It Started at Christmas...

“Yeah, well, he’s motioning for you to join him onstage,” Cecilia pointed out. “He gonna have you croon for him again?”

“I hope not.” McKenzie still didn’t enjoy singing or having everyone’s eyes on her, but the emcee aka the most wonderful man in the world truly was motioning her to come up onto the stage.

She got onto the stage. “Please tell me I’m not about to embarrass myself by singing some Christmas ditty.”

Grinning, he shook his head. “You’re not about to embarrass yourself by singing.”

“Phew,” she said. “That’s a relief to everyone in the audience.”

One of the performers brought over a chair and set it down behind where McKenzie stood next to Lance. She glanced around at the chair, then looked at Lance in question.

“Have a seat, McKenzie.”

She eyed him curiously. “What’s going on?”

The look in his eyes had her concerned. His grin had faded and he actually looked nervous.

“Lance?”

“Sit, please.”

McKenzie sat, which must have cued the music because it started up the moment her bottom hit the seat.

When she caught the tune, she smiled.

All the performers came out onto the stage and began singing. Lance stood in front of her, his eyes full of love. When the song ended, she got to her feet and

kissed him.

The crowd cheered.

“You have me, you know,” she whispered, for his ears only.

“I sure hope so or I’m about to look like the world’s biggest fool.”

She arched a brow at him. “Lance?”

“Have a seat, McKenzie.”

Her gaze met his and her mouth fell open as she sat back down.

A big smile on his face, Lance dropped to one knee, right there on the Coopersville Community Center’s stage, with half the town watching.

“McKenzie, at this show last year you saved the mayor’s life,” Lance began. “But without knowing it, you saved mine, too.”

McKenzie’s eyes watered.

He wasn’t doing this.

He was doing this.

“This past year has been the best of my life because I’ve spent it with you, but more than that you’ve helped me to be the person I was meant to be, to let go of things that needed to be let go of, and to embrace the aspects of life that needed to be embraced.”

“Lance,” she whispered, her hand shaking as he took it in his.

“I can’t imagine my life without you in it every single day.”

“You’ll never have to,” she promised.