Page 94 of Her Counterfeit Christmas
We head to the taxi stand, but before we reach the line, Owen pulls me into an alcove. My back is to the building, with Owen blocking everything behind us. He leans close, one hand on the wall next to my head, the other on my hip on the inside of my open coat. The warmth of his body so close to mine sends electricity coursing through me, from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. My skin pebbles with goose bumps.
“Is this okay?” he whispers.
All I can do is nod. People pass, but they may as well be miles away for how little I notice. My attention is one hundred percent dedicated to Owen. His jacket is open, and I lay my hands flat against his beautiful, firm chest. I feel the beat of his heart through my palms.
His hand moves from the wall to cup my cheek and he runs his thumb over my bottom lip. I lean into his touch. His attention veers to the hollow of my neck. I shiver as if it’s his fingers touching me and not just his eyes.
“You’re wearing the angel necklace.”
I pull back the sleeve of my coat and shake my wrist. The charms on my bracelet jingle. “This too.”
His grin grows. He leans forward and breathes in. “Is that peppermint soap I smell?”
I laugh until he drops a kiss just below my ear. It turns into a gasp.
His lips move against my neck as he says, “I promised I would tell you how much I loved you after I confessed my secret.”
“You did?” I remember nothing beyond this moment. My eyes lids flutter as his lips skim over my jaw.
“Yes, and a promise is a promise.” He kisses my chin, then stands straight and meets my eyes as his expression grows serious. “I love you more than I love strawberry cheesecake.”
His declaration surprises a laugh out of me. It’s going to be like that, is it? I fist his t-shirt in my hands and pull him closer.
I kiss the crease next to his eye and whisper, “I love you more than candy canes.”
He grins against my cheek. “I love you more than I love opening Christmas gifts on Christmas morning.”
I’m smiling as I kiss his jaw. “I love you more than my Boudron bag.”
He kisses next to my ear and whispers, “I love you more than fifty-three million dollars.”
I gasp at the amount, but before I can ask what that means, his lips are on mine. We give twin sighs. He’s been wanting this kiss as much as I have. I wrap my arms around his waist. We’re so close, he could zip me up inside his jacket. His hand moves to my neck, and his fingers weave through the hair at the base of my scalp. The other cups my cheek and tilts my face to the perfect angle to deepen the kiss.
As we spend the next however long hiding in an alcove built specifically for us, trading secrets and toe-curling kisses, I’m amazed at how my counterfeit Christmas ended. If I hadn’t come to Maine as Spencer’s secret fiancée, I’d still be avoiding Owen, hiding around corners at Brock Pine Home, so he wouldn’t find out my credit score. I never would have met Rheta. I’d still be stuck in debt with no escape and too prideful to ask for help.
Rheta was right. Sometimes our mistakes put us exactly where we need to be.
Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
LAYLA
Christmas Eve dinner is fantastic. Sausages, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, and hard rolls from the German bakery, all of it smothered in curry gravy. It’s filled with memories, and I can’t help but smile at every bite.Nana would love thisis the only thought that dims my joy.
As delicious as the food is, the company is better.
Owen and I are back in York, Maine, staying with Miles’ parents in the house Rheta gifted them for their many years of service. It’s the house Rheta received as a wedding present from her parents. She kept it even after her husband built the big house closer to town.
It’s large, but homie, unlike the gargantuan castle where Rheta still lives. Rheta invited us to stay with her, but Marianne and Miles were married last month and they asked us to stay with them, Brady, and Miles’ two daughters and their husbands here at the cottage.
They were all kind to allow for my German Christmas Eve dinner traditions. It’s honestly been the most fulfilling family Christmas I could ever wish for, and it isn’t over yet. We still have the nativity and carol singing. Tomorrow we’ll head up to Rheta’s cabin for a Christmas party.
Rheta invited all of her family for Christmas, but we were the only ones to come. Tori is stuck in New York because she doesn’t want to be far away from Sadie, who is spending the holiday with her ex and his new wife.
Spencer is in a new relationship with an oncologist who is on call this week. From what he’s said in the few texts we’ve exchanged, things are going well with her. How well things can go when they both work sixty-hour weeks is hard to determine, but he’s happy, and that’s all I want for him.
Miles stands to clear the table of dishes, but both Owen and I insist he sit down. The man should have at least one day off from taking care of everybody else. Owen and I carry the dishes to the kitchen ourselves. He rinses and packs the dishwasher while I put away the food.
