Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
I smile. I’ve never met Emma May, but I know I already love her for the way she took in Hunter and his brothers. I open the box and gasp as soon as I see the contents. The storm has stopped so it’s perfect.
Grabbing the lights, I whistle a tune under my breath as I head to the garage to look for a ladder. I know just how to show the mountain that I love him.
I’ve only been working for about an hour when he leaves the cabin. I haven’t set up the lights as well as I’d hoped. Turns out, I keep tangling them and now that I can see him scowling up at me, I’m nervous. I wonder if this was a good idea. What if he hates it?
The roads were cleared yesterday. I saw the alert on his phone even though I pretended it didn’t. Is he going to send me away now? Have I completely misread the situation and made a complete fool of myself?
“What do you think you’re doing?” Hunter demands. He does not sound happy. Not even a little bit.
Guilt twists in my gut though I try not to let it show. “Oh, you’re up already? I wanted to finish by then.”
He crosses his arms over his chest, pulling his flannel tight in all the right places. I wonder if he’s as deliciously sore as I am. “What are you doing up there without a harness? Get down here!”
I glare back at him, surprised at just how much his angry side turns me on. “I was decorating the roof for you.”
“Why on earth would you do that?” He stalks to the ladder and starts climbing up.
“Because I love you, you big idiot,” I shout. I’m making the most romantic confession of my life, and I just called him an idiot.
He pauses halfway up the ladder. He looks completely shaken by my revelation. “You love me?”
“Yeah, and I want you to have all the Christmas lights, even if I’m pretty sure I created a tangled mess. I just want–”
He doesn’t let me finish, joining me on the roof. He presses a soft kiss to my lips, and my arms go around his neck. This man kisses me like I’m the only woman in the world, the only person that matters.
“I love you, too,” he whispers when he pulls away long enough to press kisses to my jaw and neck.
“I just want you to have pretty Christmas lights,” I pant, angling my head to give him better access. “I wanted you to know how much I care about you.”
He lifts his head and stares down into my eyes. His gaze is filled with all of the affection and tenderness that he feels. “You are my light and my warmth.”
We’re still making out when an unfamiliar car pulls up into the driveway. I wonder if this is Emma May and hope that our introduction isn’t me mauling her son on the roof of his cabin. But it’s not Emma May or any other stranger from town. It’s my mom and my sister.
“I think that’s my family,” I say to Hunter in complete shock.
A look of guilt flashes on his face. “The roads became passable last night, but I wasn’t ready to tell you.”
“I already knew they were. I wasn’t ready to leave you.”
The smile he gives me has my heart soaring. “Good. I had no intention of letting you go.”
He helps me down the ladder, and I run into my mom’s arms. She hugs me tight, my sister joining our shared embrace. They’re both laughing and crying. All three of us are talking so loudly and quickly that we can barely hear each other.
Hunter joins me on the ground. He hung back to give me time to talk to them. But the look he sends my way now is shy.
“Whoa,” Joy murmurs.
I take his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. Meeting new people is different for him. He’s never been quite sure of his place in the world, but I know his place. It’s right next to me. “I have someone I want you to meet. This is my boyfriend, Hunter. Hunter, this is my mom and sister.”
They stare at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Soon-to-be-husband, actually,” he corrects and puts an arm around my shoulders.
“We kind of fell in love,” I explain.
Mom nods as if she’s completely unfazed. I recognize that look on her face. It’s the one she has when she’s just expecting me to go along with whatever you want. “That’s nice. Now, let’s get home.”
I glance at Joy who gives me an encouraging nod. She’s always been my biggest supporter, the one I can count on to back me no matter what.
“I’m going back to finish filming the movie, but I’m done after that. No more working for the company.”