Carina whipped her head around. “You look amazing! Is that eyeshadow I see?”
Batting her eyes, Emmy said, “Sure is. And you’re beautiful.” She squeezed her daughter’s hand.
“She sure is.” Jeremy grinned at Carina and put the car in Drive. He and Carina talked quietly to each other while Emmy settled into the back seat and found her thoughts drifting to Kieran again. Eventually she would get over him. For good this time.
They arrived at the party and Sheryl immediately dashed over, then turned and faced the crowd of partygoers. “Ben took Mom to get some last-minute presents,” she said to everyone in the room.“He texted that they were five minutes away, so get to your hiding places.”
Emmy helped Sheryl herd the group, which was a challenge considering over half were senior citizens and a quarter of them weren’t wearing their hearing aids. By the time headlights shone in the parking lot, everyone was in their spot, including Emmy, who was crouched down next to Sheryl. She held her breath as the door opened, and Sheryl popped up and turned on the nearby light.
“Surprise!”
Kieran stood there, a huge bouquet of roses in his hand and a gift under his arm. “What the—”
“Kieran!” Sheryl hustled over to him, not an easy feat in her high heels, and grabbed her brother. “Mom will be here any minute!” She dragged him over to where she was hiding and pushed him toward Emmy. “Get. Down.”
He complied as the room went dark again.
Emmy’s skin tingled as Kieran shifted next to her. He didn’t say anything, and it was too dark to see if he was looking in her direction. But she could sense his warmth and smell his woodsy cologne.
“When did you get back?” Sheryl whispered.
“Three hours ago,” he said, the scent of cinnamon on his breath. “I had to—”
“She’s here!”
The room went quiet. The door opened, and a wedge of light illuminated the door. “Ben,” Maggie said. “Why is it so dark in here—”
“Surprise!”
The lights flicked on, and Maggie’s face contorted in shock. For a minute Emmy thought there might be something wrong and they had scared her. But then Maggie burst into laughter as everyone started singing “Happy Birthday.” She was in tears by the end of thetune, and her gaze had landed on Kieran. She walked over to him and gave him a big hug.
“You came back,” she said, pulling away from him but keeping her hands on his arms.
“I told you I would, Mum.” He held out the red and white roses to her. “Happy birthday.”
Maggie hugged him again, and Emmy stood to the side as he was greeted by family and friends. Sheryl punched him in the arm before hugging him fiercely.
“If you ever pull another stunt like this again, you’ll be sorry,” she said, her voice thick.
“I won’t.” He gave her a serious look. “I can promise you that.”
Emmy smiled, her heart almost full. Kieran was back. She didn’t know for how long, although she was certain it was just for the party. Or maybe he would stay for Christmas. He wouldn’t be here past the new year. That she was sure of.
The O’Neill family was swept away by the partygoers, and even though Emmy knew everyone, she felt a little on the outside. She spied Carina and Jeremy sitting close to each other at a table, their heads together and whispering.
I approve, Emmy thought.
Music started playing, and the party was underway. She slipped away and found her coat, suddenly needing some air.
***
After Kieran had surprised everyone—and was a little shocked himself, even though he knew it was a surprise party—he searched for Emmy. He thought he saw her standing near the front of the party area, but she wasn’t there. He’d had to fight the desire to reach for her hand when they were crouching next to each other in thedark. Even though he’d been gone only a week, he’d missed her so much. Her, his family... and Mistletoe.
He felt a whoosh of cold air and turned around in time to see Emmy slip out the door. His package still under his arm, he followed her outside.
“Emmy!” he said, catching up to her.
She turned around, and to his delighted surprise, she smiled. He thought she was still upset with him.
