Page 15 of Snow Place Like Home
Goldie groaned and I laughed as her father came hurrying around the corner.
“Hey, Merry Christmas. The kids are here. Weren’t we expecting them?” he asked.
“Look at their hands, Joe,” she grunted under her breath, but we easily heard her. “Did I not tell you something was up last night and then again this morning, when Goldie sounded like she was hiding something?”
“I wasn’t hiding anything. I told you that he spent the night.” Goldie chuckled.
“Well, well, well.” Jack then came around the corner with Holly, both with big smiles on their faces. “It’s about damn time.”
Apparently, everyone thought this was a good idea.
Goldie pushed up and kissed my cheek before dropping my hand and heading to the kitchen. “Come on. Let’s eat.”
“What are your intentions with my daughter?” Joe moved beside me and then roared out a laugh as he clapped me on the shoulder.
“Oh, I’ve been pining for your daughter for quite some time, Joe.”
He smiled. “Well, I’d welcome you to the family, but you’re already a longtime member.”
We gathered around the table, ate our own body weights in pancakes and bacon, and talked about the wedding.
And my eyes kept finding Goldie’s across the table.
I’d catch her watching me, and she’d catch me watching her, and the best thing about it was that we didn’t have to hide it anymore.
We cleaned up breakfast and opened presents, and soon it was time to get ready for the wedding. I was taking Jack back to his place to get ready, and Goldie and her mom were heading to the venue with Holly to get ready with the other bridesmaids.
When we walked outside, Goldie pulled out a little mistletoe from her pocket and held it over my head.
“Did you steal that from Harry?” I teased.
“Maybe I stole the idea from him.” She smiled up at me. “I thought you might want to kiss me one more time before we go our separate ways.”
“You thought right, Sunny.” And I leaned down and kissed her.
Right there in the middle of her parents’ driveway, with the snow falling all around us.
Best Christmas yet.
The wedding went off without a hitch. The bride and groom walked down the aisle to Mariah Carey belting out “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Very unconventional, but very Jack and Holly.
My eyes were on the maid of honor the entire time. She wore a gorgeous green velvet dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. We followed Jack and Holly out of the ceremony and into the reception.
The night went by in a blur as we ate and drank and danced to holiday music. Everyone laughed as Jack removed the garter from Holly’s leg in the most dramatic fashion, and Goldie and I interacted with a lot of intoxicated guests. It was one of the most enjoyable weddings I’d ever been to, and the best part was that I had her right beside me the whole night.
The evening ended with a visit from Santa, who handed out small boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts on our way out the door.
“They thought of every detail, didn’t they?” Goldie asked after we’d slipped into our waiting car. She took a bite of the glazed doughnut, and I leaned down and used my tongue to swipe away the icing on her bottom lip.
“They did.”
“So, now that we’ve agreed that we’re actually doing this, I’m assuming that means you’re coming home with me tonight?” she asked, a playful smile on her face. “I mean, no sense paying for a hotel room when you can stay with me.”
“Damn straight, woman. I like the sound of that.” When Goldie stepped out of the car, I scooped her up, holding her like a baby when she erupted with a full-bodied laugh.
“What are you doing?” she squealed.
