I rushed downstairs in time to see Jamie closing the door. Snowflakes sprinkled his gray hooded parka, but he seemed oblivious to all the snow he was tracking on my freshly swept floor as he stared at his phone. Sensing me, he looked up, and I wondered at his curious gaze.
“Hey, baby,” I greeted nervously since he was still eyeing me. “How did it go?”
He took his time kissing me while I pushed his coat from his muscular shoulders before answering. “Statistics was kicking my ass for a little bit, but I’m Jamie fucking Buchanan. Of course, I aced it.”
“Uh-huh… and it wouldn’t have anything to do with me agreeing to make a home video with you if you aced all of your final exams?”
“Does it matter?” he retorted, grinning. “A deal’s a deal.”
I grabbed his hand when he reached for the hem of my oversized Christmas sweater. It was the only thing I wore besides the white thick slouchy socks. “Hold your horses, mister. You don’t have those scores back yet.”
With a cocky smile, he ignored me as he gripped my ass and yanked me into him. “Where are your panties?” he asked the moment he felt my bare skin.
“I don’t know,” I flirted, playing coy. “I guess I lost them.”
“Where?” he growled.
I peeked up at him. “Under your pillow.”
Rather than go for them as I’d expected, he pulled me into the living room. After sitting down on our large black sectional, he sat me on his lap.
“Care to explain this?” Showing me his phone screen, the back of my neck grew hot when I saw the video I’d posted on YouTube a couple of weeks ago. The caption read “Holiday Glam,” and it had over ten thousand views. That was nothing compared to the more established beauty gurus, but it was more than I could hope for. Even though my mother had forced me to master the art, I chose not to run from my demons and embraced them instead. If I could somehow turn my negative experience into a positive experience for girls and women everywhere, then that was something, right?
“It’s… it’s a makeup tutorial.”
“I see that,” he said as he caressed my back. I wondered if he could sense my nervousness. “What I don’t understand is why you didn’t you tell me you were doing this?”
I shrugged, keeping my gaze pinned to the floor.
Gripping my chin, he turned my head until our eyes met. “Talk to me, Bette. There’s no one here but me and you.”
“I… I just wanted to make sure I could do this before I told anyone.”
He frowned, clearly not liking my answer. “Since when am I just anyone?”
“You’re not, but you’re also the only person I’m afraid of disappointing.”
“You could never disappoint me.”
“Jamie, I—” Tears suddenly pricked my eyes, but as soon as they fell, Jamie wiped them away. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I see you leave every day for school and apprentice for your uncle. You have such a bright future while I… I never had the chance to dream. What if it’s too late?”
He pulled me down until our foreheads touched. “It’s never too late. Don’t you see where we are? This is the endgame, Bette. Even if it takes forever, I’ll make damn sure all your dreams come true.”
“Good, because I really want to do this,” I admitted.
“Then we will.”
I sat up in surprise. “We?”
“You’ve stayed up with me every night for two weeks, helping me study for exams. I want to be there for you like you are there for me.”
“How?”
He grinned. “Well…to start, I’ve got some ideas for your channel.”
I stared down at him warily. “Like what?”
“You’ll see.”
He flashed me a devious grin, and my stomach flipped not only because he was gorgeous as hell but because I had a very valid reason for being nervous. Wisely, I had the urge to say no. Jamie was mischievous when he was good and downright wicked when he was bad, which was often.
But…
How could I resist this boy who brazenly wore his heart on his sleeve so that everyone could see it beat only for me?
He pressed his lips against mine, stealing away the last of my doubt. “I’ve got some ideas for us, too,” he said after he finished kissing me senseless.
“Oh?”
“You’re a Montgomery, but Barbette Elizabeth Buchanan has a better ring to it, don’t you think?”
My heart skipped a beat.
Was Jamie proposing? Was I ready for that? I’d spent the last five years thinking that being someone’s wife was all I could hope for, and now I knew better. I knew in my heart that I’d marry no one else but Jameson Buchanan, but for now, I wanted to spend some time rediscovering myself. There was no one standing over me anymore telling me who to be, and Jamie… he was ready to love me no matter what.
“All you have to do,” he added, sensing my hesitation and, as always, knowing exactly what I needed, “is say yes when I ask someday. Deal?”
He held up his pinky with a challenge in his eyes. I never could back down from one, and Jameson damn well knew it.
Holding his daring gaze, I hooked my pinky with his.
“Deal.” Just as he leaned in to kiss me, I shot from his lap, causing his eyebrow to perk as he glared. “Sorry, but we have to start packing if we’re going to make our flight in the morning.” Jamie and I were heading to Ireland to spend Christmas with his mom and twin siblings. He also said he wanted me to meet his grandparents before they finally kicked the bucket. His words, not mine.
“Fine.” Huffing, he unfolded his long body from the couch. “But you’re going to make it up to me later.”
“How about I make it up to you right now?” With a lascivious smile, he eagerly reached for my sweater, but I quickly dodged his hands. “You know that’s not what I meant,” I said before turning away. Silently, he stalked me as I rushed for the small laundry room. I quickly removed what I needed from its hiding place and spun to face Jamie who was practically breathing down my neck. He had a hard time concealing his surprise when I held out a small, narrow box wrapped with shiny, red paper and tied with a black bow.
“What is it?” he asked, and I giggled at the wary look in his eyes.
“An early Christmas present.”
He flashed me a crooked smile as he accepted the box. “But I thought you’d put that under my pillow already.” Biting my lip, I didn’t say anything as he pulled the bow free and tore into the wrapping. When he lifted the top, I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he stared at what lay inside.
“You came back for me just like you promised,” I whispered, feeling unsure since he hadn’t spoken.
With nimble fingers, he plucked his father’s harmonica from the box and closed his tatted fist around it. “And you kept this safe just like you promised,” he mumbled.
Through all the years, the distance, the hurt, and the hate, we’d kept our promises to each other even when we didn’t want to. If I didn’t already know that Jamie and I belonged together, there’d be no denying it now. I didn’t get the chance to tell him so before he dropped the box and rushed me.