Tom returns with two drinks—a scotch for Mack and a glass of white wine for Linda.
“That’s better,” Mack says as he takes a sip.
“Come,” Linda says as she wraps her arm around mine, already making me feel like I’m part of the family. “I want to hear everything.”
I glance back at Nathan as she leads me into the kitchen, smiling and saying hello to people as we walk through the crowd. He smiles peacefully at me, looking like everything has fallen into place. I smile back, agreeing completely.
“Everyone was so nice,” I say, feeling full of energy like I can run alongside Nathan’s moving truck. “Your brother and sister seemed a little unsure of the age difference but I think I was growing on them by the end of the party.”
“They loved you,” Nathan says as he glances at me with a smile. “Of course they did. How could they not?”
I talked to each of them for a while and I think they understood that I’m the one for Nathan and it really doesn’t matter what year I was born in. All that matters is we’re in love. I think they saw that too. They both said they’ve never seen their brother look so happy before.
“And your mom and dad are great! It was just…”
“What?” His forehead scrunches up in concern, but it’s nothing like that.
“It was just so nice to be around a family during the holidays. I don’t have that.”
“You don’t have any family?”
I tell him about my dad dying and never knowing my mom. “My brother is off somewhere in Asia,” I say with a sigh. “I have no idea where. I’m not even sure if I’ll ever see him again.”
“You’re all on your own?”
I nod, feeling tears well up.
He puts his hand on mine and I instantly feel better.
“Not anymore,” he says and I almost believe him with the sincere way he’s looking at me. “You’re part of the family now. I’ll be making it official before next Christmas.”
“Oh, really?” I say in a flirty way. “Don’t I get a say in the matter?”
“I don’t think so,” he says with a grin. “You’re mine and I’m keeping you forever. I’ve decided it. That’s what you get for almost killing me.”
“If I knew that,” I say as I innocently bat my eyelashes at him. “I would have tried to kill you a long time ago.”
Our eyes lock on each other, but he eventually has to pull them away to look back at the road. The snow is still coming down hard.
We pass a huge familiar-shaped lump beside the road and I shake my head. “I’m never getting my car out of that.”
“You won’t need to,” he says. “Santa might bring you some new wheels tonight.”
I laugh. “I think a new car is too much even for Santa.”
“But it’s not for me.” He grins as he flashes those sexy dark eyes at me.
“You’re all the Christmas present I need,” I tell him. “I can’t believe this is happening. It’s like a dream.”
“You’re a dream,” he says. “One that I don’t want to wake up from.”
I smile as I wrap my hands around his and rest my head on his arm, wine and love flowing through my veins, making everything feel so damn perfect.
“Oh!” I say, perking back up after a few minutes of comfortable silence with my new man. “I forgot to give you my address. We just passed the exit.”
“You really think I’m going to let you go home?” he asks with a mischievous grin on his handsome face.
“I was hoping you weren’t.”
He licks his lips and squeezes the steering wheel. “Good. Because you’re coming home with me.”
Chapter Seven
Holly
* * *
“This is your house?” I ask with my mouth hanging open when Nate plows into the snow-filled driveway. It’s huge.
“I hope you like it,” he says as he taps the button on the visor over my head and one of the four garage doors starts to open.
“I don’t even know what to say. It’s incredible.”
“I did it all for you.”
“What do you mean?”
His eyes get a softness to them that I haven’t seen yet. It makes my heart warm up.
“All the studying, the work, getting up every day, and making all that money,” he says as he looks at me. “I felt a drive pushing me. Now I know it was all for you. There’s a reason why I’m nearly twenty years older than you, Holly. It’s so I would have time to get our life ready for when you showed up. I could have the perfect house, on the perfect street, to give you the lifestyle you deserve. Now that you’re here, all of my work, everything I’ve collected and earned over the years, it means something. I’m thrilled I get to share it with you.”
I’m speechless as he pulls into the garage and the door closes behind us.