Page 57 of A Christmas Mystery

I gasp. “It’s beautiful.”

“It comes apart.”

“What?” Intrigued, I set the box and paper down on the porch so I can get my fingers on the pendant. As he said, the two hearts can be separated. They aren’t hard metal or stone. I have no idea what they’re made of, but they’re malleable. They bend and reshape themselves into two separate hearts, both still attached to the chain.

Damn it. I start crying again.

He reaches out like he wants to comfort me but then stops himself. It looks like he’s shaking with the effort to hold himself back. “I know I messed up. I wasn’t brave enough to speak when I should have. I’ve spent all my life holding back, so it felt like it would crack the foundation of my world to finally speak my whole heart to you. And the way it’s happened, maybe I was right about that, but it doesn’t matter. I still should have told you the truth and let you decide what you want. So this is the truth.” He clears his throat. Drops his eyes before he wrenches them back up. “My heart... my heart was made to shape itself around yours. And even if you can never forgive me, never trust me again, it’s always going to be shaped like you.”

I’m shaking. Swiping tears away. “Theo.”

“And I know you need space, so after this I’m really going to leave you alone. But I wanted you to know that I’m going to do better. I’m going tobebetter. I’m not going to keep holding back because I’m afraid it’s not safe. It doesn’t matter if it’s safe. You deserve everything from me, and that’s what you’re going to get. If... If... If you want it.”

“Theo,” I say again, more a gurgle than a word. I look back down at the necklace in my hands, and it’s exactly as Tee said it would be.

I know—I know with absolute certainty—what I want to do.

I gently fit the two hearts on the chain back together so that they’re wrapped around each other.

Theo makes a gruff sound in his throat as he watches me.

“Will you put it on me please?” I ask him.

He’s breathing loud and fast as he steps over, takes the necklace from my hand, and moves behind me. I pull my hair out of the way as he carefully fastens the clasp.

I turn around to face him.

He’s staring down at me in the porch light, hope and excitement and a heart-wrenching question in his eyes.

“I love you too, Theo Humphrey.”

With a strangled exclamation, he pulls me into a tight hug. I wrap my arms around his waist and squeeze him just as tightly as he’s holding me.

“I love you, Maya,” he mumbles, his face buried in my hair. “I’ve loved you for so long. I can’t believe I was so afraid of ruining it that that’s exactly what I almost did.”

“You didn’t. I was just... afraid.”

“I know.” He pulls back, his face transformed. “We can still go slow. As slow as you want. Just because I made this thing really deep and serious all at once doesn’t mean there’s pressure for you to reciprocate. It’s okay if you’re not ready—”

“I am ready. I’m ready for everything.” It’s absolutely ridiculous, but I’m having to wipe away even more tears. “Not... I mean, not everything, but definitely for a real relationship. With you. That’s what I want.”

“That’s what I want too.” He cups my face in one of his hands. “This is my Christmas miracle.”

I giggle and burrow against him again. “It’s my Christmas miracle too.”

***

WHEN WE FINALLY GOinside the house together, we’re too relieved, giddy, and exhausted to do much of anything but collapse on the couch. We chat with Tee and Daniela for a few minutes, but then they head to bed since it’s almost two in the morning.

Theo and I cuddle on the couch, too tired to do much talking. Eventually I lead him up to my bedroom. We don’t have sex. Neither one of us has enough energy for that. But we get under the covers and hold each other until we go to sleep.

***

IT’S CHRISTMAS MORNINGwhen I wake up. It’s just after eight and the sun is shining through the window since I didn’t have sense enough to pull the curtains closed last night.

I lift my head and see that Theo is still sound asleep beside me.

It was only yesterday—yesterday—that I woke up before Theo and watched him sleeping, coming to the conclusion that he was the man I want.

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