Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chances Inlet was normally quiet at midnight during the winter months. Hayden loved that he was able to run along streets as familiar to him as the veins in his own hand. He wouldn’t get that same feeling running the streets of Tribeca. Building a life with Elle would be worth what he was giving up, though, he reminded himself.

The lights of the gazebo twinkled against the clear sky. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the strains of “Silent Night” being sung by a church congregation. He climbed the steps to find Elle waiting on one of the benches, wearing a Santa hat cockeyed on her head and a half-drunk smile, likely courtesy of the annual McAlister Christmas Eve dinner.

“Right on time,” she said. “It’s Christmas.”

The bells from the nearby church confirmed it.

Elle jumped up and threw her arms around his neck. “Merry Christmas, Hayden,” she whispered before pressing her lips to his.

She tasted like peppermint—and joyfulness. And he couldn’t seem to get enough of her. He instantly regretted suggesting they meet here. The conference room at the station would have given him more privacy for what he wanted to do to her.

Except this was supposed to be romantic. A declaration of love. A promise of commitment.

Not to mention Simone was somewhere out there watching them.

He pulled his mouth away before he did something foolish. “I want to give you your Christmas present tonight,” he told her. “Out here without the craziness of your family.”

“But I didn’t bring yours,” she pouted.

He led her back to the bench. “That’s okay because mine will blow anything you got me out of the water.”

She laughed. “Cocky much?” She sat down and gave him her undivided attention. “Okay, Lovell, let’s have it.” She glanced behind him. “Where is it?”

His palms began to sweat. “It’s not an actual thing as much as it is a . . . gesture.”

Elle tilted her head to the side, making the Santa hat slide off. “A gesture?”

This was a lot harder than when he’d practiced in the mirror of the men’s room at the station. He sat down beside her and reached for her hands.

“I love you, Belle. I’m pretty sure I’ve loved you since you stole my purple crayon in kindergarten. I know I haven’t actually said it. But I hope you already know this.”

“Oh, Hayden,” she whispered. “I do know it. But it’s really nice to hear you say it out loud. That’s the best Christmas gift you could ever give me.”

“No. No.” He was screwing this up. “That’s not the present. I mean it’s the reason behind the present. Just not the actual gift itself.”

She gave him one of those adoring looks of hers. The one that said he was a blundering idiot, but she loved him anyway.

He scrubbed his face with his palms. “What I’m trying to say is I know how important chasing down your goal is. And the job at Vantage is your dream.”

“Hayden—” she interrupted.

“No, let me finish. I want you to realize that dream. But I want this, too.” He waved his hand between them.

Her face lit up. She pressed closer to him. “Oh my gosh, Hayden. I’m so glad you said that. I want us, too.”

“Good, because I’m coming to New York with you.”

The world seemed to stop spinning. Elle stared at him, a mixture of disbelief and confusion on her face.

“Wh—what?” Her tone was a lot less enthusiastic than he’d envisioned.

“I took a job with Kitty’s brother-in-law. He makes custom furniture in Connecticut. It’s a little more unitarian than the style of furniture I make, but he’s agreed to sell me the business when he retires.”

She scrambled to her feet. “Why would you do that?”

Really not the reaction he was expecting. He stood also. “Uh, let’s see, because I love you?! Because I don’t want to live apart from you? Scratch that. I can’t live without you.”

He was breathing hard now. And he really hoped Simone was kidding about listening in, because, dammit . Elle pressed her hands to her face and bent over at the knees. Was she crying?

He placed a hand on her back. “Belle.”

She heaved in a breath as she lifted her head. Tears were streaming down her face all right, but she wore a sloppy smile, too. “Just when I think it isn’t possible to love you any more than I do, you do something wild and crazy like this.”

Then she was kissing him again, their bodies pressed together as they slowly spun around trying to gain better access to each other’s mouths. Hayden sank back down onto the bench, pulling her into his lap so she could straddle him. She kissed him more deeply before pulling her lips away to drag in some air.

He brushed the hair off her face. “You had me going there for a minute. I thought you were angry about me coming with you to New York.”

“Oh, you’re not coming with me to New York.”

His fingers froze in her hair. “Come again?”

There was that “bless your heart” smile again. It was starting to annoy him.

“Because I’m not going to New York.”

“What are you talking about? You’ve been offered your dream job. You put up with West for the last month to guarantee it.” Wait a minute. He swore violently. “I’ll kill him. Even if he is family now. The man will finish that book and turn it in if I have to hold him at gunpoint. He’s not messing up your promotion.”

She laughed. “Calm down, Captain America. His memoir is finished. It has been for a while.”

He didn’t understand. “But you are still here? You didn’t go back to New York.”

Elle pressed her lips to his neck. “Nope. You see, I can’t live without you, either. West and I have been holding the book hostage so we could stay here in Chances Inlet a while longer.”

Hayden wrapped his arms more tightly around her, pulling her closer so he could feel her heart beating against his. “You’re turning down the job at Vantage ? You’re sure that’s what you want to do?”

“Absolutely. And don’t worry. I’ve already got another dream job. It’s one where I’ll still get my name out there. But I won’t have to ever leave the people and town that I love. And neither will you.” She kissed his nose.

“What are you talking about?”

“You are looking at the new managing partner of The Chances Inlet Courier. West is starting up a new weekly newspaper.”

What had she been drinking at dinner? “But that’s not what you wanted. That wasn’t the goal.”

“Mm. Turns out goals can change. And this is what I want because it means I get to be with you. But that’s not the best part.” She bounced up and down on his lap nearly unmanning him. “I’m getting my name on the cover of a book.”

“I don’t follow.” Not that he cared much anymore. Her excitement was enough of a gift for him.

“I’m going to edit West’s late wife’s journals. The book is going to auction next week.” She let out a little squeal. “It could go in the eight figures, and West is splitting it with me!”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah.” She touched her nose to his. “We can keep doing the things we enjoy, living in the town we both love. Together.”

That ugly sense of eventually being found lacking forced him to speak up. “You won’t regret this later?”

“Silly man.” She kissed him. “You are my dream, Hayden Lovell. And I could never regret choosing us. I’ve been searching for who I am supposed to be all this time. What I could contribute to the world as a McAlister. And the answer has been right under my nose. I want to be Elle McAlister Lovell , wife, daughter, sister, aunt, publisher, and editor.”

He breathed a sigh of relief, the self-doubt vanquished by her words.

“Throw in cat mom, and you’ve got yourself a deal,” he said right before he kissed her.

Neither of them heard Simone’s whoop in the distance.