Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Rhett checked his appearance in the mirror once more before grabbing his jacket and keys.

“Come on, Jay!” he called to his son as he headed down the stairs. “We’re going to be late to pick up Caroline.”

He’d told Caroline that he’d pick her up before they headed to her sister’s Christmas party, even though she’d said she could go with her parents if he wanted. But he didn’t want to miss any opportunity to spend time with her, and from the look on her face when he’d offered, neither did she.

His heart skipped a beat in his chest when he saw her walk out of the inn and head down to the truck. She was wearing a knit red sweater dress, with knee-high boots and her hair loose, and he didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone else look so gorgeous. He leaned over to give her a quick kiss as she climbed into the truck, and she squeezed his hand.

“Caroline!” Jay crowed excitedly. “I had one more spelling assignment before Christmas break, and I did really well on it!”

Caroline twisted around to look at him, beaming. “That’s amazing, Jay! I’m so proud of you.”

Rhett felt a smile spread across his own face, his heart swelling in his chest. He felt as if he were falling even harder for her at that moment, if it were possible. She was amazing with Jay, and this was all so much more than he could have ever hoped for.

“Actually…” Caroline paused. “If we have a minute before we leave, I have a surprise for Jay. And it’s even better now, because it can be a celebration of you doing so well with your spelling.”

“Sure.” Rhett killed the engine. “Let’s go.”

The three of them hopped out of the truck, and Rhett and Jay followed Caroline as she led them around the inn to a spot in the back. The floodlights were on, lighting up the backyard, and she motioned to where a section of the yard had been roped off. There was a sign on the front, in painted letters, that said Paleontologist Excavation Area.

“This is just for you,” she told Jay. “You can come over here and dig as much as you want.”

Jay flung himself at her, wrapping his arms around Caroline’s waist as he let out an excited yelp. “Thank you, thank you!” he exclaimed, immediately darting away to check it out.

“Thank you,” Rhett said, turning to face her as Jay ran to the ‘excavation area.’ “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to,” Caroline assured him. “After all, having structure doesn’t mean you can’t adjust the rules, right? It’s give and take. Jay doesn’t dig in unauthorized areas, and now he has a spot he’s been told he can. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Rhett smiled at her, feeling more touched than he knew how to describe. “You’ve opened your life up to both of us,” he said softly. “I can’t tell you how much that means.”

He wrapped an arm around her waist. “We need to go, Jay!” he called out. “We’re going to be late for the party. But you can come back and dig tomorrow, okay?”

Jay came running back, as they headed back to the truck. And Rhett felt as if he were floating on cloud nine.

Caroline felt more blissful than she had in a long time as they walked back to the inn together. “I have a gift for you,” she told Rhett as they reached the truck, slipping her hand into her pocket. “I thought I’d give it to you now, before Christmas.”

He laughed. “I got one for you too,” he admitted, opening the door and reaching into the glove compartment. Her heart leapt as she watched him slip out the carefully wrapped package.

“Here.” She felt herself flush a little. “I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will.” He unwrapped the gift, and she saw his face flush as he saw what it was that she’d gotten him—a soft, leather-bound journal very much like the one he’d left at the tree.

“I got you a new one since I wrote in yours,” she said, laughing softly, and Rhett grinned.

“Here’s yours.” He handed her the package, and she burst out laughing again as she opened it. It was another journal, very much like the one she’d picked out.

“I thought you might like one of your own. And after all, it’s what brought us together.”

“We both had the same thought. What a coincidence.” Caroline smiled softly at him, her hand wrapped in his, and Rhett smiled back. She felt warm all over, comfortable and happy, sure more than ever that she’d met the perfect man after so long.

“I can’t wait for us to keep sharing our thoughts and feelings with each other,” Rhett said quietly. “Not just written down in notes, but in conversation. I want to know all of you,” he added, echoing what he’d told her at the inn, the night they’d made up. “There’s yet to be a side of you that I’ve seen that I don’t like.”

She kissed him softly, touched beyond words at that. “Thank you,” she whispered. “It’s perfect.”

“Can we go?” Jay called out from the truck, and both of them started to laugh.

“I think he’s getting antsy.” Rhett opened up her door for her, and Caroline climbed in, feeling as if she were glowing.

They drove to the party, seeing Nora’s house lit up from the end of the street. The driveway and street were filled with cars, and Caroline saw that her parents were already there. As she got out of the car, Rhett slipped his hand into hers as Jay bounded ahead of them, and she curled her fingers against his, feeling blissfully happy.

Everyone turned to look at them as they walked in, but she could see how happy they all were. They were all clearly thrilled to see her with Rhett, and she realized as she looked around the room how full her life really was. It had always been there, but it was so much easier to see now that the little hole of loneliness in her chest had been filled by this handsome firefighter, and his sweet son.

The chandelier was perfect, she saw, as they walked into the living room. It had been carefully hung, the crystal pieces glittering and throwing the light across the room, beautifully illuminating all of the hard work that Nora had put into decorating. There was a huge Christmas tree, glowing with faux candles and ornaments, garlands and velvet ribbon, everything decorated for a Victorian Christmas party that fit the aesthetic of the house perfectly.

She saw a bit of mistletoe hanging from the doorway that led to the kitchen, and she leaned in, pointing it out to Rhett. “Nora probably put that there on purpose,” she whispered with a laugh. “Hoping she could get us to kiss.”

Rhett grinned, turning toward her. “I don’t need any excuse to kiss you,” he murmured, and she gasped softly as his arm slipped around her waist.

And there, in front of everyone, he dipped her low as he leaned down, giving her the most romantic kiss of her entire life.

The room filled with cheering as he pressed his lips to hers, everyone whooping with happiness as Rhett kissed her. She smiled against his mouth, flushing happily as he straightened, holding her in his arms for a moment before letting go.

She realized, in that moment as she stood with him in the warm Christmas glow, that it was never too late for dreams to come true.

And fairytales were always possible, no matter how old she was or how long she’d waited.

The series continues in A Christmas to Remember ! Click HERE to get your copy and see what happens when Margo Stoker returns to Evergreen Hollow for the holidays!