Mistletoe Misses

Chapter 21

Maddox

H ello?” I call when I don’t see Carmen’s father in their store. Since Carmen and Sadie went to the final chorus practice before the Spectacular Holiday Sing-along, I know he’s here.

“Maddox.” His hand pops up over a shelf before he emerges at the end. “It’s great to see you. What brings you by today?”

“I was hoping you’d have time for a quick chat.”

“I always have time for you. Come have a seat.”

We both claim a chair in the sitting area near the front windows.

“I’m sure you know that Carmen and I are dating,” I begin.

“Yes. She filled us in after you two got back from Boston last week.”

I nod, agreeing that there’s no reason for her to keep it quiet. After all, I’ve already told everyone I could think of.

“We’re going out for her birthday tonight, and I’m hoping you can bring Sadie and meet us for dinner.”

“We’d love to, but are you sure you want us to crash your date?”

“I am.”

“Alright.” He concedes. “What time?”

“Seven o’clock at Frankie’s. I have a table reserved.” Emotion jams in my throat as I gear up for the second reason I stopped by.

“Is there something else?” he asks after we sit in silence a suspiciously long time.

“Yeah. I’ve never stopped loving Carmen, and Sadie now means so much to me. I want to be a part of their lives forever.”

His lips tip into a slow crooked grin. “Are you asking what I think you’re asking?”

“I plan to ask Carmen to marry me.”

“Hallelujah.” His hands fly into the air as he lets out his spontaneous joy. “I always believed you two would find your way.”

“Thank you. Should have happened long before now.”

“Maybe, but that’s irrelevant. Love each other and never stop fighting. Nothing in this world can compete with what you are together. It’s special.”

I don’t have the words to express how much his support means to me, so I reach out to shake his hand, only to find myself hauled to my feet with it and trapped in a fatherly embrace. Little else beats the love of family, real or found.

“Does this mean I have your blessing?”

“Son, you’ve had my blessing since you were twelve years old.”

Thinking back, I chuckle. “That’s when I fell in love with her.”

“I know. You’re an open book, Maddox. The whole town knows how you feel with one look at you.”

“Not sure how to take that.”

“It’s a good and beautiful thing. Don’t ever hold it back, son.”

◆◆◆

Carmen

“Wear something comfortable,” Maddox yells from the kitchen table where he’s coloring with Sadie.

Sighing, I kick off the three-inch heels I’d just slipped on.

It’s our first date since we pledged ourselves to each other. Not to mention this day holds a lot of dead weight in our relationship. I hope to shed and replace it tonight with a memory we’ll want to cherish.

“It would help me get dressed if I knew what we were doing,” I call back.

“Lots of walking. Plan for that.”

Ugh. How can I knock him speechless with snow boots and a warm sweater? Winter gear doesn’t exactly scream seduction. Oh well. There will be time for that after our date.

“Ready yet?” he asks three outfits later. “You’re—”

Maybe I can rattle him speechless with no skin showing. “Is this okay?” I’d settled on a pastel pink, fitted sweater, jeans, and ankle boots shortly before he appeared in the doorway.

“You could wear a garbage bag and still be the most stunning woman in the world to me.” His hands slide to cup my waist and hold me close. “Happy birthday.”

A response gathers in my head, but it’s wiped away with the first touch of his lips. He takes his time, loving me with his whole body, and it’s all I can do to keep from throwing him on my bed nearby.

“I want you,” I try not to say when his mouth moves to my neck, but my thoughts find a voice anyway.

“Later.”

“No. Now, please.” His lips find mine again and open instantly, showcasing yet again why I can’t keep my hands off him. It’s meant to hold me over and shut me up, but it only amplifies every needy fantasy that’s been percolating since he returned.

“Later. We have plans.” With a peck on my nose, he takes me back to the kitchen—not my first choice, but a night out with the man I love ranks at a close second. “Let’s go, queenie.”

“I get to go on your date?” Sadie asks, standing on the kitchen chair.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I scold. “Get off there before you fall.”

She jumps down and crams her crayons into the box.

“You don’t want to go with us. Gamma and Pap have planned for your favorite holiday activity.”

“Gingerbread houses?”

“Yep.”

“Come on.” Maddox turns his back to her so she can jump on and the three of us make our way to the door. “We’ll walk you downstairs.”

◆◆◆

“I can’t believe you recreated my birthday scavenger hunt. I thought you hated mistletoe.” My arm circles his as we stroll toward the gazebo for the last stop. I’m tipsy on too much wine and his resolute love.

“I did until recently.” He winks over his shoulder. “We deserved a do-over.”

“I love it and you.”

We climb the gazebo steps, and he positions us in the center. The entire structure has been lined with holiday lights, and the large Christmas tree nearby provides even more festive lighting in the dark park. Like standing on a stage under spotlights, anyone walking by will have a full, high-definition view of us. I’m grateful Maddox no longer cares who sees us. His boundless love shines through every look, touch, and word, no matter where we are. Let the town watch like we’re stars in a romance movie. Our story is better anyway.

I search for the expected mistletoe and find it dangling from the center. I didn’t have the mindset to check for it the first time he brought me here, and I’m excited to benefit from it this time.

Taking my hands, he plants his feet in front of mine. “Nine years ago, I had a speech prepared for your thirteenth mistletoe location. Would you like to hear it?”

“More than anything.”

He kisses me softly, then straightens to meet my gaze. Overwhelming hope fills me and heals every crack my regrets left on my heart as the sweet love of my life chooses me for a second time.

“You and your happiness have been my only goals for as long as I can remember. I knew you were more than a friend when I saw you play ball in the backyard when we were young. I fell in love with you when you brought me cookies after my team lost a baseball game.”

“It wasn’t just any game. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime games.”

He lowers to kiss me again, touched that I remember. “And our first kiss freshman year changed my outlook on so many things. I already knew I’d always want you with me, but that kiss made my life depend on it. I’ve never loved you more than I do today, but somehow, I know it will pale in comparison to how much I’ll love you tomorrow and all the days after. I want to be the one you wake up to, the first person you call, and the last man you ever love.”

“You are also my first and only.”

A grateful smile lifts the lips I adore. “Remember what I said before the Santa crawl?”

“Mmm. Something about being on your knees.”

“Your eighteenth birthday was the first time I wanted to do that for you.” He reaches into his coat pocket and lowers. “I’d planned to give you this.”

His boundless love covers me like a warm blanket, and the world fades into the distance. Glittering in the lights between his forefinger and thumb is a diamond ring. I couldn’t have fathomed he would want to do that then, and I’m just as stunned now.

“You were going to ask me to marry you that night?” I manage, amplifying both my love for him and the guilt I carry.

“What’s wrong?” He rises and grips my arms—the same way he did all those years ago to keep me from walking away—and all that regret he washed away comes roaring back.

“Nothing and everything. I wish I’d never left you. I wish we could have had the last nine years together. I wish—”

“Carmen, I don’t care what we did or didn’t do then. It’s in the past, and don’t forget, I threw us away, too.”

My head shakes fast, sending the tears I hoped wouldn’t fall zig-zagging down my cheeks. “No, you didn’t. You had every right to be angry. I hurt you.”

“But despite what you meant to me, I didn’t fight for you, and that’s just as bad.”

“Maddox …”

“Do you love me?” he asks, and I wish he didn’t have to.

“So much it seems impossible.”

“Do you want to marry me?”

“Even more than I love you.”

His mouth slants into a grin, and I’d give anything for those lips to turn off the fears bombarding our moment. After everything we’ve been through in the last few weeks, they have no business creeping back in. As if reading my thoughts, he leans in and waits for me to meet him halfway. He lets me linger on his lips, giving more than he takes until I feel resettled and whole again. This man will forever have my heart for many reasons, but he always knows what I need without my having to ask.

“We found our way back to each other,” he says, a hand framing my cheek, and I lean into it, loving the way he holds me steady, builds me up, and treasures me in ways no one else ever could. “And we’ll spend the rest of our lives making up for lost time. That’s all that matters.”

With a nod, I blink back a gleam of tears—blissful ones this time. “Can you ask me that question now?”

“Which one?” He smirks, and I want to kiss it right off his face.

“You know.”

Lowering, he holds up the ring. “Carmen Delilah Bennett, will you make me your forever groupie, lyric tester, lover, father to your children, and devoted husband?”

“You’re so much more than that, Maddox. You’re my everything. Yes, I will marry you … tonight if I could.”

Smiling, he slides the ring onto my finger and rises to take me into his arms. As we sway, I hum our song, never feeling the words as much as I do now.

He soon draws back to press his lips to the ring on my finger. “This is more than a symbol of my commitment,” he says.

“Yeah?” I lean back and revel in the tender way he looks at me. He loves with his entire body, but his eyes most of all, and seeing that love pointed at me will never get old. “Tell me what it means to you, my love.”

His lips press to my knuckles almost as if he’s battling his emotions and can’t find the words. I hold him tight, hoping it sends the message that he can turn it loose, and if he needs it, I’ll support and steady him the same way he does for me.

“When I asked Nana how she loved after loss each time,” he begins, “her answer reminded me of us”

“That she loved each husband unconditionally and so much that it felt like they loved a lifetime’s worth.”

The most breathtaking love shimmers in his eyes as he continues to shatter me and put me back together with his sweet words.

“We’ve already loved enough for a lifetime, and nothing’s better than knowing we get to do it again. This ring was given to Nana by my grandfather, her first love, and I’ve wanted to see it on your finger since we were kids. You, Carmen Delilah Bennett, are my first love.” He lowers to kiss my neck. “My only love.” Another press of his lips to my cheek, and I’m crying with him on his way to my lips. “And my last.”