Page 130 of One Foggy Christmas
“I love you, Nash.” I want him to hear it again, to feel it in his heart.
A tear hangs on the rim of his eye. I climb into his lap, wiping the wetness with my thumb.
“I want to marry you, have your children, and live my life by your side. I want itallwith you.” I smile as another tear drips down. I wipe that tear too, kissing the edge of his eye. “I love you.”
He laughs through his tears. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted too.”
“I don’t want to lose you again. Come back to Skaneateles with me.” My fingers glide down the sandpaper stubble on his face. “We can run the home health and hospice together, build a house on the lake, raise children, and grow old together.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.” I gaze into his eyes, his face in my hands.
We both feel the shift in our relationship, the deeper connection built on a foundation that can’t be broken. Even the darkest fog in my brain couldn’t erase Nash from my heart.
He’s meant to be mine, and I’m meant to be his.
Forever.
Slowly, we both lean in, savoring the delicious build-up. Our lips brush together, and my whole system comes alive. The kiss is measured—like a deliberate game we’re both committed to even though it’s killing us. Soft skims and gentle glides over and over again. Both crave more but are willing to take our time, knowing the significance of the promises our kiss seals upon us.
The tip of my tongue swipes across Nash’s bottom lip, and a soft groan comes out with his breath, quiet enough to be a whisper. His hands grab my waist tighter, shifting my body so I’m sitting on him more fully. There’s so much satisfaction in knowing he wants me as much as I want him. My fingers slide from his face into his hair, clutching the curls at the nape of his neck. His hands splay across my back, holding me close.
The slow sensual kiss was nice, but I’m ready for more. I’vewantedmore since our first night in Switzerland. I press my body into him and take control, deepening my passion. His reaction is instant, returning my kiss with an urgency that drives me crazy with desire.
The Ferris wheel cart rocks back and forth as we rotate around the sky. We’re a frenzy of want, need, and hot fire burning us inside out. Passing the minutes with desperate affection. Showing each other just how deep our love goes but never truly able to convey the depth.
The rush of attraction is addicting and heated, fun and exciting. This is what love is supposed to feel like—an emotion so intense you’ve lost your mind and your heart to it. The feelings between us transcend time and memory. My mind may have forgotten Nash, but my body and soul haven’t.
“The ride is almost over,” I mumble against his mouth.
His lips travel to my neck, spreading a fiery sensation over my throat. “We’re riding again.”
I throw my head back, laughing. “I thought you’d want to head straight to the fantasy suite.”
“We have forever for that. Let’s enjoy this moment.” He takes my face in his hands, forcing me to meet his gorgeous green eyes. “Running into you on the train was the best gift this life has ever given me.”
A smile stretches across my face. “Merry Christmas, Nash.”
His mouth covers mine, kissing me again and again under the Swiss stars.
One Year Later
SADIE
“There’sone more present under the tree!” Nash stands, shaking a box in the air.
“Oh, where did that come from?” My mom feigns surprise, but she’s not fooling anyone. Whatever that present is, she definitely knows about it.
Nash makes a show out of reading the tag. “It looks like it’s for Sadie.” He turns to me, his entire face lit up with an excited smile.
“Who’s it from?”
“A secret admirer,” he whispers in my ear, kissing my lobe before pulling back.
I take his present, noticing how my family watches in anticipation. The Christmas tree wrapping paper doesn’t stand a chance. I tear through it in one sweep, slowly open the box, and peek inside.
It’s a square book with a picture of us on the front—a picture I don’t recognize from the lost years. Carved into the cover isThe Story of Us.
