In Love Before Christmas (6 page)

She pulled back swiftly and looked into his eyes. He looked pained, as if she had just denied him. She smiled. “I love you too. I don’t know why I…I don’t know why I was fighting it. We can make this last. We won’t lose our friendship right? I mean our friendship means the world to me.”

“We won’t,” he said.

“No you won’t lose your friendship. Your love will grow and last a lifetime,” the little old lady said. “I have an eye for these things. The keeper of St. Mary’s knows everything,” she winked as she turned to walk away taking the little boy with her.

“What did she just say?”

Matt stared after the old lady just as she did. “I’m going crazy,” he said.

“Well if you are I’m going there with you. I would swear she just…no.” She shook her head and laughed.

“When she approached me at the restaurant and told me we made a lovely couple I told her she should tell you that and then she came over to us…I didn’t think she would, but she did.”

“You had spoken with her?”

“While I was getting our order,” he nodded. “But I had no idea we would see her again on Pine and again here on Lake.”

“Oh my God,” Lani whispered. “Do you think she has anything to do with the St. Mary’s Curse?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“Well whatever she is, whoever she is, she brought us together beyond friendship. If it wasn’t for her I don’t know if I would have even allowed myself to continue to think of us as a couple. I wanted it, but I didn’t want to lose what we had.”

“Same here,” he admitted. “I was always too afraid to tell you. I’m glad she came along.”

Lani laid her forehead on his chest. Placing her palms on his chest on either side of her head she wallowed in the warm feeling of love. “I love you, Matt.”

“I love you too, Lani.” He chuckled.

“What?”

“I guess you did it.”

“Did what?”

“You fell in love—”

“Before Christmas,” they said in unison. “I think I would have survived the curse anyway because clearly I was already in love with you, Matt. I just had to be willing to admit it to you and to myself.”

He brushed his gloved fingers over her cheek and looked back to the ice rink. “Do you want to give it a try this year, Lani?”

“Matt, I can’t ice skate and you know it.”

“I promise I won’t let you fall.”

His promise reassured her because she knew no matter what happened in life Matt would never hurt her or allow her to be hurt. He would do everything in his power to make sure she was safe and she loved him all the more for that.

“Okay,” she said with a bright smile on her face. “But if I do fall it won’t be your fault. Just promise me you’ll help me up.”

“Always,” he kissed her lips ever so sweetly. “I have a gift for you. I was going to wait until Christmas, but I want to tell you now.”

“What is it?”

He pulled a picture out his coat pocket and handed it to her. “You made me a picture of the cabin by the lake?”

He laughed. “I bought it for you.”

“What?”

“I knew you wanted it. I remembered you talking about it, and the strangest thing happened while I was down in the center of town…”

“What happened?”

“One of the fake Santa’s came up to me and told me I should buy it. I didn’t know what he was talking about and I told him as much. That’s when he said, the house. And then he walked away leaving me standing there in shock. I had been thinking about it, wanting to do it. I had put in an offer and was thinking of rescinding it, but then I changed my mind. I thought I might freak you out, but I just had to do it. And then, not even two hours later I got the call that the seller accepted my bid and well…when I left work early Friday—yesterday, I went to sign the papers and take ownership. I put it in your name because I wanted it to be yours.”

“Matt…it’s too much.”

“Nothing is too much for you, Lani. I wanted to get you the world, but I settled for the house of your dreams.”

“Matt…oh,” she brushed tears from her cheek with her free hand. She looked up into his eyes.

“Consider it a Christmas present and birthday present for the rest of your life,” he laughed. “There’s probably nothing else I could get for you anyway. I can’t imagine there’s any other birthday present I could get for you.”

“Yes there is,” she whispered as she looked up into his eyes.

“Name it.”

“You,” she smiled. “Just you. Marry me, Matt.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Let’s do it, on my birthday. You’ll be my present and I’ll be yours.”

He laughed and pulled her in for a hug before releasing her. “Yes,” he said. “Let’s do it.”

As he took her hand in his and walked toward the ice she felt at peace and so warmed with love that she couldn’t stop smiling. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined such a sweet gift for Christmas—it was the best Christmas gift she could ever get. He loved her, and she loved him. There was no greater gift than that love. As she stepped on to the ice she knew one thing for sure, Matt was definitely the love of her life.

About the Author

Capri Montgomery is the bestselling author of books including Ride A Cowboy, Across the Lake, The Thirteenth Floor, 1965, The Admiral’s Daughter, and The Geneva Project. She enjoys nature—unless the insects are biting her, traveling, old movies, art, photography and music.

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