Page 82 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
“They seem great together, right?” Nora whispered to him when they crossed paths in the hallway later in the afternoon.
“Yeah,” River said. “I’m happy for him. Is it… strange for you?”
“Weirdly, no. Not even a little bit,” she said, her eyes shining with happiness. “It makes everything better, honestly. We’re all happy now.”
He took her hand, letting his thumb slide over the underside of the ring he’d put on her finger as he pulled her close, stealing a single perfect kiss.
Her soft sigh sent a lightning bolt of need through hischest, and he reluctantly let go of her hand, knowing that to keep kissing her would tempt him too much.
“Soon,” she whispered, smiling up at him.
“I can’t wait for you to be my wife,” he told her, stroking her hair.
“Yes,” she said, her cheeks blushing pink. “But let’s not wish Christmas away, I think the kids are looking forward to singing carols with your parents.”
“It really is the perfect Christmas,” River said, shaking his head in wonder.
“I’m sorry I don’t have a gift for you,” Nora said sadly.
“You’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted,” he told her, taking her hand again and looking deep into her beautiful eyes so that she could see that he meant every word. “Every day is going to be like Christmas for me.”
“River, River, River,” John-John squeaked, barreling down the hallway at full speed. “We’re going to sing now.”
“We want you to sing and dance,” Pixie said, her eyes dancing merrily as she skipped down the hallway after her brother. She clearly remembered his performance from the other day.
“Well, I can’t argue with that,” River said, winking at Nora. “My public needs me.”
“You too, Aunt Nora,” John-John told her, grabbing her other hand. “Your singing is nice and loud.”
Nora laughed at that honest compliment, and River had to chuckle too. Together, the four of them headed back to the living room where the fire crackled, the tree lights twinkled, and the whole family waited to celebrate the miraculous day.
23
NORA
Nora stood in the farmhouse kitchen on a bright January morning, letting her best friend fuss with her hair, and getting ready for a wedding that she still couldn’t believe was really happening.
So far, Leslie had brushed her hair, put in the pearl-encrusted comb, and then changed her mind and taken it out again nearly a dozen times.
Nora was wearing a simple white cotton dress with a pair of cowgirl boots, and she didn’t even have a mirror down here to see how her hair looked. But Nora wasn’t worried about it—she was honestly just enjoying the time with her friend.
She also knew River would find her beautiful no matter what, so it didn’t matter so much. And all the fussing was obviously bringing Leslie a lot of pleasure. It was her way of showing her love for her best friend, and for that Nora was grateful.
“Are you nervous?” Leslie asked, finally leaving thecomb in place, and pulling back to gaze into Nora’s eyes, as if she were trying to find hidden secrets there.
But Nora had no secrets anymore. Everything was out in the open, and the world was surprisingly accepting of her marrying another one of the Young brothers today.
“No,” Nora told her with a smile. “I think you’re more nervous than I am. But really, it’s just going to be a very simple ceremony—no big deal.”
Leslie smiled and pulled Nora in for a quick hug.
“That’s probably a really good sign,” Leslie whispered in her ear before letting her go. “Ready to go get hitched?”
“Very ready,” Nora told her honestly.
They pulled on coats and headed down the path toward the old barn together. Nora hadn’t been allowed in there for days while River, the kids, and the rest of the family got it ready. She figured it would be swept out with some folding chairs and streamers.
But as they approached, she could hear music spilling out. It sounded like acoustic guitars, maybe a fiddle, and…
