Page 41 of Mishaps and Mistletoe

“No!” she exclaimed. “You’re nothing like him, Kevin.” She let go of the jacket, drawing his face to meet hers. “Do you hear me?”

He nodded.

“You lied to spend more time with me. I get that now.”

But she didn’t. Not all of it. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.

“Jojo Ward, when I met you over two decades ago, I was lost. I had no family, no direction, no hope. But then you came barreling into my life like only you could, and you turned me on my head.” They both laughed, and he knew she remembered when she’d crashed the tandem bike they’d rented, and Kevin flew off it. “Both figurativelyandliterally.” Her laugh was more of a gurgle, and he noticed the sheen of moisture in her eyes. He hoped it was because she was feeling the same things he was. The things that made his heart beat so hard in his chest, she could probably hear the cracking of his ribs.

“You brought me to life, Jojo—made me believe in good things. You changed me.”

“You’re giving me way too much credit, Kevin.”

“I’m not giving you enough.” He reached into his wallet and pulled out the yellowing piece of paper he’d held onto since the last time he’d seen her. The security blanket he’d held onto all these years.

“What’s this?” she asked as she unfolded the page.

“I told you I hadto keep seeing you. I had to keep doing these Christmassy things with you. But it wasn’t for the reason you thought.” He closed his eyes and took a calming breath, shyness creeping in suddenly. “This was the Christmas list you told me to write when I was fourteen. You said I wasn’t too old to believe in miracles. So, I went home after our last day together and wrote this. And, as you know, soon after, the McCanns offered to adopt me.”

“‘Christmas List I’m Too Old To Write,’” she read as she smiled. “‘Number one: a real family.’” She stopped and sniffled loudly, and he watched a lone tear travel down her cheek. “‘Number two: a chance to repay Jojo for her wacky idea. And for teaching me how to hope.’” She lowered the paper from her face, her rounded eyes filled to the brim with unshed tears. “I can’t believe you kept this.”

“The night after the McCanns offered to adopt me, I ran to my room and wrote that second part. Even though I got what I wanted so quickly, I didn’t really believe the list had magical powers. Or maybe a small part of me wished it did. Unfortunately, the best things take a lot longer to come true, though.”

“I’m one of the best things?” she asked. He was failing if she didn’t know the answer to that already.

“The absolute best thing.” He threw his arms around her, lost in the magic of this moment. Because that was the only way to describe what was happening. After all these years, after all they’d been through in their own lives, their paths had met in this place at this time. And while nothing in life was ever perfect, this somehow felt like it was.

“I love you, Jojo,” he said into her hair, words he’d never said to anyone but the McCanns. But once they’d escaped his lips, he was glad he’d held onto them for as long as he had.

“I love you, too, Kevin. I think maybe I always have. Like a song I couldn’t stop humming but didn’t know why.”

Her shoulders vibrated softly against his chest as he gently stroked her auburn hair. “Words are only words, though, until you give them meaning, right?”

“Right,” she answered with a question in her voice.

“Then, let me show you.”

“Does it have anything to do with Johnny up there on the balcony, waving—is that a pine branch?—in the air?”

“What?” Kevin turned and looked up. Sure enough, there was his partner, dangling a chunk of a Christmas tree over the railing.

“I dropped the seaweed off the balcony, boss, but don’t worry—I found something else!”

“Seaweed?” Josie asked, her eyes darting back and forth between Kevin and Johnny.

“Do you know how hard it is to find fake seaweed in December? I went to at least half a dozen craft stores looking for it.” He ran a hand through his hair. “This was supposed to be a big romantic moment. Just hold on a second.” As he turned to jog over to where the faux seaweed laid on the ground, Josie grabbed his wrist, freezing him to the spot.

“Don’t.”

Heat crawled up his neck as his stomach dropped through the floor. He’d read this all wrong, hadn’t he? Josie was willing to forgive him but unwilling to move forward. He suddenly felt like he was going to puke. Until she pulled something out from the pocket of her dress.

“This might be better.” She opened her palm, revealing a tiny sprig of mistletoe.

Kevin swallowed loudly. “A beautiful girl once told me there’s magic in mistletoe, and she was waiting to kiss her one true love under it.”

“Is that so?” She played with the mistletoe between her fingers and met his eyes with the biggest smile she’d ever given him. “Seaweed is for kids. Mistletoe is forever.”

His weak legs closed the space between them, and his lips met hers with a fervor he never knew existed. Her hands ran through his hair and a tingle shot down his spine. This kiss was gentle but hungry. It was hectic but relaxed. It was the memories of the past, blending with the promises of the future. A future, he realized, he was going to spend with the woman he’d thought of every single day since he’d stopped her on the beach and asked if she was new in town.

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