Nine

Jill

Christmas Means a Little More

“We’re not opening the shop today,” I told Beya who was back to work that morning, though still a little green. I’d been thinking about the fire all night. Even when Jack had drifted off, I’d lain there starting at the ceiling and watching the Lincoln Lighthouse beacon slash across the plaster every few minutes since I hadn’t closed the curtains.

Today, I was doing something for Jack. It would mean the end of my hope for winning the contest, but that seemed less important now. With Jack and I together, we’d figure out the shops and my survival here in Cherish Cove or…I could move back to the city or to Missouri. The latter weighed heavily on me, but the people at the shelter needed Jack to win more than I needed the prize.

“No? Why?” my friend asked.

“Field trip. Are you feeling up to some light outdoor work?”

“Outside sounds perfect,” she breathed. “It’s the only place I haven’t felt nauseated lately.”

I looked at her speculatively. “Can I ask you…”

“Am I pregnant? Yeah,” Beya laughed. “I haven’t told Zain yet, but I’m pretty sure he’s figured it out. He has off today and will probably be by at opening time to hang out in one of the reading chairs and watch over me.”

“Call him then. He can help. Tell him to meet us at my house.”

The previous night, the fire department had determined that the blaze had originated in one of the digital displays closer to the road and not from the power source at the house. That being the case, we could haul away the destroyed items and replace them with mine. I’d called Ewan Parker this morning and asked him if he could get a truck from the landscaping company he worked with. He assured me his boss, Ez, would let him.

He hadn’t been wrong. As Beya and I made it up the hill toward my house, there was already a truck in front of Jack’s house. Ewan and a swarm of other men were already picking up the destruction in Jack’s yard. Ewan waved when he saw me. He and another guy, I assumed was his boss, headed my direction.

“Thanks for coming. I really appreciate it,” I told them.

“No problem.” The older of the two, who looked to be in his early twenties, stuck out his hand. “Ezequiel Martin. We’re happy to help. Ewan said we needed the burnt out stuff cleared away?”

“Jill Burke,” I responded. “And this is Beya Perkins. Um, my plan was to clear away the destruction then move all the decorations from my house,” I indicated to the winter wonderland in my yard, “over to Jack’s.”

He nodded. “Consider it done. We’ve been checking each of the pieces as we’re pulling them out, but nothing seems salvageable.”

“We didn’t think so. Beya and I will head over to my place and start disconnecting things.”

“Sounds good. We’ll be ready soon.”

I thought that was impossible, since there was a jungle of charred wire, lines and melted plastic over there, but I just nodded. Beya and I headed over to my yard.

“So…” she ventured. “We don’t hate Jack anymore?”

“Nope. I love him, actually.”

She blew out a breath. “Whew. Good. I need to go over to his shop to pick up something for Zain and I didn’t want to be sneaky. Plus Zain is one of his friends, which makes hating him a little sticky.”

I shook my head. “You never had to hate him.” God knew it had been near impossible for me to maintain my anger for him. “It was a terrible misunderstanding. Neither of us could figure out how it happened. Until this week. Did you know Jack has a twin?”

“I didn’t.”

I told her about it while we worked, and soon, Zain showed up, sending Beya inside to make hot chocolate or kick up her feet.

“I like being outside,” she protested.

“Baby…” he cajoled, but she didn’t cave.

“Fine,” he sighed and slipped off his coat. “Sit on this on the steps and watch. You need to rest.”

My lips rolled together as I watched the interplay. Yeah, Zain definitely knew his fiancée was having his baby.

“You’re going to be intolerable, aren’t you?” I asked when he joined me, helping me to lift one of the deer.

His lips curled into a half smile. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“Right,” I deadpanned. “Okay, so this goes over by the front bushes.”

Ez’s crew came over to help us move the remaining wire frames for my deer, penguins, bears and trees over to Jack’s yard. A few neighbors turned up, and we had all the decor transferred and set up by lunchtime.

My phone rang as I was waving goodbye to the crew. I’d already sent Zain and Beya on their way.

“Where are you?” Jack grumbled. The man really disliked not knowing exactly where I was. Without a doubt, he’d probably kept track of me while we’d been broken up, too.

“I’m at home—”

“Are you okay?” he demanded.

I laughed. “I’m fine. Come meet me. I’m taking the rest of the day off.”

A low growl came over the line. “I’ll be right there—as soon as I get Gary to cover the store for the rest of the day.”

“I’ll start lunch.”

“Not what I’m hungry for, honey. Give me five minutes.”

Four minutes later, I stood on the porch watching him jog up the hill. His eyes lit on me then he went statue still when he saw his yard. His mouth dropped open before his gaze came back to me. I grinned and shrugged, then laughed when he started running again.

“What did you do?” he gasped.

“I want you to win. And I got a little help. A lot of help, actually.”

Jack shook his head. “I already won. I have you.”

“And I have you. I love you, Jack.”

His mouth covered mine, and I groaned, my arms going around him while heat seeped through my veins and chased away the cold of the winter morning.

“You’re moving your shop in with mine, right?” he muttered between kisses, already backing me toward my front door.

“If you want.”

“You’re not leaving Cherish Cove, that’s for sure. And I want you in our space more than anything, so I can see you whenever I want. Kiss you whenever I want—take breaks locked into our office whenever I want.”

“We better soundproof,” I teased, already liking the idea.

“And…” he started, pulling back to look down at me. “I want you in my bed—our bed—every night. Move in with me.”

“Really?”

“Really. I want to marry you, Jill. I was planning to ask you last Christmas. I have the ring in my bedside table—I’ll give it to you later. Marry me?”

“Yes, Jack. Yes. I’ll move in.”

“And you’ll marry me.”

“I will. Yes. I love you.”

“I love you!” Jack scooped me up into his arms and carried me into the house. “Practice for crossing the threshold.”

Before I could respond to his tease, his lips were on mine again and we were lost in each other—no longer mistlefoes but partners in everything.