Suddenly, I find myself swept up into Neil’s arms. We begin swaying to Michael Bublé’s version of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”.
“I made sure this entire album plays tonight.” He grins at me.
“Why?”
“Because you love it. It’s what you always play while you’re baking,” he answers.
Smiling, I nod. This album is one of my favorite Christmas albums.
“Did all of the current board members hold their position while your father was CEO?”
He lifts his eyebrows, thinking. “Only one of the current members. Why?”
I shrug. “They all appear almost as dedicated to the cause as you do.”
He nods. “Glad that’s the impression they give off because they are. I wouldn’t keep them around if they weren’t.”
“Then, it was a conscious decision?”
He nods. “Definitely. My father deeply cared about the work he did, but he’d gotten a little sidetracked in making money. That’s a direct quote from him, by the way. Part of the reason he requested that I take over as CEO is because he felt that I could take McKenna in another direction.”
“And you have,” I say confidently.
“It’s what I strive to do every day.”
Neil, it seems, has gone out of his way to surround himself with people who are genuinely committed to doing well. While the members of his team are aware of their financial obligations to shareholders, they speak about servicing others and growing their reach to end the cycle of addiction that plagues families. They aren’t solely concerned about their wallets.
Lifting my hand to his cheek, I plant a kiss at the corner of his mouth. “You do.”
His gaze heats, and I feel pulled into his body, but when I think if he’s about to lower his head to kiss me deeply, he draws me in only to press against my shoulder, spinning me on a twirl.
I let out a joyous laugh, and soon we find ourselves dancing to the Nat King Cole classic about chestnuts and open fires.
“This is my favorite time of year,” he says.
I pause and look into his eyes. There’s a depth there that I could fall into. No, the truth is, I’ve already fallen into it.
“Mine too,” I reply.
“How fitting that we finally came together during this time of the year. For me, it’s always a time of rebirth.”
I nod, not sure I quite understand what he’s getting at, but feeling connected to his words all the same. His comment from earlier floods my mind.
“Were you asking me to move in with you earlier?”
He looks me directly in the eye and nods. “Yes.”
“Don’t you think it’s too soon?”
“No,” he says immediately. “We’ve waited for years and until it’s right. When it’s right, you know. Do you love me?”
“Yes.” There’s not even a question of whether or not I love him, but still.
“Then that’s settled.”
“Neil, it’s not settled. What about my family? I haven’t even spoken to my mother since Thanksgiving.”
“What does that have to do with how we feel about one another?”
