Page 20 of Bah Humbug Mate

Changing into clean clothes, he set the origami reindeer and the note inside his wall safe. There were few things more precious to him than that reindeer, the note that went with it, and the woman who had created both.

* * *

Normally, he would have walked to the holiday shop, but his body reminded him if he wanted to make love to his beautiful bride-to-be, he needed to conserve his energy. Getting inside his SUV, he drove down to the shop and parked. He smiled as he approached the bay window that was decorated for the holiday. Normally the fake snow and frost, twinkle lights and dangling ornaments of all kinds just annoyed him. But today, they made him smile. Like it or not, he was a part of this now.

Peering in, he saw Noel leaning over a small boy showing him how to fold the beautiful shapes as the child’s mother beamed. Wrapped around Noel’s neck was a ridiculous Christmas light necklace. From her ears hung blinking snowmen earrings and on top of her head, holding her hair back was the silliest set of reindeer antlers he’d ever seen. She was gorgeous and she was his.

The little bell over the door rang as he stepped in. Noel looked up and smiled. “Hey, you,” she said, waggling her fingers at him.

“Is this your fiancé?” asked the mother.

“Guilty as charged, although I’m not very good at it.” He walked up to the little boy and knelt down next to him, so they were at eye level. “Let me give you a piece of advice, one man to another.” The little boy’s eyes got as big as saucers. “When you find the love of your life, you ask that person to marry you. Then you seal the deal with a gorgeous ring, and you tell that person how much you love them.”

“You do, huh?” laughed Noel.

Dash nodded and stood. “You do. And when you fall short, you ask her to forgive you, tell her how much you love her and want to spend the rest of eternity with her, and pray she’ll decide you’re worth it regardless of what a dunderhead you are.”

“Good lord,” said the boy’s mother. “I don’t know what he did, but that has to be the best apology ever and if you won’t forgive him, I’ll divorce my husband and take him for myself.”

“Mother!” exclaimed the little boy, not really concerned.

“Well, you remember what he said.”

“I will,” said the boy, clutching his ornament.

The woman was holding two bags which seemed to be filled with things from the shop. “How much do I owe you for that one?”

“Not a thing. It’s on the house. Happy Holidays!”

CHAPTER 9

NOEL

Christmas Eve

It was the dawn of her wedding day. The whole town had seemed to think it was a great joke to ensure she and Dash did not see each other after midnight. The thing that woke her was a gorgeous bouquet of dragon roses with a note that simply said: ‘Always, Dash.’

She was just walking out of the bath when there was a knock on her door. She opened it to find Jeannie and Nicole.

“Good morning,” said Noel. “Can I interest anyone in some coffee and maybe something to eat?”

“Not for me,” said Jeannie. “I want to get the dress to the venue and start getting it and your veil ready.”

She bustled into the bedroom where the dress had been hanging from a hook and then vanished down the stairwell into the tavern.

“The caterers are already onsite, and I told them just to fix food and feed people all day,” said Nicole. “You ready to go?”

“No,” Noel replied in mock horror. “I need to get my hair fixed and my makeup on.”

“No, you do not. I have people waiting for you in the staff lounge at Autumn’s mill. They’re going to take care of you. All you need to do is show up, let everyone wait on you, and get married to your fated mate.”

“Has Cousin Rudy showed up?”

“Not yet, Jax has tasked some of Colby’s men to keep anyone not invited to the wedding outside of town. Mystic River is effectively closed for the day.”

“The judge?”

“Judge Freeman is already at the venue, playing poker with the boys. By the way, I’ve cut the lot of them off. When I got there this morning, they were all about half-blitzed. All, that is, but Dash. At first, I thought he was the drunkest of the lot, but then I realized he was stone-cold sober. He’s just really, really happy. Asher says he’s never seen Dash so at peace. It’s as if finding you allowed him to let go of his past and embrace his future. Your family?”

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