Page 39 of The Night Before Grumpmas
“She likes to antagonize me when I’m alone,” he continues, as if he needs to explain himself. “So I thought, why not bring you along. Lately . . . I’ve been having fun with you. Your witty banter and challenging glares are refreshing. I thought we’d have a good time.”
“Liar. You thought I’d antagonize her back,” I say, daring him to deny it.
He scoffs, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. “You know, that didn’t actually occur to me. But now that you mention it, you’re pretty good at that. Give it a shot, or we can always dance.”
I roll my eyes, but there’s a small part of me that’s entertained by the idea. “You hate me. So why am I really here?”
“I don’t hate you,” he says, his voice more serious now. “It’s just . . . you can be a bit much sometimes.”
“Too much?” I repeat, feeling the words land differently than expected. Somehow, it doesn’t sound like a bad thing. “So, I’m too much and you should avoid me?”
“No,” he says, his gaze steady. “You’re too much, and I need to learn how to handle that. Because, believe it or not, even when it doesn’t seem like it, I enjoy your company.”
I blink, my heart doing an unexpected little flip. “Until I’m not enough,” I mutter, mostly to myself.
He frowns, genuinely confused. “Enough what?”
Instead of answering, I deflect. “What’s the story between you two?”
His expression darkens, and he sighs. Then tells me how Julia used him to climb the corporate ladder. She cheated, and then took some of his clients among other shitty things.
“Sounds like a very toxic relationship,” I say, cringing.
“It was,” he admits, rubbing the back of his neck. “Which is why I decided never to date again.”
I shake my head, disbelief slipping into my voice. “I mean, yeah, it’s bad. But swearing off dating? Not falling in love. That’s wrong. She’s not worth your time or the headspace she’s occupying. It’s been too long. Move on.”
“Would you move on if the person you thought you loved betrayed you?” he asks quietly.
I let out a snort, and before I know it, I’m telling him everything—about Chad, Eleanor, their engagement, and how I’ve been left trying to figure out how to be enough for myself, before I can even think about being enough for anyone else.
When I finish, Jacob is looking at me in a way I’ve never seen before—like he’s in awe. Like maybe, for the first time, he’s really seeing me. His hand reaches out, gently caressing my cheek, and the touch sends a jolt of warmth straight through me.
“But Noelle, you are enough,” he says softly, his voice filled with sincerity. “More than enough. The problem isn’t you. It’s the man who couldn’t handle someone as extraordinary as you. He didn’t know how to be with someone so full of life.” He pauses, his thumb gently brushing my cheek, sending a spark through me. “You deserve someone who sees that and appreciates every bit of it—someone who enjoys everything you have to give.”
I blink, completely speechless, my heart pounding so hard I’m surprised he can’t hear it. His words settle, melting away all the doubt I’ve been carrying for far too long. And for the first time in what feels like forever, I feel something shift. Something right. Something real.
Jacob’s eyes lock onto mine, and before I can even process what’s happening, he’s leaning in.
I don’t move. I can’t. My breath catches in my throat as he closes the distance between us, his lips brushing mine, soft and tentative at first. It’s like time slows, every nerve in my body coming alive at once. His hand moves from my cheek to the back of my neck, pulling me closer, deepening the kiss with a gentle intensity that makes my knees feel weak.
There’s nothing rushed about it, nothing hesitant. Just the steady, almost unbearable closeness of him. His lips are warm, firm yet soft, and they taste like champagne and something else—something Jacob. I can feel the heat of his body against mine, his hand steadying me as I lose myself in the kiss, in him.
And then, there’s this fluttering in my chest, a sensation that’s as exhilarating as it is terrifying. Because in this moment, it’s not just the kiss. It’s the way his thumb brushes the back of my neck, the way his other hand rests possessively at my waist, as if telling me he’s here, and he’s not going anywhere.
It’s the way he’s kissing me like I’m something precious.
When we finally pull back, I’m breathless. My heart’s still racing, but for a completely different reason now. Jacob’s forehead rests lightly against mine, his eyes closed, his breathing just as uneven as mine. And in this quiet moment, I feel it—the weight of everything unsaid between us, hovering in the air.
I open my eyes, and when I look at him, it’s like seeing him for the first time.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jacob
What isthis woman doing to me?
Seriously, one moment I wanted her gone—two months ago—now . . . now I want her deep inside my soul.
