A Season for Hope (Sarra Cannon) (15 page)

The orchestra begins to play and couples drift toward the dance floor. I feel completely out of place despite having the perfect dress and makeup. I just don’t belong here.

Preston finds me and pulls me onto the dance floor, and as he twirls me around, I wonder what I ever really wanted from him. Why did I think we were meant for each other? Why did I pretend for so long to be someone I’m not?

As we dance, I decide that after the music stops, I’m going to tell him I’m not feeling well and take a cab home. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t wear a mask anymore. From here on out, I just want to be myself. If some people can’t appreciate and love me for that, then I’ll seek out people who will.

But before the music has ended, Preston stops still at the edge of the dance floor.

I look up and see that he’s staring at someone behind me. When I turn, Judd’s hazel eyes meet mine and I inhale, my hands falling to my sides.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“Judd,” I say in a whisper. “What are you doing here?”

“You guys know each other?” Preston asks, looking between us.

I nod. “Yes. Wait, do you guys know each other?”

“Judd is the recipient of my family’s research scholarship at FCU,” he says. “Penny wanted to honor him and some of the other students who are working on a new treatment for leukemia since that’s what Rachel’s Kids is all about.”

My eyes widen and I look to Judd. I can’t find my voice. He was the last person I was expecting to see tonight. Why didn’t he ever mention that his scholarship was coming from the Wright family?

“I’m sorry to cut in, but I need to tell you something,” Judd says, not taking his eyes from me. “I’ve been trying so hard to deny it for the past week, but watching you here tonight, I know there’s no use. I'm in love with you, Bailey. And I don’t care if Preston hears me say it. He may be the one you’re with, but I can promise you that he will never love you the way I do.”

I shake my head, not understanding or believing what he’s saying. Am I dreaming?

“When you left me that morning, I thought maybe I rushed you. But when I heard you guys were back together, it destroyed me,” he says. “I already lost someone to their ex once and I couldn’t believe it was happening to me again. But watching you tonight, I know that this time is different. This time, I know I can’t just sit back and watch you go back to someone who isn’t right for you. I need for you to know how I feel.”

I’m so surprised by what he’s saying, I can’t even set him straight about Preston. All I can do is stare at him, trying to understand it.

“Hitting you with the door that day was the luckiest, most wonderful thing that ever happened to me,” Judd says. “Do you know how many days I sat there in the cafe trying to work up the nerve to talk to you? I daydreamed about you and talked about you so much, my friends were about to stage an intervention. I can’t explain it, but when I looked at you, I knew you were mine. You didn’t know it yet, but you belonged to me. With me. And then when you and Preston broke up, I wanted to ask you out so bad, but I saw how devastated you were. I knew I had to be patient. That you were going to need some time to get over him before you’d be ready to start something new. But that day we first talked in the science building, and then seeing you that night at the bar? I knew that I’d been right about you. About us. We belong together, Bailey. And I’ll wait forever if that’s what it takes for you to realize it.”

My mouth hangs open and I struggle to breathe.

He’d been watching me in the cafe? He’d been coming there for me all this time?

Judd’s eyes fill with tears and he turns away, his chest rising rapidly with each nervous breath.

I watch as he crosses the length of the ballroom and disappears into the hallway. I’m helpless to move or react, but there’s a tugging in my core, telling me not to let him walk away thinking that I don’t love him back.

I exhale and turn my head toward Preston, who is still standing there with his hand on my arm.

He raises an eyebrow and smiles. “What the fuck are you waiting for?” he asks. “Go after him.”

My face breaks out in a smile and I lean forward and kiss Preston on the cheek.

Then, I kick off my shoes and run.

Chapter Thirty

I find him outside on the porch.

He’s leaning against one of the large white columns and I rush toward him, stopping just short of the edge to catch my breath. I have no idea what I’m going to say, but I hope I’m not too late.

“Judd,” I say, breathless.

He turns and slowly, a smile pulls at the corners of his lips.

Hope flows through my heart like a spring. “Don’t go,” I say.

He cocks his head to the side. “I’m not going anywhere,” he says. “I’d wait for you forever if that’s what it took.”

I shake my head and step toward him, my feet cold against the wooden floor of the porch. “I’m not dating Preston,” I say. “We never got back together.”

His eyebrows twitch and his hands open and close at his sides. “You didn’t?”

“No,” I say, biting my lip. “For someone who says he's all about communication, you should have called me and talked to me about it instead of taking someone else's word for it. Preston asked me to come to this dance a really long time ago. He came into the cafe to remind me of our plans. It was the same day I had made such a fool of myself by practically running out of your apartment. I was going to tell you about the dance, but you never answered any of my calls.”

He takes a step toward me. “I was working on this project,” he says. “I’m working with a group of research students and they called me into the lab just a little while after you left my apartment that morning. I don’t have cell service in there and by the time I left, it was too late to call. The next morning when I got to the lab, Penny was there talking to someone about the upcoming dance and finalizing the plans for tonight. That’s when I overheard her saying something about how you and Preston had gotten back together and were coming to the dance.”

“We never got back together, I swear,” I say.

“But I saw you on campus together. He kissed your forehead,” he says. “It looked like—”

I shake my head. “He kissed my forehead because I was crying,” I say. “He thought I was crying for him, but I wasn’t. I was crying because I was so scared I’d lost you. That I’d messed it all up by running away. I’m so sorry about that. I’ve just never opened myself up to someone that way. I’ve never been so real around anyone in my life. The things I was feeling for you were stronger than anything I’d ever known and I wasn’t sure what to do with that. I was so scared that if I went any farther or if I really gave myself to you, I’d never be able to survive the pain of losing you.”

He reaches for me, pulling me into his strong embrace. Our breath mingles in the freezing air and our lips meet. Warmth surges through my body and I wrap my arms around him, clinging to him.

“I was so scared I’d lost you,” I say.

He cups my face in his hands. “Never,” he says. “I can’t explain it, but I know with all that I am that this is fate. We were meant to be.”

“I love you,” I say. “I never believed it could happen this fast, but standing here, I know it with all of my heart. I love you, Judd Kohler.”

“I love you, too,” he says.

He pulls me closer and as we kiss, I vow never to hold anything back from him again. To embrace the fear of getting hurt. To face it head-on.

I remove the mask I wore for so long and stand before him, flaws and all, knowing that I’ve finally found someone who will love me just the way I am.

Epilogue

Judd sits behind me as I work.

My shirt is splattered with paint and my hands are caked in red. It’s Christmas Eve and I’m painting a scene from the Christmas Memories Charity Ball for Penny to auction off.

“Are you always this messy when you create?” he asks.

“Shhh,” I say. “Don’t judge my process. You’ll scare off my muse.”

He laughs, then clamps a hand over his mouth.

“And yes, I like to use my hands in some instances instead of always using brushes. Art can be messy. Deal with it.”

His phone rings and he steps into the hallway.

“Sounds like fun. Let me ask her,” he says when he comes back into the room. “Do you want to go to Brian’s? Everyone’s hanging out, playing games and stuff.”

I smile and wipe paint on my jeans.

“Are you challenging me to a dance-off?” I ask.

A corner of his mouth lifts in a sexy, challenging smile. “Maybe.”

I smile back. “Challenge accepted.”

He laughs and tells his friends we’ll be there in a few minutes.

I wash my brushes and put away the paints, then grab my coat.

“Did you want to go home and change?” Judd asks as we make our way through the quad toward the parking lot.

A sense of freedom washes over me and I shake my head.

“No,” I say, looking down at my loose, paint-stained clothing. “I’m all good.”

He smiles and pulls me closer.

We make it halfway across the grass before it begins to snow.

Just in time for Christmas.

If you're new to the town of Fairhope, Georgia,
I hope you'll check out the other two books in this series:

The Trouble With Goodbye

(Leigh Anne and Knox's story)

The Moment We Began

(Penny and Mason's story)

And coming Winter 2014:

The Fear of Letting Go

(Jenna and Preston's story)

To be notified when I have a new release, please sign up for my mailing list!!

This novella is proud to be a part of

The 12 NA's of Christmas

12 different new adult romances. 12 bestselling new adult authors.
http://www.newadult12.com

Yeah, you're gonna need a bigger stocking!!!

Check out all 12 novellas:

Wide Spaces by Shelly Crane
All For You by Marquita Valentine
Brave by Zoe Dawson
Christmas Catch by Chelsea M. Cameron
Frosted Midnight by Breena Wilde
If I Return by Sawyer Bennett
Off The Market by Magan Vernon
Winter Kisses by Addison Moore
Warmth in Ice by A. Meredith Walters
A Season For Hope by Sarra Cannon
A Little Christmas Romance by H.M. Ward
Cross Country Christmas by Tiffany King

A Note from Sarra

I adore holiday romances, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading this short Christmas romance. The town of Fairhope, Georgia is a fictional place, but after writing three books set there, it’s starting to feel real to me! If you haven’t read my other Fairhope romances, I hope you’ll take a chance on The Trouble With Goodbye (Leigh Anne and Knox’s story) and The Moment We Began (Penny and Mason’s story). Coming early in 2014, I’ll also be telling Jenna and Preston’s story in The Fear of Letting Go.

I would really appreciate it if you would take the time to leave an honest review at the site where you bought this book. Reviews are so important, especially to indie authors, as they help other readers find the books they'll enjoy the most.

If you would like to learn more about my upcoming new releases and fun giveaways, please sign up for my mailing list http://eepurl.com/h9MW2. I only send out emails when I have a big announcement or a new release, so this is a great way to keep up to date with major news.

For more day-to-day connections, please come say hi and follow me on my website http://www.sarracannon.com or on the social media networks listed below. I love to hear from fans of my books, and I do my best to answer messages as often as I can.

Thanks again! My books would mean nothing without amazing readers like you.

With all my heart,

Complete Book List

  Young Adult
  Peachville High Demons Beautiful DemonsInner DemonsBitter DemonsShadow DemonsRival DemonsDemons ForeverEternal Sorrows Death's Awakening

 
New Adult
  Fairhope The Trouble With GoodbyeThe Moment We BeganA Season For Hope

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Connect Online

Beginning

What's Next

Author Note

Book List