Did she even know this many people?
Did Marcus?
Slowly, she climbed out of her car. She grabbed her purse and shut the door, a feeling of trepidation washing over her. This wasn’t good. Why were her instincts telling her to get back in that car and drive far, far away?
Because she didn’t like surprises like this one. She didn’t like being put on the spot. Clearly, Marcus had planned a party. Thatwas the only logical explanation as she peered around at all the vehicles.
The front door opened, and Christmas music filtered into the air. The couple who had emerged didn’t see her as they stood on the front porch and chatted. It was too far away for Wynter to catch what they were saying, but she could make out a female and a male voice.
Her eyes flitted to the window where the blinds had been drawn, and she could see people milling around. They were all smiling and enjoying themselves. Something told Wynter that this party was Marcus’s way of doing something nice for her, and while it was a little misguided, she couldn’t bring herself to be angry with him. He was being the sweet Marcus she was falling for.
With trepidation, she headed toward the house. When she drew closer to the couple, she recognized Isabelle and Jason. Both smiled, but it was Jason’s tense expression that couldn’t be hidden beneath his grin. It gave her pause as she stood at the bottom of the steps.
“Wynter! You’re home. Come in, get out of the cold,” Isabelle’s words drew Wynter from her stupor, and she forced a smile as she turned her attention to the woman she considered a friend. They’d gotten a little closer over the last couple of weeks than they had been when she was in high school.
“What’s going on?” Wynter hedged, making her way up the stairs. Her eyes darted to the window again, and she swallowed hard. “Please tell me Marcus is the one responsible for all of this.” It hadn’t even occurred to her that Grams might have come up with this idea, but it was possible. Her grandmother needed to be taking it easy.
“Yep.” Isabelle said. “He thought it would be fun to have a get-together with your friends.”
Wynter arched a brow at that. “My friends?”
Isabelle laughed. “Well, some of them. It’s mostly our family in there. I have five brothers and sisters, and some of them have kids. He also invited Rose and…” Isabelle tilted her head in thought.
“Morgan,” Wynter offered.
She snapped her fingers. “That’s right. Morgan. There’s food. Music. Everything you could think of needing for a Christmas party.”
Wynter couldn’t help but glance over to Jason again. The lines on his face confirmed her earlier suspicions. He knew something, and he was concerned. Why did that suddenly put Wynter ten times more on edge? She didn’t even know Jason all that well. Maybe he was having a bad day.
Not even two steps into the house, and Wynter was pulled into a tight hug. Marcus’s scent enveloped her, putting her somewhat at ease. There was something about being cocooned into his arms that made it easy to forget she had something to be worried about.
She pulled back enough to glance around the room, and sure enough, most of those in attendance were Marcus’s siblings.
His warm breath tickled her ear when he leaned in close to speak to her. “Surprise.”
Forcing a smile, she met his gaze, and then he frowned. That frown was followed by a huff, and he blushed.
“I totally forgot you don’t like big crowds.”
She placed a hand on his forearm. “It’s fine. I know your heart was in the right place.”
He grinned, his earlier disappointment fading.
“Hey, can we talk… later?” she asked.
Marcus peered at her, the seriousness returning. “Sure, sweetheart. Whatever you want.”
Before she could come to terms with his term of endearment, he turned to the crowd of people. “The guest of honor hasarrived.” He smiled broadly and the sound of chatter dissipated. She tightened her hand on his forearm to warn him not to make a big deal about her or draw attention, but he didn’t seem to notice. “A lot of you know about Wynter. Some of you know her really well. But did you know that she came back to Copper Creek to take care of her grandmother while she recovered from her injury? She up and left her life in California. She’s always been the smartest, most caring woman in the world, and we finally have her back.”
Wynter gasped, her fingernails practically digging into his arm, but he only continued.
“I don’t know how many of you know this, but back in the day, we were thick as thieves. There wasn’t a day when we didn’t spend time together.” Marcus turned to her and took both of her hands in his. “I didn’t know it then, but this amazing woman would end up stealing my heart.”
The flutter in her chest turned into an all-out brawl. Her lungs seized. Her heart beat out of rhythm. She could feel the flush crawl up the back of her neck and flood her face and chest. What was happening? Why couldn’t he see the terror she was certain was written all over her face? Gone was the peace she’d felt only twenty minutes ago. Now all she felt was a lack of control, and based on her rapid breathing and dizziness, she might be having a panic attack.
It only got worse when Marcus slowly lowered onto one knee. He still held one of her hands as he pulled something out of his pocket with his free hand. Then he flipped the lid open with his thumb.
Gasps erupted in the small space. Even though the Christmas music still played, she couldn’t hear anything but the roaring of blood in her ears.
