Page 147 of Merry Me
The words landed softly, melting through me like snowflakes against my skin. I exhaled shakily, smiling despite the way my heart felt dangerously close to cracking open.
“That’s a big wish,” I teased softly, even as my throat tightened. “You sure about that?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.” He stepped closer, reaching up to brush a fleck of ice from my cheek, his thumb lingering, warm and gentle against my skin. “Every Christmas. Every day in between. I want it all with you, Trouble.”
My eyes stung, emotion swelling suddenly…fiercely. “Easton…”
“I’ve never stopped loving you,” he said quietly, his voice thick and raw, eyes locked intently on mine. “And I never will.”
My heart stumbled, the truth so raw, so real, it felt like a gift, perfectly wrapped and placed right in my hands.
“I love you, too,” I whispered. “I just got a little lost for a while. But it was always you.”
His eyes widened slightly, something wild and bright breaking across his face.
“Say it again,” he breathed.
“I love you,” I repeated softly, tears clinging stubbornly to my lashes. “I always have.”
Easton cupped my face in both his hands, thumbs tracing softly along my jawline. His lips curved into a soft smile—aching, raw, impossibly beautiful—and he drew me in slowly, as if we had all the time in the world.
Snow glittered on the ground around us, catching the soft, golden glow from the windows, painting the courtyard in a dreamlike haze. The stars above shone clear and bright, as if they, too, held their breath, watching this moment unfold.
But when Easton kissed me, the world disappeared.
There was no lodge, no snow, no noise…just him. Justus. The kiss deepened gently, with all the emotion we’d been holding inside. Every missed chance, every unspoken word, every sleepless night and whispered dream condensed into the space between our lips.
When we finally pulled apart, breath mingling in the cold night air, he pressed his forehead to mine, eyes closed like he was holding on to the moment with both hands.
“I’ve loved you for half my life,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “And I’m going to love you for all the rest of it.”
The words hit something deep. Something old and aching and sacred.
“Promise?” I whispered, not because I didn’t believe him—but because once, under a sky full of invented constellations and teenage bravado, we’d made that same vow. Said we’d find each other, no matter what.
His eyes softened, something flickering behind them—memory, emotion, the weight of everything we’d been.
“Still do,” he said quietly. “Always will.”
A laugh broke from me, wet and quiet. “You said you’d come back to me.”
He stepped closer, brushing his fingers along my jaw, reverent. “And you said you’d find me. No matter what.”
I nodded, tears catching in the corners of my eyes as I whispered the only thing that felt true enough.
“I love you.”
“Forever,” he said, pulling me in, his voice fierce and full. “Every sky. Every season. Every version of us.”
And when he kissed me, I felt the stars shift.
Our star. Our promise.
Finally found again.
CHAPTER 29
NATALIE
