Her smile faltered. "But wait, I thought you said it was gone."
"It is," I said. "But it's not because of what you did." I reached out and took her hand in mine. "It's because of who you are."
"Me?"
"Oh, yeah." I leaned closer. "Lexie, you're one in a million. You know that, right?"
"But…" She bit her lip. "Earlier, back at your house, when I asked for another chance, you didn't say anything. And even before that, you asked me to leave."
"Youhadto leave," I teased, "before my sister tossed you out on your ass."
Lexie gave me the ghost of a smile. "Would've she?"
I shook my head. "I wouldn't have let her. But I still owed her an explanation, and I owedyouthe chance to talk in private." I looked deep into her eyes. "And I owed myself some time to think."
"About what?"
Something warm squeezed at my heart. "Us."
Her expression grew hopeful. "Us?"
I nodded. "After your visit, I realized something."
"What?"
I moved a fraction closer. "I love you just the way you are."
Her breath caught. "What?"
I hadn't planned to say it. But man, did I ever feel it. And now that it was out there, I had no intention of taking it back. I gave her hand a tender squeeze. "I love you, Lexie."
Her hand was soft in mine. "But whywouldyou? I mean, I've been so awful."
"I'll tell you why," I laughed. "It's because you make me smile. I love the sound of your voice and the goodness of your heart. I love how you stick up for what's right, no matter the risk." My voice softened. "And you're unshakably loyal to the people you care about."
Her eyes filled with tears. "But I care aboutyou, too."
This made me smile. "You didn't always."
"Well…yeah…" Her tone grew playful. "But only because you were a monster in disguise." With her free hand, she reached between us and gave my Santa belt a gentle tug. "Andyouneed to come inside."
I let her tug me forward. "Oh, yeah?"
"Definitely."
As soon as I cleared the doorway, she gave the door a soft kick with her slippered foot. The door had barely shut when she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me like it was Christmas morning. And hey, I guess it was, even if sunrise was still a few hours away.
Her lips were soft and sweet, and I pulled her tight against me, relishing the feel of her body and the scent of her hair.
God, I'd missed her.
The girl in my arms – she was everything I'd ever wanted – even more so when she pulled back to say, "I love you, too, by the way."
I grinned. "I know."
"How?" she laughed. "Andwhendid you know?Ididn't even know until tonight, not for sure, anyway."
"I'll tell you how," I said. "Any girl who would do whatyoudid, well, she must be in love, right?"
