeah.”

“That was Audrey.”

He whistled low and shook his head. “Oh, dude. I’m not sure about this.”

“What do you mean?”

“She goes out a lot. I mean a lot.” His brows lifted. “I don’t think she’s the settling down type.”

Well, this was a fresh perspective.

“Maybe I can be the one to trick her into matrimony,” I joked and looked over at Mae, who was preparing a drink for a customer. “Worked for you.”

“Hey, now.” He laughed and shook his head.

“Seriously, though. Audrey and I have spent so much time talking and getting to know one another, and our values align, dreams, hopes…” I didn’t even know what to say. Words couldn’t come close to describing what we shared.

“You have it bad, don’t you?” Tyler looked serious and rubbed his fingers along his brows.

“I’ve fallen for her hard.” I nodded. “When I saw her again at your wedding, it was like the rest of the world fell away.”

“Doesn’t the distance thing bother you?” he asked. “She loves Curiosity Bay and now owns Baubles and Curiosities with her siblings. She’s not going to leave.”

All things I knew, but I appreciated his concern.

“I wouldn’t expect her to leave.” I climbed down the ladder. “I don’t know what the future holds. None of us do, but she’s the one who makes me think about a family. You know how that is, right? Like never before have I thought about chasing after Jasper and a toddler with a woman.”

Tyler’s brows lifted. “You’re already dreaming about kids?”

I smirked.

“The one thing I know about Audrey is that she needs details. All the details. If there’s anything in your life that you haven’t told her, tell her.”

“Okay.”

“If she finds out something wasn’t told to her, she always seems to settle on the worst possible scenario.”

I laughed. “Tell me about it.”

“And for the love of everything, don’t tell her anything you don’t mean.” He glanced over at Mae and smiled. “I grew up with all of these sisters.”

“You did?” I asked, shocked.

Tyler and I were good friends for a long time, but he never talked much about his childhood. He’d always brush it over or change the subject.

“Yeah. If it weren’t for the Evans family, I don’t know what I would have done or how I would have turned out.”

“Then what took you so long to pop the question?”

“It’s a bit complicated.” He grinned.

“Isn’t it always?”

“How long are you staying?” Tyler asked, folding up the ladder.

“A few days before I have to get back to help the family.”

“Ah, yeah. You’ve always been pretty close with your family.”

I nodded. “Yeah. It’s a big part of keeping me sane.”

He narrowed his eyes on me. “What if you have to move here?”

“I’d be totally fine with it.” I smiled and shrugged. “But if Audrey heard you talking about that stuff, she’d probably run away.”

“She’s a hard nut to crack.”

“Not really,” I said softly. “She’s pretty amazing.”

“Seeing you around for a few days will be fun.” Tyler smiled wider. “And good luck with Audrey.”

I chuckled as Mae came over with a drink and handed it to me. “On the house.”

“No, I need—”

She shook her head. “Nope. You’ll need your energy with my sister.”

I smiled and nodded, taking a sip. “This is really good.”

“You like it? It’s an experiment.” She grinned and cocked her head. “I’m calling it Swizzle Stick. It’s got a little peppermint, chocolate, and vanilla.”

I held it up and grinned. “I’d add it to the menu.”

A group of customers entered the coffee shop before I returned to the antique store. I hadn’t planned on being in Audrey’s hair all day. I knew she had to work. My plan was to snatch Jasper and check into the hotel.

Audrey rushed up to me and grinned. “That family bought the entire set we had up front. You know, the couch, two chairs, and a dining table.”

I nodded. “Yeah? Mid-century modern orange tweed couch and green chairs?”

“That’s the one.” She radiated happiness, and I could tell she really enjoyed what she did. “I actually found those pieces separately over the last year and waited until I could put a little demo living room together. That’s the best part.”

“The decorating and designing?”

She nodded. “Anyway, we just made enough on that sale to get us through the holiday. So everything else is just whipped cream.”

“That’s really amazing, Audrey.”

Her eyes connected with mine, and I felt more certainty than I ever had before. I was over trying to ignore the signs that Audrey and I were meant to be. I couldn’t deny it any longer. Everything about her felt right. She fit into my life and dreams in a way that no other woman could even come close to, and I knew that I’d be willing to wait as long as she needed.

She tucked a dark strand of hair under her clip and smiled at me. Her eyes lit up as she talked about the furniture, something that gave her passion, and all I could think about was how much more beautiful that made her.

Over the years, I’d started to doubt whether what I’d felt with Audrey so long ago had even been real. I wondered if it had been my ego because I’d been left high and dry, and I was pretending it was something more than it had been.

But I knew better.

I felt it in my bones, and the moment I saw her again, it all rushed back. It didn’t matter that she threw zingers in my direction or gave me withering looks. I still felt lovesick.

Was that a thing?

I took a deep breath as she dropped her hand to her side.

“What is that hairpin? I’ve noticed you wear it just about every day.”

Her cheeks blushed. “It’s a flower.”

I laughed and shook my head. “I can see that part. I just wondered if there was some significance.”

She groaned and laughed at the same time, creating a cute chortle that woke up Dottie and Jasper.

“I was dreading this moment,” she muttered.

“Really?” My brows lifted. “Over a hair clip?”

The dogs put their heads back down, and Dottie snored softly, almost instantly.

“You’re going to think I’m nuts. That my family is over the deep end.”

I laughed, touching her chin softly. “Who says I don’t already?”

She giggled, and the sound lifted me up.

“So, fill me in on it. Is the barrette like a family heirloom?”

She reached up to her hair, slid out the pin, and held it in front of me.

“My mom is very in touch with…” She twisted her lips into playful contemplation as she selected her words carefully. “She believes in…”

“What? Ghosts? Aliens? An alternate universe?”

Audrey smiled. “Well, she probably does believe in aliens of some sort, but she’s always felt connected with the universe and like those who have passed on are guiding her.”

I nodded. “Doesn’t sound too crazy to me.”

“Well, she also takes things one step further. Back when each of my siblings and I were born, my mom gave us a little something. It had to be vintage or antique, and she thought that somehow, the item she chose would be significant in our lives.”

“Okay.” I looked at the pin, noticing the delicate petals wrapped around a stem.

“My mom gave me this pin with a Jasper flower on it.”

I didn’t know what to say. Could our love have been written in the cards on the day we were born? I wanted to believe it, and I almost did with the recent turn of events.

“So, anyway.” Audrey chuckled and glanced at the dogs. “It tells me that Jasper and Dottie are meant to be together, and this pin was meant for Dottie.”

My gaze whipped to hers, and she grinned.

“That pin is a Jasper flower?”

She nodded. “When you told me you named the dog you adopted Jasper, I about lost it.”

“I can imagine.” I didn’t quite know what to make of it.

“The flower is supposed to lift spirits and bring joy.” She reached for my hand. “So, that is why I wear my hairpin.”

“You said each of your siblings also has something.”

She nodded. “Yup.”

“And did they play the same role in their lives?”

Audrey’s eyes locked on mine, and she nodded slowly. “That’s what freaked me out. Each memento has connected them to their soul mate.” She chuckled and glanced toward the window before returning to mine. “You know, if you believe in that sort of thing.”

I laughed and brought Audrey close, kissing her head before slipping her pin back in her hair.

“It feels like the universe has stopped whispering in our direction and has started screaming.”