“Me too,” she says, sweetly.
“If you’ll marry me right now, I’d do it,” I say in all seriousness. “I’ll do anything to show you that I adore you, and treasure you, and love you more than any career opportunity. You are far more important to me than anything.”
A sigh slips from her beautiful lips. She shakes her head and then gives a faint laugh that’s music to my ears. “Thank you, Donovan. You’re the love of my life, too.”
Again, we lose ourselves in each other’s lips. When Chloe breaks away from me, she has a sly grin on her face.
“What?” I ask.
“So you’d marry me today?”
“Absolutely.”
She laughs. “I love that you’re being sincere, but don’t think you’re not getting off that easy! I’ve been dreaming about a big wedding since I was a little girl! We’re doing it right!”
I can’t help but laugh right along with her. “Then we’ll have your dream wedding. It’ll be my dream wedding as long as you’re with me.”
“Damn straight!” Her eyes soften as she cups my face, leaning up to press a kiss to my lips. “You know what’s going to be the best part of our wedding?”
“What’s that?”
“The honeymoon.” Her mischievous grin grows. “I was thinking maybe you and I could go get some practice in right now?”
“Sounds like the perfect Christmas Eve to me,” I say through a wide grin.
Standing, I help her to her feet and hold her against my chest. This newly strengthened connection between us has me walking on air. There’s no way I'm ever letting go of her now.
“I love you, Chloe,” I say softly, making sure she can hear me. “I love our life together. You’re the most important thing in the world to me, and I never intend on letting you forget it. That’s my Christmas promise to you.”
Stacy Davis
Brilliant, twinkling stars sparkle over our heads as the sleigh gently jostles us back and forth.
Jake and I cuddle together, blankets on our laps and hot cocoas in our hands. I inhale the sweet, cinnamon fragrance of Co-Co’s special concoction, smiling to myself over how serene and lovely this little sleigh-ride getaway has been with my hunky husband-to-be.
Margot texted to let me know Ryan and Ava fell asleep watching Christmas movies back at the lodge. It warms my heart to think of the two adorable kids sleeping soundly, dreaming of all the fun we’ll have together Christmas morning.
It was so sweet of Margot and Owen to offer to watch Ryan so Jake and I could get a little time to ourselves.
“This whole vacation has been absolutely wonderful,” I murmur aloud, snuggling closer to Jake’s chest. His warmth washes over me, as does the familiar fragrance of his cologne. “This is the perfect night for me and you to spend together. It reminds me so much of my childhood. I almost feel like I’m sharing a little part of my past with you.”
“We could make this a tradition, you know?” he whispers against my hair.
“Tradition?” I repeat—Margot’s words from earlier echoing in my head.
It warms my heart to hear Jake bringing up starting our own traditions, unprompted. It makes me realize that we truly are on the same page when it comes to our family.
He nods, absently stroking my arm as he plays with my hair. “We can come back to Pine Island every Christmas. It’ll be something for us to look forward to, just like we did when we were kids. Plus, look at Ryan. He’s having the time of his life at the lodge!”
“You won’t have to twist my arm,” I tease. “I love it here, too.”
Jake snuggles me closer. “I love the memories I have of my holidays with Jenny, and I want to give Ryan and our future children the same kind of childhood.”
“Ah, yes. You mean our future football team of children?” I tease.
He laughs before kissing the tip of my nose. “We don’t have to have a whole football team. Maybe just half.”
I shoot him a warning look and he grins playfully.
I close my eyes and try to just enjoy the perfectness of this moment. I don’t want to think about my fears and everything that will be changing soon.
Instead, I listen to the sound of the horses’ feet plotting through the snow, enjoying the warmth of Jake and the cozy blanket and the perfect scent of hot cocoa mixed with Jake’s cologne. A few moments of comfortable silence pass before he pulls me a little closer. When I gaze up at him, his face is slightly serious.
“I feel like we’ve gotten so much closer over the last few days,” he begins, slowly taking his time to choose word after word. “It’s not that I felt like there was some big distance between us or anything . . . but I feel like we’ve really bonded since arriving here.”
My heart warms in my chest as I gaze up into his vulnerable face. For such a huge, burly football player, my Hartbreak Kid really has a tender heart. That makes me feel safe enough to open up to him about my thoughts and fears lately.
“I know what you mean.”
“You do?”
I nod, staring into his trusting eyes. “I know it’s silly . . . but I’ve been kind of freaked out ever since I found out I’m pregnant.”
His brow knots. “In what way?”
“It’s just,” I pause to take a breath and center myself. “We got engaged so quickly, and adopted Ryan, and then we got pregnant . . . It’s just sometimes I worry that everything’s changing so fast. What if we’re not ready to handle it? What if it changes things between us, or between our friends? And honestly, motherhood freaks me
