“I know, baby. Please travel safe and text or call me when you land,” I remind her.
“I will,” she confirms, then reaches for the handle. I grab her suitcase from the back seat of my truck and walk inside with her. When we make it to security, Sarah turns, wraps her arms around my neck, and twists her tongue with mine.
“Spending Christmas with you was the best time I’ve had in years. I love you,” she repeats. “I can’t say it enough.”
“It’s a Christmas I’ll never forget. I love you, too. This isn’t goodbye, it’s a see you again soon,” I say, brushing my lips across hers one last time.
“Not soon enough.” With a grin, she takes her suitcase, and I watch until she fades out of sight.
On the way back to my truck, I replay all the memories we’ve shared. We’ve grown so much, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is the way I feel about her. Once I’m inside and crank the engine, I reach inside my jacket pocket and pull out the black velvet box. Popping open the lid, I look at the ring that I’ll hopefully be slipping on her finger the next time she’s in town.
While I have some planning to do to make sure she gets the proposal she’s always deserved, I can’t wait. Sarah Rose will eventually be my wife, and I can’t wait to start my forever with her. I have no doubt she’ll say yes.
About the Author
Brooke Cumberland and Lyra Parish are a duo of romance authors who teamed up under the USA Today pseudonym, Kennedy Fox. They share a love of Hallmark movies, overpriced coffee, and making TikToks. When they aren’t bonding over romantic comedies, they like to brainstorm new book ideas. One day in 2016, they decided to collaborate under a pseudonym and have some fun creating new characters that’ll make you blush and your heart melt. Happily ever afters guaranteed! View our full reading order here.
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Prologue
THREE YEARS EARLIER
I clutch a glass of water in my hand, hitting the switch to the light, engulfing me in darkness again. It takes a second for my eyes to adjust before I pad back to my bedroom.
Aside from the subtle creaks in the floor with each step I take, the house is silent.
I’ve hardly slept a wink all night. After tossing and turning, I had ambled out of bed for a quick drink. Anything to take my mind off the weight of this weekend.
Anything to get my mind off Merric.
I sigh, setting down the glass on my nightstand and pull back the comforter. My knee is pressed against the soft pillow top mattress, about to dive back in, when the sound of glass shattering forces my body to freeze.
I half-expect to look down to find my glass of water broken, spilled at my feet, but the sound is too far away for it to be the case.
My breath catches tight in my throat, waiting for another sound to break the stillness. My eyes dart over to the nightstand, seeing the glass of water gleaming like crystals in the moonlight. I wrap my arms around my body, my heart beating frantically while I try to piece together what I should do.
The sound of a man groaning follows. It’s a deep, throaty noise, and it sends shivers down my spine. Only this time, the sound isn’t too far away.
I tiptoe over to the window, pulling back the curtains a sliver, to spot my stepbrother Merric lying on his side in the middle of the sidewalk. After he presses his palms against the cement to push to sit, he brushes his hands off.
I drop the curtain, letting it fall back against the window as I race down the hallway. Turning the deadbolt on the front door, I quickly pull it open to find him still seated on the ground. He shakes his head, looking disoriented at the realization he just fell.
“Are you okay?” I whisper-shout.
He winces when his head snaps up to look at me. His hand reaches for his neck, letting out a deep moan.
Merric’s been distant from me the entire weekend. We’ve hardly said two words together since I got into town. Although, it’s not anything new from how he’s treated me in the past.
I don’t blame him for not being up for conversation. When we had gotten word his father had a heart attack and wouldn’t make it, we both flew back home to Richmond.
Although my dad hasn’t been around much since my parents divorced, I couldn’t imagine ever losing him. I can’t even say how I’d react to the news, especially so suddenly.
My eyes focus back in on Merric, to where his large frame nearly takes up all of the sidewalk.
“You should go back inside,” he grumbles under his breath.
My heart aches for him. I wish I could crack this shell he keeps up, closing himself off from everyone around him.
Broken glass covers the ground between us. Judging from the wet asphalt and the strong stench of liquor, I’m going to make a wild guess he tripped and went down with a bottle of vodka.
My stomach rolls at the smell. My mind flashes back to the night I got hammered drunk with a group of my friends at a party. I woke up the next day with the hangover of a lifetime. Karma came back to haunt me when I started my first shift at Whiskey Barrel. All was fine and well until a waitress dropped a bottle of vodka a few feet away from me. It was the reminder I needed to never let myself get so drunk again.
Merric attempts to press his hands against the ground again. His body sways as he tries to climb to his feet. I take a step toward him before he curses at me under his breath to back up.
“You’re going to end up cutting yourself. Stay back.”
He holds himself there for a moment, his ass in the air before he stands upright. A proud grin breaks out across his face, and I can’t help but do the same at the sight of his smile.
I chuckle. “Well, looks like you’ve had a good time tonight.”
He nods, winking at me, holding his fingers up in a mock salute. “You. Are. Riiiiight,” he slurs, each word spoken pointedly.
This side of Merric totally contradicts the man I’ve known him to be. There’s a part of me that wishes I could see this side more often, although with less alcohol involved.
The smirk on his face and the glimmer in his eye is completely different from any way he’s ever looked at me before. The heat behind it has warmth spreading throughout my body.
“C’mon.” I extend my hand toward him. He pauses briefly, eyeing it before letting whatever held him back go. He sidesteps the broken glass, stumbling before he reaches out, accepting my hand.
“We’ll pick it up in the morning. It’ll be fine,” I reassure him. His warm fingers slip into mine, squeezing them lightly.
Heat radiates up my arm; the calluses on his fingers incite thoughts of all the places he could touch me. It sends shivers through my body, and I’m grateful Merric is too intoxicated to notice.
He trips a bit as we make it to the stairs leading up to the front of the house. I pause, taking the first step, holding my arm out to help him.
“Like you could do anything to support me. If I go down, it’ll be on you.”
Arousal pools in my belly, my cheeks flush from the proximity to Merric and the weight of his words. I don’t think he meant how they came out, but I purse my lips together to hide the desire showing on my face.