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Leif swooped down, snagging her bra and pressed the cups toward her. Then he grabbed her dress. “Okay, fine. But you said we weren't about a future. I thought that's what you wanted. Secret friends with benefits."
"Well, I say a lot of things. I'm good at saying things, drawing lines, but problem is, I fell in love with you. So I'm-" She dropped to her knees, still holding the bra close to her not so much out of modesty, but because it was pretty damned cold, “-asking you to take me back.”
“Abigail, get up," Leif said, looking exasperated. When she didn't, he dropped to his knees. "You're freezing and talking out of your head. It's probably the shock.”
"Nope. I love you. I fell in love and violated the whole unwritten contract we had. I couldn't help it, and so now I'm here to beg you to spend whatever time you have left in Magnolia Bend with me. I'll take what you can give me."
Leif froze. Then he pulled back, studying her, looking deep into her eyes. "You're serious."
''As a heart attack... and those can kill a person. I'd never joke about a life-or-death situation."
Leif swallowed hard, blinked, and then he kissed her. He tasted of whiskey and his lips were cold, but his arms were warm as he wrapped her in his embrace. For a good minute, they reveled in the taste and feel of being in each other's arms. Finally Leif eased away. "Tonight has been about as shitty as they come, but you've just handed me the golden goose. You've changed everything."
Abigail felt her heart squeeze when she looked at him. ''Are you calling me a goose?"
"Yes. But a golden one. The one I want to keep. But when did you change the way you feel? You've been so cold. Not cold like you are tonight but-"
"It was the only way I could be around you and not cry. I left your house that night knowing I'd been an absolute fool for agreeing with you. I didn't want a break. I was just too afraid to take what I wanted. It was my fault. Not yours."
"But I share in the blame. I got insecure-something I never am-and I pushed outside the lines. Things just spiraled out of control and I opened the door to go after you, but you'd already gone."
"I hate to quote a movie line but we've been so stupid."
Leif kissed her again, sliding his warm hands over her chilly back. "But not so stupid that we didn't find a way. Thank you for taking that leap of faith. I love you.”
Abigail sank into him, laying her head on his shoulder. "I can’t believe this. I mean, I love you, too, Leif. You make me so much better than I ever thought I could be. You helped me let go."
"And you helped me hold on," he said, dropping a kiss on her head. "As much as I want to stay here and enjoy this moment, I'm really afraid of you getting hypothermia. And for someone to see what I want to savor for myself. Maybe you better put your dress back on.”
“Okay, but I'm going to need help getting in that dress. And what about if we just leave? I know it’s not like me, but I really want to be with just you right now. I want-"
“God, yes,” Leif whispered, dropping another kiss on her mouth.
They rose together, still intertwined beneath the moonlight. Abigail concentrated on the breaths Leif took, reveling in the security she felt in his arms. She took her final leap and whispered. "Don't leave me."
Leif squeezed her tighter. “Why would I? I've finally found where I belong."
"Me,too," she said.
And she meant it.
If anyone had told her months ago that she'd be half-naked on the country-club tennis courts with a man who burned incense, never ate meat, and played the ukulele, she would have locked that person in an asylum.
But at that moment, she knew she'd finally found the man who fit her better than anything she'd ever worn.
Maybe this being naked thing wasn't so bad. In warmer weather, of course.
"Let's go home," she said.
Four monthslater
THE GOOD-SIZE crowd gathered around the gazebo in downtown Magnolia Bend held familiar faces, which made Leif relax slightly in the chair perched next to the fancy podium. Several news cameras from around the state clustered at the back of the crowd, preparing for an announcement.
The microphone squealed slightly as Everett Orgeron bent it to the correct height.
Abigail squeezed Leif's hand as his father cleared his throat.
"Good morning, friends," Everett said, smiling gently at those gathered. Abigail's family sat in the middle section, and even Cal had shown up, bringing Birdie to the press conference because she'd promised her mother she'd be more supportive of Abigail's relationship with Leif. The kid was trying.
