Page 67 of All I Want For Christmas Is You

Margot burst out laughing. “You would never do that.” She pulled her aunt into her arms. “I love you so much.”

“It’s your time, sweetheart.” Ms. Gibbins patted her back. “Take it.”

Margot released her and covered her mouth with a hand. “Are we really doing this?”

“Yeah, we are.”

Holy shit. It’s happening.

Margot’s moving to Calamity.

“Now, pack up. We have a flight to catch.”

Beau couldn’t believe it. He’d never thought she’d go for it. Uproot her life and come to Wyoming?

But she’s here.

She’s doing it.

“When you said flight, I was thinking commercial.” In the leather chair beside him, she kicked up her feet. “Complete with no legroom, the last seat next to the toilets, and a bag of pretzels.”

Beau reached for her hand. “If we’d relied on the airlines, who knows how long we’d be stuck in North Carolina. I have to get back.”

“Right. Christmas with Colt?”

“Yes, but also, issues with the mine.”

“Is it bad?”

“It could be.” It wasn’t the financial hit he’d likely take as much as the possibility of losing everything. But he didn’t need to think about that now, because he had Margot. Coming to Calamity. To live with him.

He needed to tell her about Lorelei. “Hang on a sec.” He released her hand to grab his phone off the table.

Beau: Merry Christmas! Want a homecooked dinner? Your stocking’s stuffed with presents…

He gave her a moment to respond, but it didn’t say Read or Delivered. Damn.

Beau: I’ve got a question for you. Can you give me a quick call?

Still nothing. His daughter and her security team had very strict guidelines to protect her closest friends and family, but after what happened in town with Colt a few months ago, she was even more insistent about hiding her identity. He needed to tell Margot, but he at least wanted to give his daughter the courtesy of a heads-up first. He’d give her a chance to respond.

He set his phone back down. “So, what’re you thinking? Cold feet? Want to turn the plane around?” It happened so fast. She must have doubts.

“Right now, it doesn’t feel real. I mean, one day, I’m living in my aunt’s service quarters, and then I blink, and I’m on a private jet heading off to Wyoming with this incredibly handsome man I met two days ago but feel like I’ve known a whole lot longer. I’m excited. I’m terrified. And I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“And what does that shoe look like?” He wanted to be sure he paid attention. For this to work, he needed to understand her concerns.

“It looks like us finding out we’re not compatible after all. Like me waking up one morning and realizing I made a terrible mistake.”

He threaded their fingers together. “We have the advantage of age and experience, don’t you think? We’ve learned how to read people better. We know.”

“Yeah.” He loved the certainty in her eyes. “That’s how it feels to me.”

He kissed her. “There’ll be hiccups, we’ll make mistakes, but Margot, we’re both going to work hard to keep us on the right track.” He kissed her again, his senses firing up at the touch of her tongue. The slick heat of her mouth, the now-familiar scent of her shampoo, and the way she always clutched him when they were intimate… All of it gave him a profound sense of rightness. “I’m happy.” He kissed her again, longer this time, pouring his heart and soul into her. He needed her to believe him. “I’m going to love you like you’ve never been loved before.”

Chapter Twelve

Margot had experienced cold before. She’d grown up outside New York City and raised her kids in Connecticut. But the moment she stepped off the plane, her entire body seized up. Wyoming in December was freezing.

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