Chapter 7

Krysten

“ I can’t believe you did this.” I don’t try to hide the huge grin on my face as we drive back into Wilmington, his hand wrapped around mine, holding on to me like he’s worried I’ll jump out and chase after that bus.

“That was something else, wasn’t it? I went a little crazy when I read your letter. Did I embarrass you?” he asks, shooting me a quick glance before returning to watch the dark road ahead of us.

“A little.” But it had also been incredibly romantic. Like something out of a Richard Gere movie.

“Why did you do it? Leave without talking to me,” he asks as the city grows closer.

“I didn’t think there was anything to talk about. Your sister?—”

“Ignore my sister. About this and most other things. She’s worried about me. She’s the one who found me after ...”

“After what? What happened with you and your fiancée? There’s more to this than you let on, isn’t there?” I ask, hoping he trusts me enough to tell me the full story. And if he doesn’t, I might have to find my way back onto that bus, even after the move he pulled chasing after me like that.

“Friends introduced us about two years ago. We got along well enough, and after a while, she kept hinting at taking the next step. So I proposed. We set the date for a June wedding.” Tom takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly. His eyes are firmly on the road in front of us.

I sit quietly, letting him get this out in his own time.

“Mindy went missing during the rehearsal dinner. I went looking for her and found her in some storage closet with my best man. I called the whole thing off then and there.”

We’re stopped at a traffic light. Tom won’t look at me.

I take his hand and squeeze it. “No wonder you let everyone at work believe you’d gone through with the wedding.” I can’t imagine how painful and embarrassing the experience had been for him. “You and the guy were close?”

“Best friend since first grade. Not anymore, of course.” He shakes his head and drives when the light goes green.

We’re quiet until we get to the house. Tom insists on carrying my bag in for me. He sets it down at the bottom of the stairs.

“Now that you know the whole story ...” He looks toward me, but our eyes don’t connect. His gaze drifts above mine, over to the lit Christmas tree. Every light in the house is on, making the place bright and cheerful. So different from how I’d left it a little more than two hours ago.

“Now that I know the whole story, I’m glad you came chasing after me. And I’m glad I’m back here with you. Where I belong.” I walk up to him and wrap my arms around him.

“Are you sure?” He uses his hand to lift my chin, finally looking straight at me.

“Never been more sure of anything else in my life.” I move my arms from his waist to his neck, raise up on my toes, and kiss him.

He pulls me closer, and we both take our time. Savoring the taste and feel of each other as our lips move together.

“Merry Christmas, Krysten,” he whispers when we finally come up for air. His forehead is touching mine, our bodies pressed against each other, and I have no idea how long we stand there, holding each other up and reveling in the feeling of being together, right here in this old Victorian where we belong.

“I have a present for you and a request,” Tom says when I walk down the stairs the next morning, wearing my Santa pajamas.

“That sounds familiar. What is it this time? Want me to pretend to be your sister?” I quip, taking the cup of coffee he holds out for me. It has a sprinkle of cinnamon in it which somehow makes it feel and taste festive.

“Cookie?” he asks, sitting back down on the couch where he must have been waiting for me.

“Tell me about this request first,” I say, sitting next to him and snuggling into his side.

“Sure you don’t want your present first?” he asks.

“Definitely not. Bad news first. What do you want?” I push myself up and turn, worried by his delay tactics.

“It’s nothing bad. I ... I was hoping you’d come with me to my parents’ house and meet the rest of my family.” He looks more vulnerable now than he did last night.

“Are they worse than your sister?” I ask, wrapping my hands more tightly around the Santa mug to soak up the warmth from the coffee.

“No. They’re nice. I think you’ll like them.” He grins before reaching for something under the coffee table and coming back with a package wrapped in shiny red paper.

“Hold on.” I put down my cup and run upstairs, pulling the gift bag that held his gift out of my closet.

Tom hasn’t moved an inch when I rush back down and hold the bag out to him.

“How do you want to do this?” he asks, exchanging presents with me.

“Let’s open them together. And by the way, it’s nothing big. I didn’t know we were ... you know.” I feel the warmth rising in my cheeks at the thought of our kisses last night.

“Doing this?” He leans forward and gives me another one. It’s sweet and over too soon, but I can taste the coffee on his lips.

“Pretty much.” I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, suddenly feeling unsure about the gift I’d picked out days ago.

“I’m sure I’ll love it. Open yours,” he prompts, looking at me with those soft eyes of his.

“Together,” I say, and he nods, pulling tissue paper from the bag when I start to rip the wrapping paper.

Under it, I discover a box with a beautiful hanging plant holder.

“You mentioned your spider plant needed a larger pot. I thought this would work well. You can hang it up in whatever light that plant needs. I can’t remember if it prefers direct or indirect sunlight.”

“That’s so sweet. Now look at yours.” I watch him reach into the bag and pull out the gourmet garlic press I picked out.

“Interesting choice.” He grins and moves it around, looking at it from all angles.

“Since you like garlic and I loved that pasta dish you made, I thought it was something you could use.” I refuse to be too embarrassed of my practical gift. We weren’t more than friends helping each other out when I got it.

“Very thoughtful. I’ll have to cook for you more often. Especially since you can’t.”

I throw a pillow at him in mock rage, which only results in him tackling me and pinning me under him before kissing me senseless.

“You never answered me,” he says when he lets go of me much too soon. “About meeting my family.”

“I guess I could do that. When do they expect you?” I ask, sitting up and smoothing out my pjs.

“In about half an hour.”

“What? You can’t be serious.” I jump up and run upstairs, taking the steps two at a time while mentally flipping through my outfit options, desperate for something that screamed meeting the parents of the love of your life.

“Mom, Dad, this is Krysten. My girlfriend.” Tom holds my hand and pulls me inside the modest ranch on the other side of town. “You’ve met my sister, Stephanie.”

Stephanie smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. I’m sure it’s all she can do not to blurt out, “I knew it.” To her credit, she doesn’t, but I can feel she isn’t happy to see me. Tom’s mother is another story.

“Welcome. We’re so excited to meet you. When Tom called this morning to let me know you were coming, I wept with joy.” The woman, who looks like an older and kinder version of his sister, pulls me into a warm hug.

“Welcome to our home,” his father says, opting to shake my hand instead. “Come on in. Food’s ready.”

The largest brunch spread I’ve ever seen is covering the dining room table. There’s enough food here for at least twenty people.

“Mom likes to cook,” Tom says with a wink.

“I can see that. And it looks like she’s an amazing baker too.” The cinnamon rolls look and smell amazing.

After too much food, I excuse myself and step out onto the front porch. It’s strange being in a home so filled with people and their love for each other. My head is spinning from the changes the last twenty-four hours have brought. The cold December air helps calm my nerves and clear my head.

The front door opens, and Stephanie steps out, a cup of steaming coffee in her hand. “I was hoping to catch you alone.”

I nod, suddenly feeling trapped. “Of course. What’s on your mind?” I ask. Offense is the best defense I find.

“You and Tom are together, after all?” Her eyes scrutinize me more openly than they have inside the house.

“We are now. We weren’t before. I didn’t lie to you, if that’s what you’re thinking. I was doing Tom a favor, and he let me stay with him.”

“He explained the whole make-believe marriage thing. I can’t believe he never told anyone ... Never mind. That’s not why I’m here.”

“Why are you here?” I ask, wrapping my arms around myself as the cold air seeps into me.

“I won’t beat around the bush. What are your intentions toward Tom? I don’t want to see him hurt again.”

I almost laugh at the old-fashioned turn of phrase. One look at her face sobers me up. She’s worried about him. That I can understand. “It’s all very new, but what I can tell you is that I like your brother very much and that I hope we have a future together.”

Stephanie barks out a laugh. “Right.”

“I’m serious. I had a crush on him for a while and was as surprised as you are when he asked me to move in. Then I got to know him and fell in love with him.”

“I don’t buy it. I think you enjoy having a cushy place to stay and a man who will do anything for you.” Stephanie sets her coffee down on the railing and puts a hand on her hip.

“I don’t know what to say other than that I’m telling you the truth. I can’t promise you that things will work out between us, but I hope they will. I’m in love with Tom.” I hope she can see the honesty and vulnerability in my eyes.

“Prove it.”

“How?” I ask, unsure what this woman wants from me.

Stephanie’s shoulders slump, and she lets out a breath in a big sigh. “I don’t know. I just don’t want to see him like that again ...”

“Would me moving out and getting a place of my own do it? Because that’s the plan.”

Stephanie looks at me, surprised. “It is?”

“Of course. I never planned to stay past the first of the year. And that’s not going to change. I’m not going to rush us into anything, especially not a marriage.”

Stephanie nods, and I get the feeling I’ve won her over, even if she isn’t quite ready to admit it yet.