“I need to talk to Whitney.”
Natalie arches an eyebrow. “I should say so.”
That’s when I realize Nat may have been laughing when I walked into the room, but Whitney’s nose is a little red and her eyes are puffy. She was crying very recently.
“I’m going to go check on Sam,” my sister says, rising from her chair. “I put him down for a nap in Nana Jo’s room so I wouldn’t have to go up and down the stairs, and he should be waking up any time. If not, I might close my eyes for a minute or two.”
Once she’s gone and hopefully out of earshot, I pull the chair she vacated closer to Whitney and sit down. She’s watching me expectantly, and I still have no idea where to start. “I wrote in your notebook.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widen for a moment before she shakes her head. “You know how I feel about my notebooks, but I don’t think you had to drive all the way here to confess that sin.”
“No, I wrote in it after I got here. Just now, upstairs.”
“Why? What did you write?”
“I didn’t know where you were, so I left a note asking you not to leave before I found you.” I take a deep breath. “I didn’t rip the page out, though. So…yeah.”
“Rob, what’s going on?”
“I don’t want you to go.” There. Those were the words I needed to get out.
She looks at me for a long time, and I try to brace myself for her reaction. I know she’ll be kind because that’s who she is, but she’s never let me believe she’d give up her life to stay here. With a guy she’s known for two weeks, even.
“Why?”
The words come out of my mouth before I give any thought to what I should say. “Because I love you and I know we haven’t known each other very long and it doesn’t makeanysense, but I do know I’m totally in love with you and I don’t want you to go because I don’t want to live the rest of my life without you in it. And I needed you to know that.”
In the space of a single heartbeat, Whitney is out of her chair and in my arms, straddling my lap the way she did in the sleigh. I wrap my arms around her as she buries her face in my neck and I can feel the moisture of her tears on my skin.
“It doesn’t make any sense, but I am totally in love with you, too,” she says when she finally lifts her head so I can see her face. “I don’t want to go.”
There is so much joy and hope coursing through my body, I’m actually trembling. “You don’t? You’re going to stay in Charming Lake?”
“I am. I mean, I’m going to leave because I have an apartment and an office and a bank and—whatever, all that—but I’m coming back.”
“Will you be back by Christmas?”
“I’m going to spend Christmas with my mom.” Her eyes well up with tears again and she tries to blink them away, but one escapes and I wipe it away with my thumb. “Being with your family has made me realize I never want another Christmas without her. Natalie already said next year, we’ll just add her to the crowd here, but for this year, it’s short notice and I also need time to wrap up…you know, the whole life I used to have.”
“Wait, Natalie knows you’re coming back?” I shift in the seat, getting more comfortable, and I tighten my arms when Whitney starts to stand. I won’t be letting go of her for a while.
“That’s what we were talking about before you got here, actually. Your family seems to have already guessed that maybe you and I are meant to be, so there have beendiscussions.And yes, Nat said it like that, with emphasis.”
“I guess if she’s already planning on your mom joining us next year, the consensus was positive?”
She smiles down at me, her eyes sparkling. “Yes. Donovan has already created a position for me in Charming Lake.”
Okay, so rich guys could be a pain in the ass, but his brother-in-law wasn’t half-bad. “What is it?”
“So, it doesn’t really have an official title or job description yet, but basically his liaison between his foundations and the community, so everybody’s needs are met. And anything he needs done when he’s in town. Maybe some remote work.”
“So you don’t have to give up your career?” It just keeps getting better.
“I’ll be giving up the career I thought I wanted, but I’ll be doing a job that makes me happy.” She brushes her fingertips over my jaw. “Most importantly, I’ll have you. I mean, I’ll have togive up being able to have pizza delivered at one in the morning, but you’re worth it.”
I grin, still trying to process that I’m the luckiest guy on the planet right now. “I can microwave a pizza at one in the morning and deliver it to you in bed if that helps?”
“I’ll hold you to that. I hope to be back by the end of the year, though I might have to make a couple of trips back to the city. Do you have plans for New Year’s Eve?” When I wince, she sighs. “Oh, I guess that’s probably a pretty busy night for first responders.”
