Blame It on the Mistletoe (19 page)

He couldn’t help laugh because it was the most adorably pitiful sight he’d ever seen. “It better be okay, because I own this building, and now your dreams are my dreams. You hear me? Your shop’s not going anywhere unless you want it to.”

Her tearful grin was all he needed. “Really?”

“Baby, you’re going to be selling rusty buckets, and jewelry, and whatever other old shit you want to until the end of time.” She fell forward and wrapped her arms around him, pushing him back against the pillow.

“Do you love me, Brooke?” He was pretty sure he knew the answer—lord, he hoped he was right.

“I love you so much, Alex Coleman. I’m still having a hard time believing that you love me.”

He pulled back and cupped her face in his hands, and then ran them down her neck. “Well, you better get used to believing it. Because I’m not leaving.”

“No more salmon seining?” She grinned.

“Not unless you’re coming with me.”

“That would be a definite no.”

“Okay, then no more of that.”

“Though, I would like to go to Alaska maybe. Just to see it.”

He nodded. “We could make that happen. It’s beautiful there. We can do whatever you want, Brooke. Whatever makes you happy, that’s what I want to do. I can’t promise I’ll never hurt your feelings, but I won’t ever hurt
you
. I want to be the guy who keeps you safe, protects you. I need that to be
my
job. Not your dad, not your brother … me.”

“I want that too.”

She sniffled and he pulled her down to him, his lips finding her cheek, and then her ear. “Do you mean it?”

“Yes, I want you. Only you.”

Brooke had always known Alex grew up in the trailer park on the outskirts of town, but she’d never been there. He’d driven her car over and parked in front of the run-down doublewide with pink shutters.

“Well, this is it,” he said, and she didn’t miss the uncertainty in his voice.

She grabbed his hand and squeezed, wanting nothing more than to reassure him. There was no judgment today, only love. “I’m excited. She’ll be so happy.”

They hadn’t told his mother they were joining her on Christmas morning. Liz didn’t even know Alex was back. They’d gotten up early, showered together—which had taken a little longer than expected—and then gone down to the shop and picked out several items Alex thought Liz would like. A necklace and earrings that Brooke had made, a candle, and an ornament for her tree. Brooke had wrapped them in pretty paper, and now here they were, ready to surprise her.

“Okay, let’s go.” Alex got out of the car and came around to help her out and to grab some of the packages.

They walked up to the little wood porch, and Alex knocked on the door. It was quiet for a few moments, and Brooke started to worry that maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Alex had told her about some of his past last night when they’d stayed up until three in the morning talking, kissing … and everything else. Brooke saw Liz often at the Stop & Go, and she appeared to be doing well, but maybe Christmas had set her back. She hoped not, for Liz’s and for Alex’s sake.

Just then the door opened up a fraction and a tired-looking Liz peeked out. She gasped, quickly shut the door, and undid the dead bolt. The second she opened the door fully, her eyes lit up. “Alex? Brooke?” She sounded confused on the last word. “What in the world are you doing here? Come in, come in.” She instantly pulled Alex into a hug.

“Merry Christmas, Mom.”

“Well, my goodness, a surprise on Thanksgiving and now Christmas. How did I become the luckiest mom in the whole wide world?” She was beaming, and Brooke couldn’t help grinning as she took in the happy scene.

“Well, I came back into town yesterday, and I wanted to spend Christmas morning with you.”

“Oh, Alex.” Liz threw her arms around her son once more as Brooke held back tears.

Alex glanced at Brooke and gave her a wink.

“I’m not sure I believe that you came back to town just for me, but I’ll sure take it.”

They all smiled as she led them into the living room.

“Well, goodness, let me make something for breakfast. I’ve got a tube of cinnamon rolls.”

“That sounds perfect. I’ll help,” Brooke said. She told Alex to get comfortable in front of the television, then followed Liz into the tiny kitchen. As soon as they were out of Alex’s sight, Liz turned and pulled Brooke into the strongest hug she’d ever had. She smiled and put her arms around Alex’s mom.

When she pulled away, Liz’s eyes were full of tears. “Thank you for loving my son, Brooke. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier in my whole life, and I can tell just by looking at him that he’s never been happier.”

Those words meant more to Brooke then Liz would ever know, and Brooke hadn’t even told her that she did love him. She was thrilled to know that it was just that obvious. “Thank you. He makes me happy too.”

They got to work making the coffee and the cinnamon rolls while chatting about Christmases gone by. She learned that when Alex was four he asked for a Barbie dollhouse for his G.I. Joes so they had somewhere to go home to. It was the cutest thing Brooke had ever heard.

After they ate, Liz opened her gifts and immediately put her jewelry on. “Brooke, this is so pretty. I love it.”

“Thank you, I’m glad you like it.”

Alex put his hand through Brooke’s, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Liz beamed.

“Brooke’s very talented, Mom. You should go into her shop sometime.”

“I guess I should. I’ll be sure to tell everyone that comes in the Stop & Go about it too. They’ll certainly be asking me where I got these pieces.”

Brooke was thrilled to hear how happy Liz was, and just the thought that once again she could latch back on to her dreams was the best feeling in the world. She and Alex had talked in depth last night about what they thought they should do with the building, what classes she could teach, how they’d remodel the upstairs apartment to live in. It had all happened so fast she was giddy with excitement. She had never ever in her life been happier. Or felt so completely safe with another person.

“What are you thinking about?” Alex whispered in her ear when his mother had excused herself for a few moments.

She leaned over on the sofa and kissed his cheek. “How much I love you.”

“Good, I was thinking the same about you.” He kissed her lips quickly, then spoke softly against them. “Thank you for coming here with me.”

She pulled back a little. “Are you kidding? This was wonderful, your mom’s great.”

“Yeah, she is, isn’t she?”

They both sat up when they heard Liz enter the room. “Don’t stop on my account.”

Alex shook his head in embarrassment. “Mom, we have one last thing to give you.” He pulled a folded envelope out of his coat pocket.

“I need to tell you, Mom, John Coleman left me One Hundred Main in his will.”

Her eyes rounded in shock. “He what? Are you serious?”

Alex nodded his head. “He did, and inside his old safe he left some things. Some interesting, some not. But I thought you’d like to see this.”

He held the envelope out toward her as Brooke took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure what to expect in response from Liz Coleman, but she hoped it would bring her and Alex some closure, finally.

Liz unfolded the envelope. It was twenty-four years old, postmarked from somewhere in Iran, obviously during the first war in the Middle East. She was silent while she read, and Brooke reached out to lace her fingers through Alex’s. They’d read the letter several times together last night after she’d told him where the safe was located in one of the upstairs closets.

Liz was quiet for a long moment before letting out a deep sigh. “He did bring a photo over. I was so shocked when he showed up at my mama’s house. She didn’t let him come in, though. So he just gave her the envelope. I never knew why he’d done that.”

“I remember that one. Wasn’t it the school photo?” Alex asked quietly.

Liz nodded. “Senior year graduation. I put it in a frame. It was in your room for the longest time. I’m sure I’ve still got it. He was so handsome—you look just like him.”

Brooke squeezed Alex’s hand, and he responded by gripping back.

“I cried and cried when we got the news. Beverly came over to tell me, so heartbroken. You may not remember, you weren’t quite five. I wasn’t in love with him, but he was your father. I cried for you, Alex.” She cried quietly now, and the sight tore at Brooke’s heart.

“It’s okay, Mom. We did just fine.”

“We didn’t do great, Alex. I’m sorry for that. I wish I could go back in time and make it all right, but I can’t.”

“You did the best you could, and I turned out pretty good.”

“You turned out better than good.”

“I think so too,” Brooke added, leaning against his shoulder. He turned and placed a kiss on her head.

A while later they said their good-byes, and Brooke and Alex headed out to the car. They stood just inside her passenger door as he wrapped his arms around Brooke before placing a soft kiss on her lips. “That wasn’t so hard.”

“It was great. Now you will have to endure the craziness that is my parents’ house on Christmas.”

He made a face. “Your brother will want to kick my ass.”

“I won’t let him—and besides, I think he was starting to feel sorry for you. But my mother on the other hand … she might start throwing out comments about making grandbabies. Fair warning.”

His eyes widened in amused shock. “Grandbabies, huh?”

“I apologize ahead of time, but she’s about to have a fit if either Ryan or I don’t give her grandchildren. She finds it inexcusable that we’re this old and she’s babyless.”

“Hmmm … well, then, I might have just figured out my way into her heart. I think I could be pretty good at making babies.”

“I think you could too,” she said with a grin.

He opened the car door wider and helped her into her seat. “Well, let’s get going then. We have a lot of work to do.”

Three years later

“Okay, Mom, I’m going upstairs for an hour. You got this?” Brooke asked her mother and newest Sweet Opal Studios employee.

“Of course I’ve got this,” Lane said as she attached Brooke’s newest earring creations to their little cardboard holders.

Brooke hired her mother six months ago, and it had surprisingly been the perfect business decision. Her mother loved getting out of the house, making small talk with customers, and having a little extra money to donate to her causes. Or to spoil her grandchild, which she was particularly good at.

Brooke made her way to the back of 100 Main and took the stairs quickly, excited to get to her boys. She and Alex had gotten married a year and a half earlier and had little Brett eight months later. Nobody did that math, at least not out loud. And she wouldn’t have cared even if they did, because she had never been happier in her life.

These days her business was one of the most popular on Main Street, even more so now that the city had torn down the empty house on the south side of the alley and put in a parking lot. With the roadwork done and the shiny new parking lot ready, many visitors started their shopping trip at her end of Main Street. In fact the whole town of Preston seemed to be booming twelve months out of the year.

Once upstairs she walked into the living room to find the Pack ’N Play that Brett should have been napping in empty. She could hear Alex in his office—formerly known as her bedroom—talking on the phone. She tiptoed over to the doorway, careful not to disturb him, and peeked in.

Her handsome husband was talking on the phone with his feet propped on his desk and his son snoozing peacefully in is arms. She couldn’t help feel a little jealous, and also madly in love with the two of them. Alex gave Brooke a smile and a wink as he continued his conversation.

Right after Alex moved back to town he’d had the brilliant idea of installing a zip line up in the hills on the outskirts of Preston. It was a hit with the locals and with the surrounding towns. Schools, scout groups, even companies came for team-building activities—not to mention average thrill-seeking tourists. It hadn’t taken long for the little business to start booking solid. He’d soon hired a couple of guys to run the tours so he could spend most of his time in the office and taking care of Brett who was now ten months. Brooke never would have guessed that bad boy Alex Coleman would be such a hands-on father, but he and his son were inseparable.

Brooke went into the little kitchen and started a pot of coffee. They’d bought a house in Preston, the cutest little Victorian, but the second floor of 100 Main was still their second home. They’d converted both rooms into his and her offices, and whoever was available at any given moment—her, Alex, Liz, Lane, Beverly, even Ryan when he wasn’t on duty—hung out with little Brett in the living room. It was his own personal daycare center. The kid had more personal attention than he’d ever know what to do with, although things would be changing in about seven months. Brett was going to have to learn to share, but no one knew that yet besides Brooke.

She poured the water into the coffeemaker and jumped when arms wrapped around her waist from behind. She smiled and leaned back into Alex as he kissed her ear and neck. These stolen moments were her favorite part of working so close together; they never got old.