Chapter Fifteen
“It was nothing. All I did was make a phone call, and I already said, I’d do anything for you. You needed an oven. Gertrude came to me with the idea and we made it work. Thank her.”
“I already did.” She couldn’t stop grinning like a fool. Her heart was brimming with joy, and with love for the man beside her.
“You’re incredible,” she said, leaning into him.
Taking her hand, he led her into the center of the bakery. The crowd parted to let them through. Darius pointed to the ceiling. “Would you look at that,” he declared. “Mistletoe. You know what that means, right?”
“What does it mean?” She laughed.
“It means I have to kiss you, and you have to let me. It’s an actual holiday law.”
“It is not!” She shook her head. “I’m not kissing you in front of all these people.” Heat grew in her face.
“Yes, you are.” He winked.
“Kiss her already,” Poppy’s mother called.
“Fine,” she pushed out a fake sigh and rolled her eyes. “I can’t be breaking the law. In the honor of the spirit of Christmas, I permit you to kiss me.” She barely got the words out without laughing.
“Indeed,” Darius whispered and leaned closer, a soft smile on his face.
He paused a fraction of an inch from her. His enticing scent wrapped around her as he embraced her. “Enough waiting,” she whispered, popping up on her tiptoes to brush her lips across his.
“Not good enough,” he whispered back. He pulled her tight and leaned her backward over his arm and stole her breath in the most wicked, loving kiss she’d ever had. He wrapped her heart in love, caring and kindness. A soft, sentimental tear slipped from her eye as Darius righted her and took a half step backward as the crowd cheered.
“Poppy, you need to know something,” he said. As if by magic, the bakery grew quiet.
“Way back then, in high school,” Darius said, totally serious. “I ran away because I was afraid of you, of my feelings for you. You were the kindest, gentlest person I had ever met. I used peer pressure as an excuse to escape the depth of my own feelings. I barely knew you and even as a kid, I could see myself with you for the rest of our lives. That hasn’t changed, Poppy. I adore you. I adore everything about you. In fact, I’m so far gone in love with you that I’d die if you walked away.”
He dropped down on one knee, his action sending her heart thundering with hope. He wasn’t going to…was he? No. They’d only been working together for a few weeks. That wasn’t enough time to fall in love. Was it?
Her heart sang. Yes, it was. She’d gone and fallen for Darius. Completely. Head over heels. Heart and soul. She wanted to be with him. Forever.
He clasped her hands between his and pressed a soft kiss on the back of each of them, then on the palms. Holding them both in one of his, he fumbled in the pocket of his pants. “I’m doing this badly.” He extracted a small burgundy velvet jeweler’s box and flipped it open with his thumb. “Poppy Holiday, I adore you. I love you. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
The crowd around them let out a collective aww but she barely heard. She blinked away tears.
He jerked to his feet. “Don’t cry.” His voice trembled. He looked utterly crestfallen, like someone had yanked out his heart. “You don’t have to say yes. I shouldn’t have done this in public. I thought it would be romantic. Are you okay, Poppy?”
“Yes.” The single word came out as a barely audible whisper. She cleared her throat as his expression morphed to worry, to fear of public rejection.
“Yes, Darius Badeaux, bad boy of my heart, I will marry you.”
“Yes!” He fist pumped the air. “She said yes,” he shouted and the crowd cheered. “We’ll have a Christmas wedding.”
She laughed, joy overcoming her at the rightness of sharing her future with Darius. “You do know Christmas is tomorrow, right? We can’t possibly arrange a wedding by then.” Although if he insisted, she’d try. She couldn’t wait to marry him.
“Valentine’s Day? Next Christmas? Pick a date and I’m there. I can’t wait to marry you and start a family. Fifteen kids should be good.”
“Maybe one.”
“Ten.”
“Four at the most,” she laughed at his exuberance, joy sweeping over her, leaving her floating.
“I can live with that, just as long as I get to spend the rest of my life with you.”
He swept her into his arms. She could feel the joy pouring from him, filling her with love and an absolute sense of contentment. “I love you Poppy Holiday.”
He pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss, right there, in front of their friends and families. In front of everybody, they displayed their love and devotion in a deep and passionate kiss.
“Hang on.” He stepped back. “Let’s make this official.” He slid the ring onto her finger. “A diamond for my love, and two emeralds for Christmas, the time when you stole my heart.”
The ring was stunning and fit perfectly.
“It’s beautiful, so are you.” She laughed at the color staining his cheeks. “You stole my heart the first time I saw you. We’re going to make beautiful babies together.”
“Yes, yes we are.” He picked her up, swung her in a wild circle and stole her breath with another heartwarming kiss.
