Her brow lifted. “Because there were no phones in Georgia?”
“Because I needed to spend time with my family, healing old wounds without being completely distracted by my feelings for you.” There he’d said it. The first part of what he’d rehearsed. “Believe me, partially distracted was more than enough.”
“I’m glad you went to see your family.” Not taking her gaze off him, she bent to pick up her cat.
Despite all the tension coiling inside him, Zach laughed at how she had to angle herself in the costume to accomplish the task. “Blondie the Snowman holding her snowman cat. I’m glad your hair is back to its natural color, by the way.”
“Don’t laugh at me and my cat,” she ordered, lightly stomping the floor with a black boot and causing Bobbin to want down.
She let the cat go and he scurried over to the sofa.
“Or?” Zach pressed, taking a step closer to where he stood as close as her snowman belly allowed.
The costume failed to mask her apple-pie scent. Inhaling, Zach smiled. This. This was why he’d arranged for an iSecure plane to fly him to Louisville, rented a car, and driven like a maniac to Pine Hill.
Isabelle’s eyes glittering up at him, she put her stick fists on what he supposed were her snowman hips. “Or I’ll toss you out.”
“I love you, Isabelle Davis.”
Her face otherwise as frozen as if she really were a snowman, she blinked. “What did you say?”
“That hat blocking your ears?” he countered to buy himself a moment.
He’d had a week to figure out what he wanted to say, had it all rehearsed in his head, on how he’d come by later that night to wish her a Merry Christmas and to ask her to go on a date with him. A real date. One where he could hold her hand to his content and not need mistletoe as an excuse to kiss her perfect mouth. How could he have known she’d call Sarah, put him in a panicked tizzy to get to her, answer the door wearing a snowman suit, and completely throw all his preconceived plans right out the door? He’d sure not meant to blurt out that he’d fallen head over heels for her before giving her time to adjust to the idea of dating him for real.
She took off the hat and tossed it onto the sofa, yet again startling Bobbin, who let out an unhappy screech. Eyeing her with displeasure, the cat stalked over to beneath the twinkling Christmas tree, knocked off an ornament with his tail, then plopped down.
Tilting her chin upward, Isabelle locked gazes with him. Zach’s breath caught at the beauty of her face, at the beauty of her spirit, and what shined so evidently in her eyes as she slid her fingers beneath the suit’s collar and lifted out the snowman pendant.
She was wearing his gift.
She was his gift.
Not that he deserved anything so precious as Isabelle. But if it took him the rest of his life, he’d get this right with her. It might take him the rest of his life to convince her to let him, to convince her that, although he didn’t know what was locked inside his head, he knew exactly what filled his heart. Her.
*
Isabelle lifted thesnowman away from her neck with shaky fingers. “Okay, maybe I heard wrong, so let’s try a different question. Why did you give me this, Zach?”
Why was he smiling so goofily at her? For a moment, she’d thought he said he loved her, but that couldn’t be right. Could it? If it was, why was he so hesitant to say it again?
“Because it’s Christmas.” He covered her hand with his, tracing his thumb over where her fingers held the snowman, sending shivers down her spine. “My turn for a question. Why are you wearing it?”
She lifted her chin. “Because it’s Christmas.”
Cupping her face, Zach chuckled. “I’ve never met anyone like you my whole life, Blondie. You’re stubborn and fierce and love with all your heart, and I’ve missed you with all of mine. When I realized it was you on the phone with Sarah, I—”
“You were at Sarah’s when I called?” she interrupted, pulling out of his embrace.
“How do you think I got here so fast, Frosty?”
“I thought you stopped by to make fun of my snowman suit.” Standing on her tiptoes, she leaned toward him, her stuffed belly pressing against him as she stared up into his laughing eyes.
“I think you looksnowgood,” he teased. “Where were you headed in this?”
Keeping her gaze locked with his, she took a deep breath. “To find you.”
“Because you missed me, too?” His hand was back, cradling her face.
