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Zach nodded. “I do. And trust me, I get that it happened fast. But it doesn’t make it any less true.”
She smiled at him again, before letting her own words, the one that she felt like she had been holding back for quite some time now, fall from her lips.
“I love you too.” The smile that he gave her when she spoke outshone all the candles in the room. “And I don’t want you to leave.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing I’m not going to.”
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What?”
“I’ll stay in Snowy Pine Ridge,” he answered simply. “There’s a place in town, a little shop space, that’s available for rent. I walked by it the other day. It’s close to the art supply store, and it’s perfect for a gallery.”
Colette continued to stare at him slack-jawed. “You’ve really thought this out.”
“I have.” He nodded again before giving her an expectant look. “So what do you say?”
“What do I say?” she stammered. “I say absolutely!”
She wasn’t able to contain her joy any longer. She pushed herself out of her chair, launching herself into his arms as she brought her mouth to his. The kiss that they shared was long and sweet, filled with all the words and promises that they had just made, sealing them in stone by the time their lips parted.
Colette looked up at his face, smiling at his handsome, chiseled features, and she felt the love practically pouring out of her. A timer sounded from somewhere in the kitchen, breaking them both out of the little bubble of happiness they’d fallen into.
Zach planted another quick kiss on her lips before excusing himself as he left the table and pulled the last bit of dinner out of the oven. Colette popped up, helping him grab the side dishes as they set them on the table.
Stuffed chicken breasts with rice pilaf and an assortment of veggies. The smell of it all mingled together before dancing up to Colette’s nose, making her mouth water. She and Zach loaded their plates with food and began eating, Colette sighing slightly as the flavor exploded across her tongue.
“So Christmas is in a few days,” Zach said pointedly, speaking around a bite of his chicken breasts.
“Now that you’re sticking around,” Colette answered, picking up on what he was indicating. “I guess we have to figure out whatourChristmas plans are.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
He grinned at her, and they began launching into a detailed conversation as they figured out exactly how they were going to spend Christmas that year. The more they talked, the more Colette felt like somehow, despite everything that had happened in her life, she had ended up exactly where she needed to be and with the person that she was supposed to be with.
And when she threw a quick glance around the familiar kitchen, the one where she and Emma had shared so many meals together, she couldn’t help but feel like the woman was standing right beside her. And she just knew that wherever Emma was watching her from, the woman was currently smiling right along with her and Zach, and she was nodding with approval.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
Zach held his gift in his lap, his palms sweating as he thought about what he was about to do. Colette was by his side, throwing nervous glances at him as she read his nerves, and across the room Lacy and Derek sat in two chairs before a balloon arch, an ever-dwindling mound of presents sitting around them.
“I loved this book as a kid,” Lacy called out, holding up a copy ofThe Pokey Little Puppyfor all to see.
He had been shocked when Colette had told him a week ago, on Christmas morning, that she was going to have to plan a baby shower for Lacy. When he’d given her a confused look, she had shaken her head and laughed before launching into an explanation.
Apparently, she and Sarah had tried to throw Lacy a baby shower a few months ago. But their friend, who Zach was figuring out always did things according to her own timeline, no matter how unconventional, had refused.
She had insisted that she wanted everyone to meet the baby first before having the shower, she wanted them to get to know the baby, to suss out her personality before they began picking out gifts for her. Colette and Sarah had had no choice but to oblige.
And now they were all crowded into Sweet Thing Bakery. Sarah had closed it down for the afternoon, volunteering the dining area and all the treats and baked goods for the occasion. It was a beautiful event, he had to admit.
The guest of honor, Piper, was nestled in a car seat just to the side of her parents, her lashes resting against her chubby cheeks as she napped peacefully while her parents opened presents. Zach watched as the pile of presents began to dwindle, getting more and more nervous as the minutes ticked by.
Not even Colette knew what present he was gifting them. She had offered to shop for the baby gift and put both their names on the card, but he had declined. He had had something else in mind entirely, and he had been afraid that it would get damaged if he had set it in the teetering mound of presents, it would accidentally get damaged.
Lacy opened the last one, showing off a fancy new baby monitor, when Zach pushed himself up off his chair. He approached Lacy and Derek, his two new friends smiling at him warmly as they caught sight of the present in his hands.
“I wanted to hand it to you personally,” Zach explained. “I didn’t want… well… you’ll see.”
He ran a nervous hand through his hair as Derek reached out his hand and gently took the present from Zach. Everyone in attendance watched, and Zach, not wanting to be the center of attention walked back over to his seat by Colette.
