Page 37 of Jack Frost, CEO

“Are you ready for your surprise?”

I nod while biting my lip. Jack sends off a text on his phone before grabbing my hand and guiding me back to the main room. When someone knocks on the door, he opens it, and I see Uncle Gio and my nan standing on the other side.

“Nan!” I dash forward, only to be enveloped by her familiar scent.

“Oh, my sweet lamb. You’ve been through it, haven’t you, love? Jack set it right, then?”

Tears swim in my eyes again as I nod at her.

She kisses my cheek gently. “Good.”

“Cara mia! Maisie!” Gio wraps his arms around me from behind, and I laugh as he lifts me off the ground.

“Uncle Gio! Stop! I can’t! Please!” I’m laughing as he jostles me over to the living room.

When I’m finally standing again, I turn and spot one more surprise. Stella is positioned in the doorway, watching us all with a strange look in her eyes. Then she takes a tentative step forward.

“Stella!” I wrap her in the biggest hug I can manage. “Thank you,” I whisper in a voice low enough only for her ears, and she hugs me back.

“You can thank me by introducing me to your hot uncle.”

I chuckle, pull back, and do precisely that. The conversation is loud, as it always is with Uncle Gio. Although everyone at the table knows some version of what happened, none of us brings it up again. It’s in the past.

We eat while Nan shares funny stories from growing up, including the time I was determined to bring home a quokka to make Mum smile. We had been on vacation on Rottnest Island. Turns out that’s a felony, and while the authorities thought it was hilarious, as an eight-year-old, I was scared silly. I spent the entire ride home in tears, fearing I wasn’t going to be allowed out of the country because I thought I was a criminal.

Everyone laughs, but Stella immediately has to look up what a quokka is and then demands to know where to find one. We all laugh again, and the festivities continue well into the night before Nan calls it quits.

Uncle Gio hugs and kisses me, escorting Nan back to the retirement community. Stella joins them, since her hotel is on the way. And before I know it, it’s Jack, me, and the now-quiet townhome.

Jack walks up, sliding his arms around my waist before tucking my hair behind my ear. “You hurt me,” I tell him.

He closes his eyes and sighs. “Yes.”

“You can’t do that again.”

“Never. I will do whatever I can to make it up to you. I know I said it before, but I’m serious when I tell you I’ll happily spend the rest of my life making up for my truly heinous behavior in Colorado.”

I run my finger under his collar. “Well, I have one idea of how you can make it up to me.”

At his confused look, I slide my hand into his and pull him back toward my room. When he realizes where we’re going, a salacious grin spreads across his face.

“Oh, Princess. Gladly.” Jack sweeps me into his arms, kicks the door closed, and spends the next few hours showing me exactly what he means.

Chapter 26

Jack

Iwake up to the smell of the sea and a face full of wavy blonde hair. I push it aside and realize that Maisie has migrated over to lay on top of me at some point in the night. I wrap my arms around her soft curves, loving the feel of her against me. Then I inhale her scent and can’t stop the smile spreading across my lips.

I almost lost her.

When I got to her place and she wouldn’t let me up, I thought I would lose my mind. I had to persuade her to at least talk to me. Then I remembered how she’d left with nothing. It was almost Christmas, and I knew immediately the only way to get her to even think about forgiving me was for me to finally get over myself and my insecurities and give to her like she’s been consistently giving to me since the day we met.

Maisie stirs and my smile grows wider. “Good morning, Princess.”

Maisie grins sleepily at me, and I kiss her again. Just a light brush of lips.

“Would you like a coffee?”

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