He nodded. “I did. I’ll do it again. I love you.”
He loved her. Ruby, who always thought she was alone in the world, who never had anyone ask her to stay somewhere. This generous, brilliant, sexy man loved her.
And she loved him. She said it again, too. “I love you. I think I fell in love at the ballet, but I didn’t realize it until today.” Ruby took a deep breath. “So… what happens now?”
He reached across the table and put his open palm up. She immediately took his hand in hers, feeling that soft skin again. Her hand fit so well with his. The electricity between them crackled.
“We have a lot to talk about,” Rashid said. “But…” He looked at her, those dark eyes soaking in her face. “Ruby, I want tobewith you. Wherever you are, I want to be there. I’ll come back to the UK or wherever you want to call home.”
Ruby chuckled. “That’s awfully impulsive of you.”
He stood, then came around the table and pulled her up with their still clasped hands. He put his arms around herwaist. How had she gone so long without being in his arms like this? How had sheeverwalked away from this man?
“I called you impulsive,” he said, “and thought you had all the wrong values, but really, you were exactly what I needed. I’ve lived a boring life forever—planning everything, being there for my family, and doing the things that I thought were just and right for me and the world. But I was only going through the motions. It was like… I didn’t know how to turn off my convictions and truly enjoy a moment. You taught me how to do that. But I was an idiot. I thought I could make plans for you the same way I planned my own life. I didn’tseeyou, even though I loved you. I couldn’t understand that everyone doesn’t experience life the same way I do. But you opened my eyes, Rubina Dhanji. I see you now. I understand why you need to find your path. And whatever that path is, I want to be right next to you, holding your hand.”
Ruby had tears running fully down her cheeks, but she didn’t wipe them. That was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to her. “I want to be with you, too,” Ruby said. She reached up so she could put her hands behind his soft neck. “But…” She took a deep breath. “I think… it’s time for me to go home, Rashid. Back to Toronto. With you.”
He smiled so wide, and it was so beautiful. And finally, he lowered his head and their lips met in a kiss.
It was perfect. It had been far too long. Every pore on her body sang for him. Her toes curled, her skin pebbled, and when he pulled her close, she felt like she was already home.
A banging on the window outside startled them. Rashid pulled away, and they looked out. Sure enough, Jasmine andAyesha were there, clapping and cheering. And they were joined by Hakim and Farida, who had surprised looks on their faces—happy looks, though.
Mortifying. Ruby buried her face in Rashid’s chest.
Rashid leaned down to whisper in her ear. “You know, if you want me, you’ll be stuck with them, too.”
Ruby smiled, then got on her toes to press a quick kiss to his lips—quick because his bloody parents were watching. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Ruby said.
Rashid grinned and pulled her in for a tight hug. Ruby heard hooting and hollering and cheering from outside, but it only made this better. Ruby had found her people.
IT HAD BEEN Ayear since Ruby first met Rashid on her birthday while dragging a Christmas tree in the middle of Toronto Distillery District’s Winter Market, and Ruby was going to learn from her mistakes that day. This year, she’d bring a car and not attempt to carry her tree home herself on the busy Toronto streets. And she was going to wear proper winterwear instead of her vintage red coat and heels. And, of course, she hadplannedto get a tree this time, instead of deciding to buy the Douglas fir on a whim after getting off work.
Not that she had any regrets for her impulsiveness on her thirty-third birthday, since she’d met a sexy lumberjack-looking doctor thanks to her miscalculations. But she didn’t need a sexy lumberjack-looking doctor this year. She still had Rashid—now her boyfriend of eight months—and was bringing him with her to get their tree this year.
Rashid was driving—the roof rack on the Volvo was perfect for tying a Christmas tree to. But after leaving the underground parking of their condo, he headed toward the highway instead of the Winter Market where Ruby had worked last Christmas.
“Where are you going?” Ruby asked. She was glad she’dbrought a to-go tea with her—she knew to be prepared to be in a car longer than expected whenever she went somewhere with Rashid.
“A patient told me about a farm that’s already selling trees. I thought it would be fun to cut down our own tree this year.”
Ruby grinned. Thatwouldbe fun. This was just like Rashid: impulsive—but only about things he did with Ruby. He was a thoughtful planner in every other aspect of his life, but when it came to Ruby, he was prone to throwing caution to the wind and acting on both their whims. He loved trying new things—whether it was a new restaurant across town, checking out a museum exhibit without buying tickets ahead of time, or trying out new activities like curling or escape rooms. Ruby loved his newfound spontaneity, which had made her summer and fall full of unexpected fun. They’d had a last-minute weekend in Montreal and made new friends in their couples cooking class, and he even got an impulse tattoo on his upper arm after they walked by a shop and saw an illustration in the window of a water lily that looked a lot like one of the flowers tattooed on Ruby’s breasts.
But their entire relationship hadn’t been this easy or fun since they’d confessed their love for each other at his parents’ inn near Manchester. Ruby had stayed in the UK for over two months before she moved back to Toronto just in time for the Raj Toronto’s opening, where she was now the hospitality manager. Long distance had been hard—especially since they were both too busy with work to travel to see each other. But now she was back in her hometown, living in Rashid’s condo near his dermatology practice, and things were closer to perfect thanRuby had ever imagined life could be.
They’d both been worried that moving in together was risky since they hadn’t been together very long, but they threw caution to the wind and took the plunge anyway. But for Ruby, it wasn’t really a risk—it wasn’t like she was alone in Toronto if things didn’t work out. Ruby could move in temporarily with Marley or Reena if she needed to. She had a big safety net here—friends and family who meant the world to her.
But things worked out fine. Rashid was happily settled in Toronto. He was playing recreational hockey and was also working part-time in the burn unit in a trauma hospital on top of seeing his own patients in the practice he shared with his sister. And Ruby loved working at the Raj Toronto with Ayesha.
Jasmine was officially divorced—she was able to expedite it on the grounds of abuse. Her ex-husband had a little hissy fit when the judge threw out his petition for spousal support and reminded him that his prenuptial agreement was ironclad. Derek stopped showing up to the supervised visits with his daughters out of spite, which was hard for the girls, but everyone—especially Ruby—knew that this was better for them in the long term.
Ruby’s father had accepted Veronica’s deal to pay Ruby’s legal fees if he canceled the lawsuit, knowing that if it went to court, he would lose and the legal fees would be much higher. She hadn’t seen or heard from her father since. Ruby did reach out to Neelam and had an emotional reunion with the other women who’d helped her mother. She and Jasmine were volunteering with the Help from Maryam fund, planning a gala at the hotel in February to raise money for the cause.
But easily the best thing about being back in her hometown was living with Rashid. They fell into such an easy comfort together. They didn’t argue about how to decorate the condo, they always agreed on restaurants or who would cook dinner, and they loved seeing their huge group of friends and family in the city. Ruby had honestly never had a place she lived in feel more like home. Dropping everything in the UK and coming back to Toronto to be with Rashid was honestly the best thing Ruby had ever done.
It was a mostly silent drive to the tree farm an hour north of the city—Rashid was still a quiet driver, and Ruby didn’t mind the silence at all. When they got to the farm it was exactly as she’d envisioned. Picturesque, quaint, and foresty. An adorable small man with a long red beard handed them a little piece of ribbon with their name on it. Apparently, they wouldn’t be chopping down the tree themselves due to liability, but instead they would choose what tree they wanted and a more experienced lumberjack (instead of a dermatologist who liked to dress like one) would actually take the tree down. Which was fine with Ruby—the last thing either of them needed was an injury.
After they were set free in a little grouping of trees, she trudged through the snow in her boots and her new long red puffer coat the same shade as her favorite Ruby Woo lipstick. Ruby kept pointing out trees she liked—small ones, because their condo wasn’t huge, and she’d given all her ornaments to charity last year.
