Winter Hopes (Seasons of Love) (29 page)

“They are, aren’t they?” Lydia beamed.

“He has great taste, your boyfriend who’s not a boyfriend,” Jane
remarked. She pulled back and looked Lydia in the eyes as she
added, “Oh, and he picks out nice jewelry too.”

Lydia rolled her eyes, but gave her sister a tremendous hug.

THE BACKSEAT OF
the taxi was dark and warm. Lydia looked over at Sam as he gazed out his window. She studied his profile
discreetly, admiring him, before she said for the fourth time that evening, “I still can't believe you're not telling me where we're going.”

Sam chuckled and said with an amused smile, “Stop hounding me, lady. I'm not gonna crack. And I'm trying to look at all the decorations.”

Lydia grinned and nestled into his side. His arm went around her shoulders, he kissed her lips quickly, and she joined him in
looking out the window. As their cab wound through the streets of midtown Manhattan, they took in the magical transformation that the city had
undergone since their last visit. Night had fallen, making all the
colorful holiday decorations that lit the storefronts seem even more vivid—bright, sparkling, and joyful.

“I love how the city does Christmas,” she murmured, snuggling closer. She loved the feel of Sam’s heavy jacket against her cheek, the smell of his skin combined with the leather, the comforting warmth of him. She rested her head on his shoulder and felt his arm tighten around her as she added, “There's nothing like Christmas in New York City, I tell ya. It's all so fantastic. Just beautiful.”

Sam brushed his lips against her forehead. “It is pretty fantastic. I've never been here during the holidays. It's really something.”

“When I was younger, I used to almost always celebrate my birthday by doing something fun in the city, because it’s magical here,” she told him. “With family when I was a kid, then with
friends when I was in my teens and twenties. One of the few advantages of having my birthday so close to the holidays is it seems like everything is all pretty and festive, extra dazzling, just for me. And people in general seem to be in a better mood, which is nice.”

Sam gave a kindly grin at the thought of that. “The 'few'
advantages? What are the drawbacks?”

“Well, there were the combo gifts,” she snickered. “You know, 'oh, your birthday falls during Hanukkah, so here's a combination gift'. What if my birthday was in July? That would never happen. I'd get two separate gifts, right?”

Sam chuckled, but asked, “People have really done that to you?”

“Of course. Usually my parents. And Matt did it almost every year,” she laughed. “Cheap, lazy jerk.”

The amused grin slid off Sam’s face as he realized something,
and
asked tentatively, “Um… possibly dangerous question. When's the
first night of Hanukkah this year?”

Lydia shrugged. “A few nights ago. First night was Monday.”

“What?” Sam sat up straighter so he could look at her directly. “Are you kidding? Please be kidding.”

“No, I'm not,” Lydia said.

“Why didn't you tell me?” he cried.

Her brows furrowed. “I… didn't think I had to. It's not a big deal, Sam.”

“Sure it is! That's your holiday.” Sam was growing more
distressed
by the second. “I feel terrible,” he groaned. “Jesus, I'm so stupid.
Why didn't I think to check? I would've gotten you something, I would've gotten Andy something—”

“Stop,” she said. “You did get me something, remember?” She
shook her head slightly to make the dangling earrings dance.

“That was your birthday present, not a holiday present.”

“And I love them. I don’t need anything. And you sure didn't
have to get Andy anything.”

“Don't be ridiculous,” Sam said, obviously bothered. “Of course I would've gotten you both Hanukkah presents. Jesus, I feel like such a jackass.” His shoulders slumped as he scrubbed his hands over his
face.

“Stop it!” she insisted. She was touched by his anguished guilt, but it was so unnecessary. Trying to make light of his sudden dark mood, she teased, “You've never dated a Jewish girl before, have you, bubela?”

“No,” he admitted. Fighting it and failing, his mouth curved up in his signature crooked smile. “I mean, I've slept with a few, but not
actually dated any seriously. And that… sounds… awful, right? Ugh.”

They laughed together, the tension broken. She reached up to caress his face and purred, “Sam, yesterday was the best birthday
I've had in a
long time. Thanks to
you
.” She kissed him a few times, and felt his tightness dissipate. “By the way, are we… at a new understanding
now? What you said to Cooper… I meant to ask you about that.”

His gaze deepened as he looked down at her. In a voice like velvet, he said softly, “What, that I'm your boyfriend now? Aren't I?”

She smiled affectionately and murmured, “I don't like that term,
it sounds so silly. I'm thirty-seven now, and that sounds like a teen word.”

“Agreed. And so what? Am I your boyfriend?” His dark eyes pierced her. She saw the question there. He meant it.

“Yes, Sam.” She touched his cheek, ran her thumb over his lips. “At this point, I'd like to think you are.”

“Good. Because I sure think I am.” He kissed her and added quietly, with deep sentiment, “So that's that, then. We're exclusive.
You're mine. And I'm yours.” His smile was intimate, sultry, delectable. “But I’ve been yours from that first weekend. I think you know that.”

She stared at him, all the things she wanted to say whirling through her mind like a windstorm. There were too many things, too
heartfelt,
too revealing… she was overcome. At a loss, she grasped his face and kissed him with all the feeling she could express. He seemed to understand. He held her close and kissed her back with equal
intensity.

A few minutes later, the cab stopped at a busy midtown corner, pulling up slowly to the curb. Sam glanced out the window, checking to see where they were, and thanked the driver as he paid him. “Shall we?” he said to Lydia, an excited twinkle in his eyes. He
got out of the cab quickly, made his way around to open her door, and helped her out. A cold wind blew harshly just as they stepped away from the
cab, lifting her long hair off her shoulders and holding the copper
strands aloft in the frigid air.

“Winter's definitely here,” she shivered, pulling her camel-
colored wool coat tighter around her. “Damn, it's cold!”

“Ah, this is nothing,” Sam said lightly. “Come to Chicago in
January. Now
that's
cold.”

At that moment, she saw the sign painted on the window of the restaurant and realized where they were. Disbelief and amazement whooshed through her as she looked at Sam and said, “Are you kidding me?”

“Nope.” His smile could have lit the night sky. Before she could say anything more, he put his arm around her and quickly ushered her inside.

A blast of warm air hit them as they entered a charming, elegant
restaurant. Lydia knew it was in the uppermost echelon of Manhattan restaurants, highly fashionable, and likely to be very
expensive.

She discreetly looked around, still flabbergasted that he’d taken
her to this famous eatery. As Sam put his hand at the small of her back, she took in the distinguished decor, the hushed and crisp efficiency of the staff that bustled around, and scanned the pictures
on the walls.
Her jaw dropped slightly as she turned to Sam and looked up at him. “I can’t believe you brought me to Nattie's,” she said in astonishment.

Sam grinned boyishly. “You've heard of it, then?”

“Are you kidding?” she scoffed. Nattie's was legendary, a
longtime
New York City landmark, renowned both for its cuisine and its
service. Many celebrities and socialites had dined there over the years, able to enjoy coveted privacy, some of the best Italian food Manhattan
had to offer, and be treated like kings and queens, all at the same time. Their autographed pictures lined the wall behind the bar. To get a table at Nattie's, a reservation had to be made weeks,
sometimes months, in advance. Lydia could only gape at Sam. “Wow,” she stammered.

Sam's grin broadened into his megawatt smile that she adored. “You're surprised. You're happy.”

“Of course I am!” She shook her head in awe. “How did you get a table here?”

“I had a friend call in a favor,” Sam admitted.

“A friend?” she asked. “Do I know this friend?”

“Good evening,” came the rich voice of the maitre'd as he
approached them. “Your name, please?”

“Forrester,” Sam said.

“Ah, yes. Your party is waiting for you, they've already arrived,”
the older man informed them with the air of a royal handler. “If
you'd be so kind as to check your coats, I'll take you in.”

Sam helped Lydia slip out of her coat and scarf, grinning
rakishly
as he purposely ignored her loaded, curious gaze. He brought their
coats to the nearby coat check, then quickly rejoined her. His eyes
swept over her, once again taking in appreciatively how pretty she looked. The stylish black pant suit she'd chosen flattered her figure, and the violet top she wore beneath the blazer was shimmery and alluring. It made him want to reach inside the cowl neck and run his hands over
her skin. Her thick hair hung loosely, her cheeks were tinged with color, and the earrings he'd given her glittered from her ears. He
found her striking, utterly appealing, and sexy as hell. And she was his. All his.

Sam couldn't help himself. He leaned down to firmly kiss her
before turning to the maitre'd and saying, “We're ready, thanks.” He
intertwined his fingers through hers as they followed the white-
haired man into the heart of the restaurant.

“Our party?” Lydia whispered hotly to Sam. “Who's here?"”

“You'll see.” Sam grinned, enjoying himself.

At a small round table in the back, standing and waiting with
radiant smiles on their faces, were Melanie and Ryan Selby, the
couple at whose wedding Sam and Lydia had first met. Melanie was her
college roommate, and Ryan was his childhood friend. They had
been instrumental in helping Sam and Lydia get to know each other that
first weekend. Although Lydia and Melanie emailed each other
often, they hadn't seen each other since the wedding back in October.

Lydia stopped in her tracks and gasped audibly. “Oh my GOD!”

“Hiiii!” Melanie squealed happily, moving in to hug her friend.

“Surprise,” Ryan said to her, his smile broadening at the look of ecstatic shock on Lydia's face. He turned to Sam and clasped him in a quick embrace, clapping him lightly on the back. “You really got her, she had no clue!”

“None whatsoever.” Sam smiled. “Good to see you, man.”

“I don't believe this,” Lydia said as Melanie squeezed her tightly.

“Ha! I love it! Happy Birthday, honey,” Melanie said. She stepped back, swept her long blonde hair away from her face and
pronounced,
“Wow, that was so worth it. You should've seen your face!
Fabulous.” She turned, still smiling, and said hello to Sam as they kissed each other's cheeks in greeting.

Even after the four of them were settled into their seats, their
water
glasses filled, their orders taken, and their first round of drinks
brought to the table, Lydia was still shaking her head in delighted disbelief. “This is so wonderful,” she finally said. “Who do I thank? Whose idea was this, who masterminded it?”

“Your date,” Ryan said easily. “It was all him. I'm just glad I could swing getting the reservation here, I wasn't sure if I could do it on such short notice. I had a backup plan just in case, but I have a
friend who owed me, and he knows someone… whatever. We're all here, and you were totally surprised. It's all good.” He raised his vodka tonic and said, “Happy Birthday, Lydia. Many happy returns.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. She lifted her glass of wine to clink it gently against Ryan's glass, then Melanie's, then Sam's. Sam was beaming at her.

“You're awfully proud of yourself, aren't you,” she said to him.

“You bet,” he returned, smiling broadly.

“This is just beyond…" Lydia searched for the right words.
Overwhelmed, she pressed her lips together softly and shook her
head again, uncharacteristically speechless. She gazed at Sam, and he saw the deep affection shining in her eyes. “Thank you.”

To Sam's total amazement, the words “I love you” almost rolled
right off his tongue—easily, naturally, without thought. He blinked, thrown for a second, but quickly regained himself. He took her hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed the back of it with utmost
tenderness. “My pleasure,” he managed to say. They smiled at one another.

“Wow,” Melanie said, breaking their moment. She was staring at them openly. “You two are really… you're really
together
. I mean, it was one thing watching you hook up at the wedding, but seeing you
like this—you're a real couple now. And you're obviously really
happy together. This is so great!”

Lydia blushed, but Sam smiled at Melanie and said, “We
are
happy together. Thanks. I think it's pretty great too.” He looked at Ryan and joked, “We owe you two. Thanks for getting married and
all.”

“Glad we could help,” Ryan said with a chuckle.

“Oh! I have something for you guys.” Melanie reached down for
her bag. She sifted through it for a few seconds, then lifted a white envelope into the air. “Aha!” She placed it on the table, exactly between Sam and Lydia. “You two can fight over who gets what. But
it's your pick. When we got these back, I thought you would each want one.”