“See?” Rachel said. “You even won Bailey over.”
He reached down and rubbed the sides of Bailey’s golden neck. “You really are a good girl.”
When he stood straight again, Rachel nestled into his side, so he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close to keep her warm. And then they just stood there, snuggled together, watching their kids and their dogs playing in the snow, laughing, and throwing snow up into the air. He couldn’t imagine a more perfect moment.
The night was cold enough to see their breath coming out in little cloud puffs, but with the low clouds, it wasn’t a bitter cold. The moon was only a sliver tonight, but it still shone brightly, lighting the snow that softly fell from the sky and reflecting off all the snow on the ground, making the night seem brighter than it was.
He kissed Rachel on the temple. “You’re pretty great, you know that?”
She shook her head. “Nope.”
He didn’t know if she meant that she didn’t know or if she just wanted to hear more. Either way, he wanted to tell her how great he thought she was every day for the rest of her life. “Well, then, I better tell you.”
She turned so that she was facing him, and he wrapped both arms around her waist. “I love that you’re willing to try new things. I love that you’re always on top of everything. That you look out for everyone’s feelings. That you always make Holly feel important and special. I love that you make a schedule. And that your purse is divided into sections.”
Rachel looked down and laughed. Then she met his eyes again.
He continued. They were all coming to his mind so quickly that he couldn’t stop. “I love that you make me feel like I can accomplish anything. I love the way your lips quirk up—like right now—when you’re amused. I love how patient andunderstanding you are. I love that you’ve invited me and Holly into your life and that you’ve just as easily stepped into ours.
“I love that you’re understanding about my relationship with Holly’s grandparents and about Clara. I love that you bring so much joy to everything. I love that you make a point of celebrating things. People don’t do that often enough and I think it’s important. I love that you work hard and prioritize. And I love how you make me feel like I’ve come home.”
The whole time, she just gazed at him like she was soaking it all in. When he finished, she said, “I am speechless. Thank you.”
And then she rose on her toes and pressed her lips against his, sliding her arms around his neck, pulling them as close together as they could be in thick winter coats. Her kiss felt like a dream. Like a promise. A hope for the future.
When he’d pulled into this driveway the day he and Holly had moved to Mountain Springs, he never imagined he would be standing here on Christmas night, being so utterly and completely in love with someone he hadn’t even met then. He knew that Christmas was a magical time of year, but being there with Rachel showed just how magical it could be.
He wanted to spend a lot more time kissing Rachel, but not in front of the kids, and not outside in the cold. He planted one last kiss on Rachel’s lips, and then looked at the kids and dogs, who were starting to get cold.
“Should we go inside?”
Rachel nodded. “Then I can tell you all the things I love about you.”
For as awful as the day had started, the ending couldn’t be any better. He said, “Come on, kids,” as he grabbed the bag from the passenger’s seat. “Let’s go inside and warm up.”
“What’s that?” Aiden asked, pointing at the bag.
“We decided,” Holly said, “well, my dad decided but I helped, that since our parents met working on a fireplace and fell inlove on that hay ride with the hot chocolate at Jack and Noelle’s wedding that he should try to woo your mom with hot chocolate by the real fireplace.”
Rachel’s eyebrow rose as a smile played across her lips. He should’ve known that Holly would tell everything.
“You fell in love with me on the hay ride?”
“And a million times since. What do you think? Should we go inside where it’s warm and I can properly woo you?”
She smiled. “I’d like that.”
nineteen
RACHEL
Rachel would acceptNick’s wooing any day of the week. It didn’t take long for Holly and Aiden to run off to see and play with Holly’s Christmas presents. Rachel took the moment alone as an opportunity to tell Nick all the things she loved about him.
When she said the first thing, he placed a gentle kiss on her hand. When she said the second thing, he moved up about an inch and placed the next one. She told him everything that she could remember from her list, and he placed a kiss on her arm with each one. She even came up with new ones, because she wanted him to make it up to her neck before he stopped. With each kiss, it sent more and more tingles up her arm and so much dopamine to her brain that she could barely think.
When the kids and the dogs came back into the kitchen, dining room, and family room area, racing around and being crazy, Nick brought everyone together to play Outfoxed, a board game that they’d gotten for Christmas. Playing the cooperative clue game together was so much fun. Aiden and Holly actually worked together to solve the mystery instead of working in competition against each other. That, in itself, was a miracle.
Once the game was over, Nick left her side to go make hot chocolate for everyone while they put the pieces back into the box. He set Aiden’s and Holly’s mugs down on the table, where they were getting out a new game to play. When he came back with his and Rachel’s mug, he nodded his head toward the couch, an eyebrow raised in question.
