Page 77 of Coastal Runaway

Dad told me about my mom’s love for Christmas, but I didn’t think our talk actually sank in. We talked for hours about how she collected decorations for years and there would never be an inch of this house that didn’t have specific decor catered to the space.

I saw pictures of this property looking like a winter wonderland, something straight out of a Hallmark movie, but growing up it was never like that. It wasn’t like dad was Scrooge or anything, he just hired interior decorators to create a subtle and classy Christmas aesthetic for the season instead.

For dad to get the boxes out of storage, it was a big deal.

“It was time.” Dad stood in the entryway to the dining room, “your mom could never wait until after Thanksgiving. She would spend the entire morning decorating the house and cooking at the same time. I’m not even sure how she did it. But, she would’ve dreamt of the day you girls were old enough to help her.”

I sniffed and wiped a single tear from my eyes, “woah, okay, getting sentimental before breakfast, got it, didn’t know that was the vibe today.” Everyone laughed, “let’s do this.”

Maeve jumped up and down cheering. Ryleigh peeled herself out of bed a little later and the four of us spent the morning turning the entire estate into something out of an issue of House and Garden Magazine while dad told us stories about mom.

Once we were done and the sun was starting to set, I headed up to my room to change for dinner. As I entered my room, I paused; there was a box on my bed with a big bow on it.

“I thought you deserved a new outfit for dinner,” Maeve said from behind me in the doorway.

I walked up and ran my fingers along the deep red velvet bow that was on top of the box. Lifting the lid, I reached inside and picked up the beautiful, yet understated red dress.

“This is beautiful. Thank you.” I wrapped her in a hug.

“I love you, Keegs.”

“I love you, too.”

Okay, I’ll admit it, I looked good. Almost too good to just sit at my dads dining table for a dinner where you eat so much that you had a food baby for two days.

The dress Maeve gave me seemed almost custom tailored to my body. It was a simple, red A-line cocktail dress that cut straight across my chest and had skinny spaghetti straps. The skirt flared slightly at my hips and reached mid-thigh. It was simple, yet brutally sexy.

I looked down at the matching red platform heels that I wore. I didn’t think heels were necessary, but I was practically held down as they were strapped to my feet. My hair was half-up with a few pieces hanging in the front. My makeup was simple but with a bold black winged liner that made my green eyes pop.

When I made my way downstairs, I spotted Nolan immediately. He looked up when he sensed me coming and walked forward until he wrapped me in a suffocating hug.

“I missed you,” he said into my hair.

“I missed you, too,” I said leaning into his embrace.

“Do you hate me?” He asked.

I laughed, “I think I should ask you that question.”

He leaned back so that he could look me in the eyes, “I could never hate you, Keegan.”

A teary smile spread across my face. I knew that Nolan and I could get through this.

“I didn’t mean what I said to you. You aren’t selfish, you might actually be one of the most selfless people I know. You’re allowed to make a choice for yourself for once.”

“Thank you.” I wrapped him into another hug.

I looked around just in case there was also a grumpy boy sitting in the living room but he wasn’t there. A pang of disappointment hit me before I pushed the feeling down. My family was here with me and I was grateful for that. Luke had every right to not come after me—the things I said were really awful.

As if Nolan could sense that I was spiraling in my head, he looped his arm in mine and guided me towards the back of the house, “come on, there’s something on the patio I think you should see.”

“Uh, it’s November in Connecticut. I’ll freeze,” I laughed but he dragged me to the door anyway.

“I think you’ll be okay, just go.”

I furrowed my brows confused before opening the French doors that lead to the patio that usually got no use at this time of year thanks to the frigid temperatures. As I stepped outside, the air left my lungs.

The patio was covered in twinkle lights illuminating the space in the most beautiful warm glow, and standing right in the middle of it all was Luke Cavan holding a bouquet of red roses.