Merry Mix-Up (Holiday Hearts)

26. Newt

26

NEWT

C hristmas Eve

"And while I'm standing in for Jared's best friend who can't be here because he's deployed overseas, I don't know as much about the groom as maybe I should, but I will say this. Jared loves my sister very much, and the two of them have a great support system. I've had an interesting journey this past month getting to know everyone a little better." My eyes scanned the crowded tables yet again for the one face I wanted to see. I hadn't seen her all night.

"And I am honored to be a part of this union. Jared and Naomi," I said, turning my attention back to my sister and her new husband, "I hope your connection is always strong, your love is always fierce, and the sex is incredible." The crowd burst into laughter as everyone clinked their cups against one another’s.

I lowered back into my seat, frustrated that I still hadn't seen Jade. She promised me she'd be here, and while I didn't fully expect her to after last night's interaction, I hoped she would keep that promise. It was tense and awkward, and we only spoke about why things went down the way they did and how she could have done things differently to mitigate the damage. Afterward, I felt like a fool for not having asked her to just have a cup of cocoa with me or something.

Tonight, surrounded by poinsettias and festive Christmas trees, it felt so depressing to be alone. This entire month, I had planned this evening to be magical for us. I intended to tell Naomi right before she jetted off to her honeymoon that I had finally found someone. As it was, Derek had been made an honorary member of the wedding party so I didn't even have someone to dance with when the wedding party had the second dance, following Naomi and Jared's first dance.

I sipped my champagne and listened to Amber give her speech about my sister. It was spot on—filled with stories of their teenage years, and even the twin switch they'd done so that Naomi could be happy leading up to tonight. Naomi totally laughed it off and Amber apologized to the rest of the wedding party for "punking them", but the bride found it hilarious.

I decided it was a bit funny, though my heart was still a mangled mess. After a long heart-to-heart with Naomi, I chose to be a part of all of this. I saw past the cruelty of what had been done to my heart for what the girls really tried to do, and I knew they were never malicious. In fact, the way they did that for Naomi was sweet. I was just collateral damage they never planned on.

Jade probably never imagined that I'd hit on her or be so interested. When I saw that wild hair, I thought the personality behind it would have been too out of the box for me. But wrapped in a different package, I saw how beautiful she was. I had wrongly judged her based on her appearance, and I was glad when I thought I got the calm twin to flirt with. Man, was I ever an ass.

When the speeches were done, including one from Jared's best friend via video conference, Jared and Naomi cut their cake. I still didn’t see jade anywhere, not dressed like Amber, and not with wild hair either. They did their first dance, then announced the wedding party had to come to the dance floor, and I didn't know what to do. I stayed seated at the table until Naomi marched over and poked me in the ribs.

"You're supposed to be on the dance floor," she hissed in her bridezilla way.

"There's no one for me to dance with." My staunch complaint earned me another jab to the ribs as the music started. They chose Chicago's You're the Inspiration as the song we'd dance to, and I felt dumb standing to go to the dancefloor with no dance partner.

But the wedding party all paired up and there was one person standing alone—long, dark hair streaked with a vibrant purple, a deep emerald dress that didn't quite match the other women's dresses, and full ruby lips, pressed into a thin line.

"What?" I asked Naomi, and she grinned.

"I made Jade an honorary member of the wedding party for just this dance… Like Derek." She pushed the small of my back. "Go get the girl, Newt." I swore I saw tears in her eyes as she said it.

"Why, though?" I asked my sister, who was supposed to be celebrating her special day, not worrying about me.

"Because you love her, idiot. Now go dance with her." Naomi pushed me again, and I could have hugged her.

Clearing my throat, I nodded at Naomi and pecked her on the cheek as I buttoned my suit coat and then strolled out to the dance floor where Jade stood waiting with rosy cheeks.

"Hi," she mumbled, and I smiled so brightly I thought it might blind her.

"Hey," I said. "Uh, can I have this dance?" When everything went down, I thought my plans for tonight were ruined. I had booked a room at this lodge hoping to convince her to stay with me, but that was when I thought she was the maid of honor named Amber. I felt like I knew nothing about her, but I loved her so deeply at the same time.

"Of course," Jade said, and she waited for me to pull her close. The satin of her green gown tangled between our legs, but her body felt right pressed against mine. She draped her arms over my shoulders as the song played out and we swayed to the music.

"So, Naomi planned this? Have you been here the whole time?" I studied the purple in her hair and decided I liked it very much. The shade wasn't flashy or over the top, and it highlighted the gold flecks in her brown eyes.

"I've been lurking."

Jade smelled amazing, like vanilla and cinnamon, as if she'd rolled in a batch of Christmas cookies right before she walked up here. I breathed her in so deep, I could have whisked her right off this dance floor to my private room I had completely forgotten to cancel on when I was so upset. I was glad I forgot.

"Newt, I'm?—"

"I'm sorry, Jade."

We both spoke at the same time and she smiled. "Why are you sorry?"

Just having her against me felt healing. I never wanted the song to end. I'd done so much thinking over the past four days, and I knew I couldn’t let her go. With as much chaos and upheaval as their trickery caused, I should have just washed my hands of her, but she was so much more than any woman I'd ever met. More in every way—her personality, her charm, her intelligence, the way she made me laugh, and most of all, the way I felt like making every one of her dreams come true.

"I'm sorry for my reaction." I swayed time with the song and tightened my grip on her. "I should have given you a chance to explain, and I should have believed you when you said you'd never hurt me."

Jade's eyes brimmed with tears and I hated that she'd cry again, unless they were happy tears. She deserved only good things. She got caught between her sister's plan and the attraction she had to me, and she'd done her best to protect everyone. I saw that now, though it did hurt when I first learned about it.

"I'm sorry too. I should have told you sooner. You didn't deserve that. Amber told me what your ex did to you, and I felt so awful. I never meant to make you think I'd cheat on you. The whole situation was messy and complicated, and I just got carried away. I liked being with you so much…" Jade blinked, and a tear rolled down her cheek. I wiped it away with my thumb and made a mental note of where on the dancefloor we were.

Hanging from the center of the room, under the cluster of holly plants, was a single sprig of mistletoe. I had been maneuvering us closer and closer without her knowing it, and we were almost there.

"I think what you did for my sister and yours was such a sweet thing to do. You must have been so stressed out. Jade, I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't tell me. And I know it wasn't your decision, but I could have been a bit easier on you in that regard." I bit the end of my tongue as I remembered how many times I'd playfully insulted her as a person thinking I was speaking to Amber and not her.

"It's okay…" Jade laid her head on my chest and I swung her around again, finally positioning us under the mistletoe.

Ever since last night, I'd been waiting for this moment. I had hoped to catch her much earlier in the evening, perhaps at any of the doorways to this main hall where Naomi and Jared put mistletoe, or maybe during a common dance. Right now, every eye in this place was on the wedding party, including us, as we danced to the music. I didn't care. I would profess my love for this woman to the ends of the earth.

"Did you mean it?" she asked, turning her chin back up so our eyes met again.

"Mean what?" I asked, very aware of how we were expected to kiss, and I hoped she'd look up and see it too.

"When you said you loved me."

My heart warmed, and I looked straight up at the mistletoe as she stared at my face. Then I looked back down to see her eyes locked on the sight overhead.

"I meant it with every beat of my heart, every breath in my lungs, every ounce of my soul."

Jade's gaze returned to my face again, and I saw more tears in her eyes, but I didn't even give her a chance to let them out. I covered her mouth with mine and kissed her hard, searching her mouth with my tongue then biting her lower lip as I pulled away.

"I…" She looked pleasantly surprised and blinked back the rest of her tears.

"I mean it." I kissed her again, simultaneously pulling her against my body hard. I didn't care who was watching or what they'd say. I was in love and I needed her to know it. When I pulled away, I said, "I don't care what happened yesterday or the day before that. I need you in my life, Jade."

When I said her name and she smiled, I realized yet another thing. She hated me saying "Amber" when we were having sex because it made her feel guilty or awkward. My God, I couldn't wait to grunt her name while I was fucking her.

"I got a room. I planned it more than a week ago. I thought—" I cut myself off, not wanting to rehash any negative things right now. "I want you to stay with me tonight."

The music was coming to an end, and I wanted nothing more than to skip the rest of the reception and head straight to the room, but she politely backed away and bowed to me. "After cake," she said, then she pulled me off the dance floor toward the cake table and I followed with a massive grin.

I thought I had my life planned out—build my firm in Chicago and then move to New York to trade stocks. I thought eventually, along the way, I'd meet someone traveling my same direction and make a life with them too, but I never expected it to bring me back to Danville and my roots. But there was something about Jade that made me want to rearrange everything I had planned just to be with her. I'd throw it all away if she asked me.

She was the one. Of that I was certain.