Page 20 of We Wish You a Happily Ever After

“It’s pretty awesome, isn’t it?” Jeremy led her toward the barn, where the horse-drawn sleigh had just pulled up. “And this is my favorite Christmas carol.”

“It is?” Bella tilted her head to hear it better. “It is,” she said, remembering that he’d told her a few days earlier. “The Christmas Song.” Jeremy nodded and she started singing. “Jack Frost nipping at your nose.”

Jeremy’s smile encouraged her, so she kept singing.

When the song was done, he pulled her in for a quick kiss. “And now it’s really my favorite.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. It’s just so festive.”

“Don’t apologize. It was amazing.” He squeezed her hand and used his free arm to gesture to the trees. “As soon as the sun goes down and the lights come on, I think you’ll be even more impressed. The girls did a great job. Oh!” Jeremy pointed toward a small group. “Speak of the devils. There they are. Come on. I want to introduce you.”

Bella laughed. “I’ve met them before, remember?”

“Doesn’t count,” he said as they got closer. “We were kids then.”

She stopped short, forcing him to stop as well. “We met when we were kids, too.”

Jeremy turned and wrapped her up tight in his arms. “It’s not the same. We’re…” Instead of finishing his thought, he kissed her thoroughly, right in front of everyone by the barn. A fact she only remembered when a few whoops and hollers of appreciation sounded.

“Don’t just stand there kissing her all day.” A beautiful blonde woman, who Bella instantly recognized as one of the Turner twins—which one, she never could be sure—squeezed between them, breaking up the kiss. The woman turned to chastise Jeremy with a waggle of her finger before looping Bella’s arm in hers and tugging her toward the waiting crowd.

Fortunately, Bella didn’t embarrass easily because for the next few minutes she was fawned over and teased about spending all her time with Jeremy.

They were all so welcoming that, just as when she was a kid, Bella felt right at home. It didn’t take long before she was laughing and joking with everyone as if they were old friends. Which, in a way, they were. The blonde turned out to be Faith. But her sister, Hope—who was pregnant and on bed rest—joined them as well from a wheelchair that she clearly hated.

“It’s a means to an end,” she told Bella as she rested her hands on her blanketed stomach. “If it means that this little one is safe and sound, then I’ll keep sitting and let everyone wait on me hand and foot.” She laughed and reached up to take her husband’s hand.

“You know I’ll go to the ends of the earth for the two of you, babe.” Levi bent down and kissed her on the forehead. It was such a sweet and touching moment, that Bella felt as though she were intruding.

“They do that all the time.” Stephanie Starz, the movie star, joined her and shook her head with a laugh. “They all do it.” She rolled her eyes but Bella could see that she didn’t really mind. “It’s hard being the only single one around this group.” She groaned but then laughed. “But hey, it’s better than being stuck with someone you shouldn’t be, am I right?”

Bella had never considered herself the type of person to get star struck, but she found herself at a loss for words with the bubbly, beautiful redhead who she’d only ever seen on the big screen or on magazine covers up until that point. The fact that she’d turned out to be Faith and Hope’s older half-sister, who’d been adopted as a child, was still big news everywhere.

“You’re not the only single person, Steph.” Jeremy had joined them again. He put his arm around her again as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and they’d been a couple for years, or were even a couple at all.

“Oh yeah, right.” Stephanie shook her head. “Like you’re single.” She raised an eyebrow and laughed.

She stiffened a little and laughed along with her new friend. They weren’t a couple.

She glanced over at Jeremy, who wasn’t laughing, but was watching her with a question in his eyes.

Or were they?

* * *

“Sleigh bells ring! Are you listening?”

Even though they were all singing along to the carol, Bella’s voice rang out clearer than the others as the horses pulled the sleigh through the snow. Jeremy was transfixed by Bella’s voice.

Hell, Jeremy was transfixed by Bella.

It felt so right to be with her. He’d been a little worried that it would feel strange to be around all his friends with her considering they weren’t really a couple, but it hadn’t. Not even a little bit. In fact, it had felt absolutely perfect. He didn’t want to think about what those feelings meant. Or what it might mean when the holidays were over and Bella went back to the city. She’d laughed when Steph suggested they were a couple. But that didn’t really mean anything.

It was something they hadn’t discussed yet. And why would they? They’d only been—

“Your voice is amazing!”

Jeremy’s train of thought was interrupted by Stephanie. She’d moved herself to the hay bale across from them and had grabbed Bella’s hand, effectively jerking her forward and out of his arms.

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