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I’m so happy that I have to fight against the tears pricking my eyes as we continue walking.
“Aw,” he says as we cross the road and head into the park, and I sniffle and snuffle, “don’t cry.”
“I can’t quite believe you,” I say, my voice husky. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you.”
“Gaby would say you must’ve been Attila the Hun in a previous life to be landed with me,” he says. “Oh, look at this.”
I stare at the scene ahead of us. Wow. I hadn’t realized, but the Botanic Gardens are open, and they’ve been turned into a Christmas grotto. Solar fairy lights have been strung through the trees, and lamps hang from branches that make it look like something out of Narnia. Couples and families, even this late at night, are strolling along, looking at the displays. There are stalls selling all kinds of food and non-alcoholic drinks, while a group of carol singers makes the hairs rise on the back of my neck with their rendition ofO Come All Ye Faithful. Several groups of teens are hanging around, eating and laughing, but they’re all behaving and seem to be enjoying the atmosphere. A couple of police officers sip coffee as they walk along admiring the sights, as they have little to do.
“Did you know this was happening?” I ask Alex.
“Might have.”
“You brought me here on purpose?”
“You need some romance in your life, Missie, so you’d better start getting used to it, because I intend to provide as much of it as I can.”
I stop walking and turn to him, still feeling emotional. “I don’t understand why you want me. I’m nothing special. I’m a horrible person.”
He frowns. “What are you talking about? You’re the nicest person I know. I’ve never heard you say a bad thing about anybody. You’re kind to kids and puppiesandyou want to save the whales.”
My bottom lip trembles. “I like the way you look at me,” I whisper, “and you’ll stop if I tell you.”
His gaze softens. “Nothing you can tell me would change the way I feel about you, honey.”
He’s only saying that because he doesn’t know. My arms are wrapped tightly around me, and I stare at the ground, fighting to keep my composure.
Moving forward, he wraps his arms around me and pulls me close. “I know it’s the anniversary of the accident,” he murmurs. “I’m amazed you’ve managed to get through the day as well as you have.”
“I didn’t realize you knew that.”
“It was always going to be a difficult day for you. I thought coming to the party might help you get through it. I hope that wasn’t the wrong decision.”
I stand stiffly for a moment, shocked that he’s known all this time, and that he’s made the effort to help me through it. Then, as he continues to hold me, murmuring gentle words of encouragement, my muscles loosen, and I relax into his embrace. Turning my head, I rest my cheek on his shoulder, and he strokes my hair.
“No,” I say softly, “you weren’t wrong.”
He sighs. “We all say things we don’t mean at times. We all have our limits. People who are close to us know what those limits are, and they like to test them. It’s not surprising when we react.”
He’s obviously guessed it’s something to do with Lee. I inhale a deep, shaky breath and, as I exhale, I feel as if I’m releasing all the tension I’ve held inside me over the past year.
Coming toward us is an older couple, walking hand in hand. The woman, with gray hair cut in an attractive bob, glances at us and smiles as she sees us cuddled up. I give her a small smile, knowing I should move, but not wanting to. It’s been so long since someone held me like this. His subtle cologne rises to ensnare me, welcome and familiar. His jacket is open at the front, and I can feel the warmth of his body through his shirt.
Unfolding my arms, I slide them around him beneath his jacket.
“That’s better,” he murmurs.
We stand there like that for a while, listening to the choir singThe First Noel, the music spiraling to the tops of the trees and up into the night sky, where the stars are popping out on the black velvet. It’s a beautiful evening, made for lovers.
Turning my head to rest my other cheek on his shoulder, I study his collar, and the V of skin that’s visible where the top two buttons are open. I can see his Adam’s apple and the slight hollow beneath it. Leaning forward, I place a light kiss there, and I’m rewarded with his answering shiver.
I move back and look up at him. He’s so gorgeous. Now I know him better, I can recognize his subtle expressions, and there’s tenderness in his eyes as he lowers his head and kisses me.
“Come on,” he murmurs. “Let’s get you home.”
He holds my hand, and we continue walking through the park. More lights guide our way, and halfway along there’s a wonderful display of Santa on his sleigh with his reindeer pulling him along.
Not far after that, Alex leads me away from the main pathway, and we enter a pavilion lit by solar lamps. In the midst of all the greenery is a large structure, the concave roof of which seems suspended in mid-air until we get closer, and I realized it’s supported by stainless-steel columns. In the middle, hanging above a pond, is a large bell.
