Shoved (Moonlit Lake Matchmaker #4)

Chapter 34

SERENA

“Mommy, Mommy. Wake up. It’s Christmas! Let’s go see if Santa came.”

I pulled the covers over my head and groaned. “Too early. Come back in two hours.” I was just kidding, though. In fact, I was just as eager for Sadie to open her presents as she was.

“But Mommy, I’m too excited to wait. You have to get up now. Come on.” She tugged on my arm, trying to pull me out of bed.

“Okay. Okay. Hold your horses. I’m coming.” I crawled out of bed, stuffed my feet into my slippers and shuffled toward the kitchen, with Sadie still dragging me. “Let me put a pot of coffee on so I don’t have to toothpick my eyes open.”

She winced. “Ow, that would hurt. Don’t do that.”

“Do you want some breakfast while we’re waiting for my coffee?”

“No. I just wanna open my presents.” She jumped up and down with her arms flapping.

“Did you check the plate? Did Santa eat the cookies?”

She rushed to the table where we had set out cookies and carrots the night before. Her eyes went wide. “He did! Only crumbs left! And look, the carrots are gone too, just a couple of nibbles left on the plate. Santa and the reindeer must have loved them. And I hope that since they loved my snacks, that they brought me what I asked for.”

“Oh, sweetie. It doesn’t work like that. We leave treats because we want to do something nice for Santa and the reindeer. Not because we want something for ourselves.” How did you explain this to a four-year-old? “It’s like when we bring plates of cookies to everyone we know. We don’t do it because we want something back. We do it because we want to make them happy.”

“And our cookies are so yummy that they would make anyone happy.”

“That’s right, kiddo.” I booped her nose then got my cup out and set in on the coffee maker so it would fill as it brewed. When my cup was full, I swapped it for the pot. “Let’s start with the stockings. Did Santa fill those?”

“Yep. Come see. Mine is overflowing.”

I helped her get them down, and we sat on the floor to open them. My mom gave me a bag of things to put in my sock, so I didn’t have to buy stocking stuffers for myself. I appreciated that.

We’d just finished looking at our little gifts when the doorbell rang.

“Who could be ringing our doorbell on Christmas morning?” I opened the door and was stunned to see Storm’s entire family there singing carols. Tillie was with them and gave me a wink and two thumbs up when I looked at her. Sadie stood at my side and began singing along with them to We wish you a merry Christmas .

When the song ended, I asked Storm, “What are you all doing here?”

“We wanted to make your Christmas extra special. And since you couldn’t be with us, we decided to come to you.”

“That’s so sweet. But you didn’t have to do that.”

“Mommy, can I go sing with them?” Sadie begged.

“Put your boots, coat, hat, and mittens on first.” I stepped back into the house and helped her by handing her each item. Then, she ran out to the driveway to join them as they began singing Jingle Bell s. I slipped my feet into my boots and closed the door, content to watch from the porch. White lights twinkled around the windows and along the pine garland adorning the surrounding railing. The scent of pine wafted on the breeze.

With everyone else occupied singing, Storm pulled me aside on the porch and turned to me, his expression serious but also tender, vulnerable. “Serena, I came here today, not because you’re my client, and not because your mom paid me. I know you wanted your space, and I will honor that, if it’s truly what you want. But I needed to make sure you understood how I felt first.” The cool crisp air brought color to his cheeks, and his breath fogged the space between us as he spoke.

“And how’s that?” I asked, with a little more attitude than I probably should have on Christmas, but this whole thing was already throwing me off-balance. And I wasn’t sure how to react. I hugged my arms and rubbed my hands up and down them to warm them up, and I clenched my teeth to keep them from chattering. Why hadn’t I grabbed my coat, when I gave Sadie hers?

I turned to go back inside, but before I could, Storm reached back and handed me a bouquet from the snow-covered porch swing behind him. It was a lovely bunch of white carnations and red roses, with some holiday greens mixed in. Where had he gotten them? They hadn’t come from my shop. Especially not on Christmas. “I hope these will give you some idea. My research told me that red roses and white carnations signify love, passion, and devotion.”

A lump formed in my throat. Nobody ever gave a florist flowers. And he had taken the time to research the meaning—be still, my heart.

“Very good.” I said, my voice cracking with emotion. “But I’m still not sure what you’re getting at.” Sure, I had an inkling, but I needed to hear the words.

He grasped my hands and held them as he gazed at me. His eyes were intense, filled with so much love it was a wonder I didn’t swoon or melt into a puddle. A single look burned the chill from my cheeks, replaced it with glowing warmth. “Serena Reed. I tried to stay away from you, and to keep my life simple and uncomplicated. But I failed, horribly. Because, Serena, I’m in love with you. So much so that I can’t see straight, can’t think, can’t get anything done. You fill my every thought when I’m awake, and my dreams when I’m asleep. I know we need to take our time to do this right, but I want you to know that I’m all in. I never thought I’d ever want a family of my own, but that was before I met you. Being with you and Sadie turned my life upside-down, in the best way possible, and I never want to go back to the way things were. I love you, Serena, and Sadie too. Will you give me a chance to prove it to you?”

I was stunned and more than a little overwhelmed. “I, uh, don’t know what to say?”

“That’s okay, because I’m not done yet.” He turned to retrieve something else from the porch swing then handed me a beautifully wrapped red box with a gold bow. “Open it.”

I glanced over to see that Sadie was still in the front yard, joyfully singing with the Rhodes family, not paying us any attention at all. I carefully unwrapped the box and opened the lid. Bringing my hand to my mouth to cover my laugh, I looked at Storm and saw him grinning wider than I’d ever seen. “Is this your Grinch sweater?”

“Yes. I’m surrendering my Grinch sweater to you. If you are with me, I’ll no longer have a reason to be grinchy or grumpy.”

“Reeallly?”

“There’s more.” He motioned for me to dig deeper within the box.

I pulled the sweater out and found a packet of papers. “What’s this? It looks like a legal document of some kind. Please don’t tell me you’re suing me, too.”

“Not even close. This is a Letter of Intent. It’s used in contract negotiations for partnerships and mergers. It’s not a binding contract, but it shows the intent along with the parameters of the proposed agreement.”

“O-kay. Still not understanding. Why would you give me this?”

“I know you’ve been hurt in the past by people you loved leaving you, and that you’re afraid that might happen again. While we both know there are no guarantees in life, I wanted to show you that my intentions with you and Sadie are pure and true. I know we need to take it slow, but I want you to understand that my intentions are to marry you one day, to adopt Sadie and be her father, and create our own family together, merging my big crazy family with yours.”

His declaration sucked the air right out of my lungs and brought tears to my eyes. Was he for real? I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming. Ouch.

“It is also my intent to be your partner, your support, your cheerleader, your shoulder to cry on, and the rock you can lean on.” He reached up and wiped a stray tear from my cheek with his thumb. “I plan to do some more research and read some books on how to be the best partner and father, but I also have some excellent examples to consult with as needed, too.” He gestured toward his parents, who waved excitedly. “I’m determined that we can do this. We can do anything as long as we’re together. What do you say? Will you give us a chance?”

I flipped through the pages of the document, not really seeing the words. “Can I add my own provisions to this agreement? If this is a partnership, it shouldn’t all be up to you to make it work.”

He took the papers from my hand, set them within the box on the step, and pulled me to his chest. “Absolutely. It’s an equal partnership. We can revise the parameters as often as we want. And just to be clear, this wasn’t a proposal of marriage, not yet. But I want us to move in that direction.”

I wiped my hand across my cheeks to dry the tears I couldn’t stop from falling. This man. How did I get so lucky? He was everything I’d ever wanted and never thought I’d have. Loving me in a way that helped me to feel safe, but also treasured. My very own Christmas miracle.

His eyes pleaded with me, and I realized he was still waiting patiently for my response. “Yes. Storm. I’m all in, too.” I brushed my lips over his and whispered, “I love you.” He picked me up and swung me around as if he’d just won the lottery.

Over my shoulder, I heard the cheers of our family clapping and whistling for us. I’d almost forgotten they were even here. I ducked my head on Storm’s shoulder, suddenly self-conscious. And oh, what would Sadie think of all this? We’d have to have a talk.

Sadie squealed, ran up the steps, and threw her arms around our legs. Lulu joined in the group hug on the other side, standing with her front paws on our legs. Then Sadie looked at the sky with her face beaming like the sun. “Thanks Santa. I knew you’d bring me my wish.”

A snowball hit Storm on the back, but before he could respond, Jasper called out, “Hey, are we done here? Cuz I can’t feel my toes—” AJ jabbed him in the ribs to shut him up.

Storm raised his hand. “Yeah. That’s enough. Thanks, guys. I appreciate your help. You can head back now. I’ll see you all later.” He looked at me with questions in his eyes. “Is it okay if I stay here with you and Sadie? Or if you’d rather, we could all?—”

“Can we go to the farm, Mommy? I bet the goats are dressed in their Christmas sweaters. Can we go? Can we go?”

I looked to Storm with my brow raised, not sure what the right thing to do was.

He gave a noncommittal shrug. “Whatever you want to do. As long as we’re together. I’m good.”

“Okay, Sadie. We’ll go to the farm and celebrate with the Rhodes family. Go on in and pack up whatever you want to bring with you.”

“Yippee. Come on, Lulu. I can’t wait to show you my new toys.”

Once she was inside, Storm pulled me to him again and rested his forehead against mine. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? It’s okay if you’d rather have a quiet day here. I didn’t mean to upend all your plans.”

“It’s okay. Having a quiet day here wasn’t as magical as I’d hoped. Sadie’s been sad and missing you and Lulu. I’m running out of things to distract her with.”

“Just Sadie?” He kissed his way down my neck, making me forget all about the cold. “Because I’ve been so ugly and irritable, Lulu wouldn’t even come near me. I was miserable without you. Please tell me we won’t make that mistake again.”

“No more Mr. Grinch for you, remember? I have the sweater to prove it.”

“I know we have the legal document there, but how about we seal this deal with a kiss? I love you, Serena. Let me love you forever.”

I laced my hands behind his neck and pulled him in for a deal-sealing kiss. I poured all my love and joy into it, hoping he would feel what mere words or even flowers failed to express. As we kissed, images floated through my mind of future holidays with this man and our families together.

Laughter. Love. Joy. Passion. Connection.

When the kiss ended, I pulled Storm into the house with me. “Come on. We have more holiday memories to make. Together.”