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Zach spun her, a grin lighting up his tanned face, and his auburn hair glinted under the sparkling glow of the Christmas lights. She caught sight of Sarah dancing as she gazed up lovingly at William. And then Mindy, who seemed to be doing the jitterbug with Louise, even though it did not fit with the music at all. The two women were laughing at each other, and Colette’s heart swelled at the sight of so much joy.
She leaned her head against Zach’s chest, listening to the soft, steady beat of his heart, and feeling the warmth of him. It was hard to believe how perfectly they fit together, the contours of her body and his melding perfectly as they swayed and turned in time to the music. And she let it all seep into her, taking any fear or apprehension within her and washing it away.
“I’m really glad you came to Snowy Pine Ridge,” she murmured, her face still pressed to the planes of his chest. When he spoke, she was able to feel the rumble of his voice against her cheek.
“I am too.”
She breathed deep as she steeled herself for what came next, but she didn’t want to lose her momentum. Colette was terrified that if she stopped talking, if she let the nerves that were currently bubbling and roiling within her chest make her pause for even a moment, she’d find herself unable to speak entirely.
Her arms were wrapped around Zach’s broad, strong torso, and she squeezed him a little tighter as the words fell from her in a rush.
“I care about you,” Colette admitted. “A lot. I know it hasn’t been that long, and we’ve barely even begun to graze the surface of what this could be. But I don’t want to stop trying. This doesn’t feel finished.”
Zach’s heart sped up as she spoke. She could hear its hard, fast beat grow more and more frantic with every word she spoke. And when he didn’t respond immediately, she wondered if she had misstepped. If her confession had been too much and Zach was about to let go of her and bolt out the door.
She dared a glance, moving her chin from his chest so that she could look up at him, and her heart leapt at what she found there. He was looking down at her, the corners of his mouth tilted up in a smile that was so sweet and so soft that it threatened to turn her into a puddle in the middle of the dance floor.
“It doesn’t feel done, because we aren’t done yet,” Zach said simply, shrugging one shoulder.
Her heart thudded faster, and when Zach bent down to press his lips to hers, Colette felt as if she could fly.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
The sunlight streamed in through the window, painting the back of Lacy’s eyelids in pink hues before she finally blinked them open. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but when they did, a smile lit her face. She was lying on her side, the only way that she could sleep these days. And across from her, also curled up on his side, his dark blue eyes soft as he looked at her with a love filled grin.
“Were you watching me?” Lacy asked, rubbing her hand over her eyes as she tried to clear the final remnants of sleep.
“Yeah,” Derek answered, his still raspy voice letting her know that he hadn’t been awake for long.
“Weirdo.” She rolled her eyes, but the word held no bite and was completely undermined by the smile that she gave her husband.
Moe and Curly wandered into the room, their tails wagging. Pod and Sugar were right behind them, all four of the dogs padding across the floor.
“Did you have fun last night?” Derek asked.
Lacy nodded, reaching out idly to pet the dogs as they sidled up to the bed to say good morning. “It was amazing. Perfect, actually. I can’t believe you guys went through all of that to pull it off.”
“Seeing you happy made every bit of it worth it.” Derek propped himself up on his elbow before leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss on her forehead.
Lacy glanced at the clock, noted the time, and let out a groan. “We need to start getting ready or we’re going to be late.”
“I know.” He grinned again. “I was just giving you a few more minutes.”
He nuzzled her hair affectionately before helping her move herself around to get out of bed. The night before, as the party was beginning to wind down for the evening, they had agreed to meet Colette and Zach for an early brunch. Now, however, with Lacy’s feet swollen from standing for so long the night before, and the exhaustion from lugging around a belly that felt ready to pop at any moment, she was starting to wonder if brunch was a good idea.
But she wanted to see Colette and wanted to spend more time with Zach to get to know him better. So Lacy put on a brave face and began getting dressed. It felt like no time at all and then she and Derek were loaded into their car, making their way to Frosty’s Shack to meet their companions.
By the time they walked in, Colette and Zach were already seated at a table. They waved enthusiastically the moment they saw Lacy and Derek walk in. As she plopped down in her seat, Lacy glanced around the restaurant, noting that there was no sign of Louise.
“I think maybe the owner had a little too much eggnog last night,” Lacy joked, prompting the rest of them to laugh.
“She and Mindy both,” Colette responded, grinning conspiratorially. “They both hit the nog pretty hard last night.”
“The nog?” Derek laughed at his cousin, and Colette stuck her tongue out at him.
“Yes, the nog,” she retorted.
Lacy, sensing that Colette and Derek were about to get into one of their playful—but often quite extensive—familial bickering matches, quickly cut them both off.
