Prologue
Bonnie
Two years ago
I glanced at the clock for what felt like the hundredth time.He’s late. I cannot believe I made an exception to work someone in on Christmas Eve, and he’s fricken late.I shook my head, trying to push down the frustration that was simmering inside me and threatening to boil over.It’s the holidays,I had told myself when he called and set it up. I rolled my eyes at my naivety since he wasn’t there for me to roll them at him for being a jerk. I watched as the minutes ticked by, knowing that once thirty minutes had passed, I would be closing up and placing him in the do-not-book-again pile.
I was already mentally making lists of how to prevent it from happening again.Twenty-nine minutes.Just one more minute, and then I could gather my stuff, lock up the shop, and head upstairs to my apartment to start my own holiday celebration. I could already envision myself curling up with a cup of hot coco, maybe a splash of Baileys, letting the warmth seep into my bones while I snuggled in with a good book. Or maybe aTrue Bloodmarathon.Yeah, definitely aTrue Bloodmarathon.
I was completely lost in my fantasies of a Skarsgård brother. And to be honest, I wasn’t picky, any one of them would do. I was in the middle of losing myself to a daydream of being ina Skarsgård sandwich as the door swung open with gusto. It smashed against the wall as it was thrown open, and the bell jingled furiously, matching my mood. In walked a man who made the air in my lungs leave. He was tall—no, tall wasn’t enough, he wouldtowerover me. His frame was lean and muscular, and he had brown, slightly tousled hair. His face was pretty and disarming, but his hazel eyes—the exact shade of those damn caramel candies my grandmotherstillhad in a bowl in the living room—looked frazzled and full of apologies.
“I’m so sorry!” he exclaimed, his voice reminding me of chocolate—rich, warming my stomach, making me want to take a bath in it.His voice, not the chocolate. “My flight was delayed, and I had forgotten to charge my phone before boarding, so I couldn’t call.” His words tumbled out in a rush, and I was speechless.Smittenand speechless. My frustration at his tardiness cooled when I saw how flustered he was, and completely exited the building once I heard him speak his apology. I almost sighed.
But then the reality of the situation hit me.What am I doing, staring at him like an idiot? Oh my god. I’m still just staring at him like an idiot.I quickly forced myself to snap out of it, shaking my head to clear my foggy brain. I was a professional,gosh damnit, not a schoolgirl with a crush.
He stepped closer, and I felt a flutter of nerves in my stomach. He extended his hand, and I was momentarily captivated by the way his fingers looked—strong, so very…large. “Hi, I’m Elijah. I’m impossibly late, and I’m worried I scared you when I came in here all but yelling my apologies,” he said.
Yup, a bath. Nothing else will suffice.
“Hi, Elijah. I’m Bonnie,” I managed to finally blurt out as I grabbed his hand and shook it rather aggressively, causing both of our arms to shake wildly. He threw his head back, laughing, and I couldn’t help but follow suit.
We both looked up, and the realization hit us at the same time as we stood beneath the mistletoe I had hung earlier that day—a reminder of the holiday spirit I had been trying to embrace in my place. The world around us faded, leaving just the two of us suspended in that moment, a strange mix of excitement and awkwardness swirling in the air. I could feel my cheeks flush, and just like that, with one late appointment and a single handshake, everything changed.
Chapter One
Bonnie
Present day
Since meeting Elijah over Christmas two years earlier, it had effectively become my favorite holiday. Even if I was the mostatrociousgift giver. Something about the holiday spirit really resonated with me, and I wanted to keep it alive all year long. In fact, I left the snowflake twinkle lights wrapped around the banister of the townhouse we shared up all year. Everyone said we were moving too fast, that I was crazy moving in with someone I’d barely known for six months. But the thing is, when you meet the love of your life, time doesn’t matter. The length of time doesn’t even show up on your radar when you know, you know? And Elijah was the one for me. I knew it the second he came in, all out of sorts and late, full of apologies I had wanted seconds before, but didn’t give one single fuck about once I saw him. Dinner that followed only confirmed what I had already known deep down; he was my forever, and he made it clear that he felt the same way about me.
Sure, at first, our relationship came with growing pains. If you had put us side by side, some would have said we didn’t fit. Elijah’s tall, all-consuming, put-together presence next to my plump, short stature with crazy, uncontrollable dark hair and grey eyes was a stark contrast. But it worked. It worked sowell.He was the first man I’d ever dated who loved all my curves and worshiped every part of my body any chance he got.
Elijah’s job as a pilot didn’t really bother me, but it did cut into our time together. Luckily, I had my shop, Driftwood Massage, that took up a lot of my time. And since I owned my own place, I could cater my schedule to his, which I was happy to do.
At the beginning of our relationship, I dealt with a bit of imposter syndrome. How could someone like Elijah have been interested in someone like me? I believed in the power of healing through the mind and hands, while Elijah was more scientific and studious in his approach to life. But where you’d expect arguments, we had discussions, and many times, we met in the middle and learned from each other.
Different in all aspects, but somehow perfect together.
Speaking of perfect, I had to figure out a good gift this Christmas—one that would knock his Christmas stockings off. Elijah was the best at thoughtful gifts. Cooking classes, dance classes, weekends away. Meanwhile, the last gift I bought him was a tie because I’d spent weeks trying to find the perfect gift, only to come up empty-handed and having to settle on something just absolutely awful.
What the hell did you get a man who just bought everything he wanted? A tie, that’s what.
I bit my lip in concentration while I tried to sort through everything I knew about him, only to come up exasperated and empty-handed once again. The sound of the shower starting pulled me from my thoughts. An idea popped into my head as I spotted Elijah’s packed work bag on the bed.
Keeping one eye on the bathroom door, I tiptoed over to it and pulled out his iPad. I knew he also had his laptop packed because I’d seen him pack it the night before so he would have more time that morning. So it would be fine if the iPad…accidentally didn’t make it into his bag. I could check his search history or maybe his Amazon cart, and for once, give him a gift that would shock him. I wasbound and determinedto get him something he wanted this year.Determined.
“Babe?” Elijah’s voice startled me, and I jumped about three feet in the air while shoving the iPad under the covers in my panic at almost being caught and my idea spoiled.
“Why don’t you come join me?” His hand snaked around my waist from behind, and I couldn’t help but giggle. “You’re getting me all wet.”
“That’s the idea, my love.” He nipped my ear and began pulling me back toward the shower, all thoughts of the perfect gift and my iPad heist long forgotten.
Chapter Two
Bonnie
Elijah had left for his flight almost four hours earlier, and would soon be landing at where he’d spend the night before continuing to his destination and then coming home. I had plopped myself on the sofa with a gingerbread candle and some Hallmark movie I’d seen some version of a hundred times.
