Page 62 of Second Chance Christmas

“Forget all about the stress, the work, your gran, me. Everything.” Aspen strode up behind her again and gently rested his hands on her shoulders.

“Okay, now.”

Slowly she lifted her eyelids. She blinked several times.

She felt the second her mouth fell open. “Aspen, it’s beautiful!” She cupped her hands over her mouth. “When did you do this?”

Poinsettias rimmed the inside of the intimately-sized gazebo with more along the stairs. Lattice crisscrossed the side facing the house to create a cozy feeling while leaving the lakeside view wide open. During the summer miniature pink rose vines climbed one side of the trellis and gave off a beautiful floral aroma, but tonight only white lights shone in the rapidly dimming light.

Wrapped like ribbon, all six supporting posts twinkled with their lights that had not been there earlier. From above, icicle-style lights dripped from the eaves and in the middle of the gazebo was a pit for roasting hot dogs in the summer and s’mores in the winter. Aspen had taken the time to light a fire. For her. Had he also hung all the lights?

He pointed up to the criss-cross beams that supported the roof. Hundreds of lights dangled and wound around the richly-stained wood to create a twinkling starry night sky. The lights from the house barely broke through the darkness from here and allowed the lights to shine even brighter.

“Remember how we would lie here that summer and stare up at the night sky?”

“Before we finished the roof. I remember. We had so many plans. So many wishes. We were young and naïve.”

“We were in love.”

“Were?” She rolled that around for a second before asking, “Do we ever stop loving someone?” The one question no one could have pulled from her twenty-four hours ago came out with so much ease she had to wonder what it was about Aspen that always made her feel she could ask anything in the world and he would be there to answer.

“Never,” she whispered. “I never stopped loving you.”

“This place is beautiful, Aspen.” She ran a hand along the lights, played with the soft petals, anything to keep her hands and eyes busy. “Where was I when you did all this? Imagine what you could do in an hour.”

“What happened between you and your fiancé?”

She knew the question would eventually come up but the delivery stung just the same.

She moved closer, wrapping her arms around herself.

“It was the little things at first, I suppose. Then it became a big thing. He was always busy trying to impress and grab the attention of the partners in his law firm. I was always away from home building my own business. While he strutted his feathers, he must have caught the eye of his partner’s daughter too. Or vice versa. Who knows? It just didn’t work out. And I got the boot on Thanksgiving night after cooking a meal for his family.”

Tears stung the back of her eyes and threatened to slip past her neatly-wrapped control. She slid into one of the three benches that lined the inside of the gazebo and Aspen joined her. “But that’s done and over with. Back to better topics.” She turned her attention to the gazebo and all the effort he’d put into helping her. “Thank you. Everyone has shown me so much kindness and I’m not sure I deserve it. I wanted out of here so fast I feel kinda like a heel now.”

Aspen turned to her, his attention so focused on her she didn’t know what to make of it at first. It had been so long since someone other than family cared enough to listen. Lewis couldn’t get past his own ambitions and ego to care for someone else.

“Look at me, Ivy Sunday.” Raspy with just enough inflection to command.

Her gaze sought his and she fell into his welcoming gaze and nearly melted like a snowflake enchanted by the allure of the flame.

“You deserve all the love and kindness in the world. You never tell anyone no, you work and find a way and you always have a smile on your face even when you’re feeling a little crazy inside.” He cupped her face between his hands. “Don’t ever believe otherwise.”

“How do you do that?”

He sat back a little at her question. “What?”

“Peel back the layers like an onion and delve right into the tender heart of things?”

“It’s easy when you know someone as well as I know you.”

“It’s been a long time, Aspen.”

“Was I wrong?”

He moved a large swap of hair to the side and leaned in to kiss the tender spot just below her ear. Her weakness and he knew it.

“No, but,” and then her words trailed off. All words lost.

---