Chapter Thirty-One

Holly

“ I look like a mess,” I groan, glancing at my reflection in the shop window.

Mark chuckles. “You look like you just got fucked.”

I shoot him a glare. “That’s not a good thing.”

He presses his lips together, attempting to stop the laughing as he shrugs. “Is to me,” he says. “Tells other guys you’re all fucking mine.”

I roll my eyes, pretending like I don’t like hearing that from him. I’ve never belonged anywhere, let alone to anyone, but the idea of belonging to him sends a rush of warmth through me.

I turn back to the window, attempting to fix my makeup and hair again. Mark had kissed me so hard after I finished getting ready that I didn’t even realize the mess it made until I saw myself in the reflection.

“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” Mark murmurs, wrapping his hands around my waist and kissing the top of my head. “You always do.”

I glance over my shoulder, catching the soft smile on his lips. It makes my heart race, just like the very first time I saw him smile. I love that I’m the one who puts that happiness on his face. He deserves it .

“C’mon,” he says, gently turning me away from the window. “We’re going to be late.”

“What are we doing?” I ask, for what must be the hundredth time tonight. We missed our restaurant reservation, seeing as we were late, and Mark mentioned that he had a surprise for me. And while I love surprises, I’m too curious to wait.

He chuckles, glancing down at me with a twitch of his lips. “Something Christmassy and awful.”

My brows shoot up, shocked at him finally answering me, but then the realization of what he said dawns on me, making my brows knit together. “What?”

His smile widens slightly as he glances at the other side of the street, and my eyes follow his, noticing the big red sleigh parked on the side of the road, being pulled by two horses.

My heart bangs against my chest as my jaw drops open. “You’re joking.”

He sighs. “Unfortunately, I’m not.”

“We’re going on a sleigh ride?” I ask, still unable to believe this is happening.

Mark’s eyes soften as mine widen and he smiles. “Yeah.”

“But…” I shake my head. “You hate that sort of thing.”

He nods. “But I don’t hate you.”

I shoot him a look. “You know what I mean.”

He holds my face in his hand, softly smoothing his thumb over my cheek. “I meant it when I told you I would give you everything you wanted no matter what. I would do anything and everything to make you happy, Holly.” Tears prick my eyes as his shine down at me. “I wouldn’t have booked it if I didn’t want to go. I want to see you smile. I want to make you happy. I want to treat you right and love you right.”

I suck in a breath. “ Love ?”

He smiles warmly. “I think it’s pretty obvious how I feel about you.”

“You…” I shake my head, feeling dizzy and weak, and… did I just hear him right? “You what?”

“Speechless?” Mark jokes, letting out a soft laugh. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

My mouth is still dropped open, my heart banging uncontrollably against my chest, hoping I heard him correctly. Hoping this isn’t one of my dreams. That this is actually happening.

“Can… Can you say it again?”

His brow quirks. “Speechless?”

“No.” I shake my head. “No. The… the other thing.”

His smile widens. “That I love you?”

My chest rises with a hard breath, his words running through me, swirling around my stomach. “Yeah.”

Both of his hands cup my face now, looking deeply into my eyes. “I love you, Holly. I never thought I’d end up loving someone, let alone this fucking much. But you walked into that bar, and my world fucking flipped on its head. I loved being your friend since the moment I met you, and it just deepened into something more every second I spent with you.” He rubs his thumb over my cheek, holding me in his hands like I’m something precious he can’t bear to lose. “I fucking love you. And I’ll love you ‘till the day I die. ”

My heart is beating so fast, so hard I’m worried I’ll pass out right now, and silence stretches between us, my ears muffled as I hear nothing but the sound of my heart pounding. I finally suck in a deep breath and shake my head. “Wow.”

“Sweetheart,” Mark murmurs, rubbing his thumb back and forth. “Now would be a good time to say whatever you’re thinking.”

My hand reaches up and I tap his cheek twice. “You’re okay, I guess.”

A low growl escapes his lips, his grip on my waist tightening as he steps closer. “Woman,” he warns, his voice deep and rough.

I chuckle, loving how desperate he is to hear me say it back, and I wrap my arms around his neck, leaning on my tip-toes until our lips are stacked. “I love you, too, Mark,” I tell him, my smile slipping as seriousness takes over and our eyes meet. “So fucking much.”

He inhales sharply, his grip on me tightening. “Say it again.”

I grin. “I love you.”

“Again.”

I chuckle. “I love—”

My words are cut off when Mark presses his lips to mine, making me yelp. He pulls me against him, a groan leaving his lips when mine part open and his tongue swipes against mine, kissing me so heated it leaves me dizzy.

“God, baby, you taste so damn sweet ,” Mark murmurs against my lips, kissing me again, his hand curling around my neck, his thumb resting on my cheek .

A throat clears beside us, and we pull apart, blinking in surprise. My eyes widen when I see who interrupted us.

“Ryan.”

He quirks an eyebrow at me, his hand intertwined with a blonde woman’s. “Holly,” he replies before his eyes travel to Mark standing beside me. “And I assume this is Mark.”

“Yeah,” I reply as Mark’s hand intertwines around mine, squeezing slightly.

Ryan nods again. “I thought he was just a friend?” he asks, seeming a little hurt.

“He was,” I affirm.

He lets out a laugh. “I can see that.”

I don’t owe him an explanation. We only went on a few dates, but he was a nice guy and I don’t want him to think I was being sleazy. “Ryan,” I sigh. “When we went on a date, Mark was just a friend. He was actually helping me, well… date you.”

He lets out a scoff. “He did a fantastic job.”

Mark’s hand tightens on mine and I shake my head. “I ended up catching feelings for him instead,” I tell Ryan. “That’s why I ended things with you. You were great, but…” I lift my head, glancing up at Mark, seeing his lips lift a little in the corners. “You weren’t him.” I look at Ryan again, lifting my shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he says, his eyes flicking between Mark and I. “You seem really happy.”

My shoulders drop, a smile curling my lips. “Yeah. I am. ”

He nods. “And I started dating too,” he says, glancing at his date. “This is Freya. Freya, this is Holly.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say, flashing her a smile.

“Nice to meet you, too,” she replies.

Ryan swallows, nodding at me. “It was nice to see you,” he says.

“You too.”

Pressing his lips together, he glances at Mark and then at me and sighs, giving me a warm smile. “I hope you have a good life, Holly.”

He tips his chin before walking ahead, my eyes fixed on the back of his head. He was a great guy, but Mark is the only one I want. The only man I thought of whenever we were on a date. The only one I can imagine spending the rest of my life with.

“I hate that guy,” Mark murmurs beside me, making me laugh.

“He’s a nice guy, Mark.”

“Don’t care,” he says with a shrug. “He wants what’s mine.”

I arch a brow, pressing my lips together to hide how much I like the fact that he’s jealous. I’ve never had a guy want me this badly before. “Wanted,” I correct him. “He’s dating someone else.”

He sighs, knowing I’m right. “Still hated seeing you two on a date,” he says, the muscles in his jaw clenching.

My lips lift, remembering that very first date, how Mark stole my attention when he walked into the restaurant, and how he told me he just came to ‘check on me’ and how it might not have been the whole truth.

I tilt my head. “You liked me back then? ”

He shrugs. “Think so,” he says. “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t. It just sort of melted into each other. There was a time in my life before you, and it was empty and gray and miserable.” He pauses, staring into my eyes. “And then there was a time after you walked into my bar, and everything became light, easy and so much fucking better.” He shakes his head. “I can barely remember my life before you came into it.”

I’ve never meant this much to someone before, and I don’t know what to do about it. I’ve never loved anyone, but I know without a fact that this… this feeling in my chest, the way I feel whenever his eyes meet mine, that this is love. This is what was missing from my life. And I couldn’t be happier that I found it.

Mark’s hand squeezes mine, pulling me from my thoughts. “Let’s go, Bambi.”

We cross the street, and the sight of the sleigh makes my heart thud with every step we take. I still can’t believe he did this for me. I don’t know how he pulled it off, since Christmas has passed, but I don’t care about the logistics. I just care that he loves me enough to do this for me, even if he hates everything to do with Christmas.

Mark opens the door for me, helping me onto the sleigh before he climbs in after me, my head resting on his shoulder as we start to trot on the street. The lights shine as we make our way, and I glance up at Mark, feeling my heart so full.

“I can’t believe you did this for me.”

He laughs, his eyes meeting mine. “Dear god, neither can I. ”

I smirk. “You know you’re going to have to do this every year now, right?” I tease.

His laugh dies down as his gaze meets mine, his voice low and serious. “As long as I get to keep you… I can’t fucking wait.”