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As Rosie and I entered the kitchen, Mom and Dad descended.
“Rosie! Here, have a plate,” Mom said, pressing a plate into Rosie’s hand already half-loaded with cookies, rolls, and fruit slices.
“I always start with dessert and get a little taste of everything before it’s all gone,” Dad said in a loud whisper and a wink.
“Harold, don’t be a bad influence,” Mom replied with a playful swat to his arm. “Rosie, sweetie, you can start wherever you like. And while you’re at it, I would love to hear more about how you and Jay met.”
“She’s really after the juicy gossip,” Dad said. “She’ll be asking about grandkids next.”
“Don’t pester the poor girl, Harold.” Mom turned to Rosie with a twinkle in her eye. “But if you and Jay are talking about having grandkids, I’d certainly love to hear about that too.”
Rosie laughed until her cheeks turned pink and she was breathless, sandwiched between my parents. It was no surprise to me that they loved her and took her under their wing instantly. She was sweet and kind and I was the luckiest man in the world to call her mine.
Chapter Nine
Rosie
I hooked my arm through Jay’s elbow, huddling closer for warmth. Our breaths puffed into the air in foggy white clouds as we stared at the dark sky with anticipation.
“I told you, we have a clear view from my apartment balcony,” Jay said. “We could go back. Get some hot chocolate going, and we’d be a lot warmer than we are now.”
“No,” I replied. “It’s not the same. We need to fully experience it.”
“By freezing our asses off?”
I chuckled and pressed a kiss to the curve of his neck. I felt his pulse jump beneath my lips.
“I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
The Holly Hollow New Year’s Eve celebration held a spectacular display of fireworks every year. It lit up the night sky and illuminated the mountainous Colorado snowy landscape in a dizzying array of flashing colors. A live band played festive tunes that a few people danced to in order to stay warm. A few vendors had set up shop, selling hot food, hats and gloves, glow sticks, and plenty of alcohol.
When Jay gazed down at me, his eyes dark with arousal, my resolve to stick around for fireworks quickly crumbled. I had no willpower when he looked at me like that. It made me melt on the spot every damn time.
“Okay, fine,” I said. “Balcony. Let’s go, before the show starts without us.”
Jay scooped up my hand and plowed a path through the crowd of onlookers waiting for the fireworks. A few scattered people were singing along with the band, off-key and out of tune, but it was lighthearted and happy and that’s all I cared about.
It had been rough, picking through the debris of my home. Nothing had survived. But there were bright spots of hope that had cropped up, too. Jay’s mom, Gloria, had continually texted me or called me since meeting her at Christmas. We chatted on a regular basis and she dropped by my hotel room occasionally with homemade lasagnas or casseroles to make sure I was never hungry.
My relationship with Jay only continued to grow stronger with every passing day. I spent more and more time at his apartment, my clothes finding their way into his laundry, into his closet with a slow, steady migration by accident. When I woke up in bed with him now, I didn’t bolt. I snuggled deeper under the covers and reveled in the slow, steadiness of his breathing. I might have lost my home, but I had gained a love that I knew would last for a lifetime.
Even though Jay’s apartment was within walking distance of the park where the fireworks were held, it still felt like a long trek back in the cold and the snow. When Jay and I finally stumbled into his apartment, our teeth chattering, the first firework went off with a hiss, pop, and a deafening bang.
A collective cheer went up from the crowd in the distance. Jay grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch and we hurried onto the balcony, dusting snow off the lawn chairs. Before I could take a seat, Jay pulled me into his lap, locking his arms around me, and pressed his warm lips to the back of my neck.
Then he froze. His hands flattened against my waist.
“Rosie?” he said, curious.
I smiled but I didn’t turn around to look at him.
“Yes?”
“You don’t…seem…to be wearing much under your coat.”
Two more fireworks went off - red and white - dazzling and glittering against the black sky. I shifted until I was fully facing Jay, straddling his lap. My long coat came down to my knees and with my tall boots, it wasn’t obvious that I wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
I unbuttoned my coat, revealing the silky red lingerie he’d bought me for Christmas. Certainly not the warmest attire but the surprise on Jay’s face was worth it.
