Page 33 of The Christmas List

“But Lucy…” I trail off as I drag my gaze to his.

His mouth twitches. “At the main house with my grandparents for a movie night of her own.”

He’s taken care of it all.

“Wyatt…” I breathe, my throat suddenly feeling impossibly tight with emotion. I’m trying to find the right words, the right way to say thank you for putting this all together. “It’s beautiful. I can’t… I?—”

He steps to me, sliding his arms around my waist and gently hauling me to him as he uses a finger to tip my chin up. “It’s what you deserve, Josie. If I was even half the man I am today back then, I would’ve shown you that. I would’ve made sure you knew how important you were to me. Come on, let’s go sit so we can talk.”

I’m barely able to nod. I’m too overwhelmed by the emotions coursing through my body. My thoughts are a jumble of a hundred different things at once. Wyatt leads me to the couch and moves the thick, faux fur blanket so I can sit. I quickly shed my coat and then unzip my boots so I can draw my feet up in a crisscross as he takes the seat next to me, tossing the blanket over me and tucking the edges in.

It’s such a sweet dad thing that it makes tears prickle behind my eyes. My emotions are going haywire.

“Wyatt, this is too much. It must’ve taken you all day to do this,” I whisper thickly.

His shoulder dips while a broad grin curves his lips, and he reaches for my hand once more, threading his fingers through mine. “I had the best helper. Trust me, Lucy was so excited about our ‘date’ she could hardly sit still most of the day. I put her to work. It was actually her idea for the candles.”

My gaze moves to the long, tapered candles in the middle of the place settings.

The sweetest touch that nearly makes my heart sing.

God, it’s impossible not to feel everything for Lucy and Wyatt. How could I not? She’s the sweetest angel, and Wyatt… well, he’s him.

He’s the same boy I’ve always known, but now, he’s grown into a thoughtful, kind, compassionate man that I’m starting to fall for all over again.

Only now, there’s so much more at stake. It’s not onlymyheart or even his on the line; it’s also Lucy’s.

It’s part of the reason that I’m so afraid to do this with Wyatt. Whateverthisis. Because I don’t want to be hurt again, but I can’t stand the thought of Lucy being hurt by whatever happens between her father and me. Especially knowing what happened with her mother.

“I did all of this because I want to show you that I’m serious, Josie. I want another chance at having your heart. I want to make up for all the time that we lost, and this time, I want to do it right. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere without you. Never again,”Wyatt murmurs as his gaze burns into mine, sincerity flickering within the depths.

I truly don’t believe that he’d ever purposefully hurt me.

But sometimes, love doesn’t always happen the way you intended. We thought we were forever once before… but then, we weren’t.

For a moment, I’m quiet as I try to find the right words. “I just need… some time. I want to be with you, right now, inthismoment. But this is a lot, so fast, so please just give me some time, okay?” I finally say.

Without hesitation, he nods. “Whatever you need, Jos. I’m not going anywhere. For now, I’m just going to… woo you.”

I toss my head back, laughing loudly. “Oh? Is that so?”

“Mhmmm,” he hums, leaning forward and sliding his hand along the nape of my neck, pulling me gently to him. “I know how much Christmas does it for you, honey.”

This handsome, thoughtful, crazy man. I sigh, reaching forward and tangling my fingers in the fabric of his shirt.

“Then by all means, Wyatt Owens,wooaway.”

He gives me an entirely too quick kiss and leaves me on the couch, disappearing through the back door of his house, only to return a few minutes later with a tray loaded down with food and a bottle of Strawberry Hollow’s famous sweet red wine tucked beneath his arm.

“Ooooh, what is all this?”

“This,” he says as he sets the tray on the table and starts arranging the dishes, “is your favorite from Patty’s diner.”

My eyes widen. “Chicken and dumplings?”

Wyatt nods. “And….”

He lifts the top off one of the platters, revealing my favorite dessert in the whole world. One that his grams makes, so one that I haven’t had for many years.

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