Sweet on You (The Bridesmaids Club Book 4) (30 page)

“It’s like a Christmas fairy tale.” Molly ran her hand along the pretty garland decorating the mantelpiece. Red bows and silver bells had been woven through the greenery, framing the fire that Jacob had lit.

“Becky made the garland this afternoon.”

Molly nodded and continued around the room, smiling at the little touches that made the room special. “And the pine cones? Did Becky make those as well?” A row of pine cones had been decorated to look like reindeer. Their pointy ears and happy faces made Molly’s smile grow wider.

“My sister, Gracie made those with her daughter. They’re on loan until after you’ve taken the photos.”

Molly returned to Jacob and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for your surprise. I feel like Christmas has come early.”

“I want you to remember tonight.”

Molly stared at the serious expression on his face. “Do you have news about the sale of your property?”

Jacob nodded.

A heavy weight sat on Molly’s shoulders. “We won’t need to take the photos if you have a contract on your home.” She stared at the Christmas tree. Her vision blurred as she thought about what that meant. “When will you be leaving for New York?”

Jacob held her hand. “Did you notice the angel on the tree?”

Molly blinked back her tears and looked at the tree. A beautiful angel sat on the top branches. Even though her heart was breaking, a smile touched her lips. She stepped forward and looked more closely at the angel. One side of her wings had been made from a miniature American flag and the other was adorned with the Irish flag.

“She’s very cute.” Molly wiped her eyes and stepped away from Jacob. “You’ve done a grand job of decorating your home. But you’ll be moving to New York soon. Why did you put the Christmas decorations everywhere?”

“This will probably be my last Christmas in this house, but not the last on this land. I’ve decided not to sell this property.”

Molly turned to look at Jacob. For the first time since he’d told her he was leaving, she felt a sense of relief. Even if he wasn’t going to live here, he’d be able to return when he was ready. “You won’t regret it. Emerald Lake is beautiful. In years to come, the value of the land will surely match any investment you could have made elsewhere.”

“I’m not worried about how much the land will be worth.”

Molly watched Jacob carefully. “That’s not like you.” She waited a heartbeat before continuing. “I have some news of my own.”

“You do?”

Molly nodded. “I’ve been offered a contract. I’ll be illustrating a wedding book with photographs of brides and grooms, and everything in-between.”

Jacob frowned. “Will you be working in New York?”

Molly shook her head. No…maybe…how did you know?”

“The town’s Facebook page. Doris posted a story about you. She said you’re moving to New York.”

“I don’t know how she heard my news. I’ll only be in New York for some of the time. Most of the work will be done from Maine. But Maine is closer to New York than Bozeman. We could see each other more often, commute more easily.”

Jacob sat on the arm of a chair and stared at the Christmas tree.

“Are you all right, Jacob? I thought you’d be happy at the news?”

“I am.” He stood up and walked over to her. “There’s something I need to tell you. When I told you I wasn’t selling this property, it’s because I’m not moving to New York. This is where I want to live.”

Molly held her breath. A Christmas carol filled the silence in the room. A man was singing about walking in a winter wonderland with bluebirds and snowmen. When he sang about Parson Brown, she was nearly in tears. “When did you decide to stay?”

Jacob’s hand brushed her cheek. “Two days ago. I love you, Molly. Living in New York wouldn’t have worked and I’m too selfish to risk losing you. I want to be part of your life. If that means working from Emerald Lake and commuting around the country, then that’s what I’ll do.”

“But you can’t buy the building in New York without selling this property.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Molly frowned. “I’ve signed the contract with the publishing house. I’ll have to be the one commuting for a few weeks.”

“As long as you come home, I’m happy.”

“I’ll always come home to you, Jacob Green.”

He kissed her quickly, then walked over to the Christmas tree. He took a gold box out of its branches and held it in his hand. “I want to…” He took a deep breath and Molly’s heart swelled with love. “I want to ask you something.”

Fresh tears filled Molly’s eyes as Jacob got down on one knee.

“I love you, Molly. I can’t imagine my life without you. I’ve never felt like this before. You’ve taught me how to be a better person. You paint the world in so many colors and I want to be part of your magic. Will you marry me and share your life with me?”

Molly tugged on Jacob’s hand. “I love you, too, Jacob. You are the most amazing person I’ve ever met, even if you do have more money than the state of Texas.” She grinned at the man who’d made her feel like the luckiest woman alive. “Now stand up. I can see that you’re in pain.”

Jacob held Molly’s hand as he pulled himself upright. “I wanted this to be perfect.”

She hugged Jacob, taking care not to hurt his bruised ribs. “It is perfect. You’re my best friend, the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. I was worried that you were going to live in New York without me.”

“And now look at us.” Jacob grinned. “My wife will be the one traveling between cities.”

Molly’s eyebrows rose. “You’ll be wanting to get married quickly, then? My contract starts in three months’ time.”

“You won’t have to worry about bridesmaids’ dresses, and if we talk to Emily, she’ll make you a wedding dress.”

“You’ve got it all worked out, then?”

Jacob kissed Molly until she couldn’t think straight. “We can work it out together.” He opened the box and held it toward her. “Will you wear my ring?”

Molly stared at the beautiful diamond. It was sparkling as bright as any star under the fairy lights. “Oh, Jacob. ‘Tis the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen.”

He slid the engagement ring on Molly’s finger and smiled. “Mo ghrá thú.”

Tears fell down Molly’s face. “I love you, too. Where did you learn to speak Irish?”

“Becky helped me.”

“She knows?”

Jacob nodded. “She told me that your parents and gran would be pleased. She also offered to carry our bags on our honeymoon, but I told her we’d be okay.”

Molly laughed. “That sounds like, Becky. So where do you want to go on our honeymoon?”

Jacob pulled her close. “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we go.”

Molly closed her eyes and tightened her hold on Jacob. “
Grá mo Chroí,” she whispered. He was the love of her heart, the beginning and the end. For now and forever.

THE END

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Sweet on You.
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Keep reading for a preview of
Sealed with a Kiss
,
John and Rachel’s story in the
Emerald Lake Billionaires
series!

SEALED WITH A KISS

EMERALD LAKE BILLIONAIRES, BOOK ONE

Three billionaires, an emerald lake, and a lifetime's worth of happy endings.

Rachel parked her car outside her friend’s apartment. For the entire ride across town, she’d been thinking about the envelope on the seat beside her, the exciting news that would bring a smile to Annie’s face.

For the last couple of months, Rachel had been helping a group of friends who’d started The Bridesmaids Club. They gave donated bridesmaids’ dresses to brides in distress. Most weeks, at least a dozen dresses were sent to them, packed in boxes, bags, and anything in-between.

Rachel sometimes helped with the dress fittings, but her main job was to sort through the letters they received. She made appointments for the bridesmaids to see the dresses and contacted the people they couldn’t help.

Nearly a year ago, a letter had arrived from a little girl called Bella. All of her friends had spent weeks trying to find her. But Bella wasn’t easy to find. With no return address and no last name, the glittery card with sparkling jewels had become their mystery card. The only clue to where she lived was the Bozeman postmark on the envelope.

Bella’s big, round handwriting had made them smile, and her request had touched their hearts. Bella didn’t want a bridesmaid’s dress. She wanted a bride for her daddy.

Rachel picked up Bella’s envelope and smiled. She was almost one hundred percent positive that she’d found the little girl they’d been looking for.

She got out of her car and headed toward Annie’s apartment. The cold October wind tore through her coat and left her shivering on the doorstep. They were lucky that it hadn’t started snowing. Montana’s weather could be unpredictable at the best of times, but during the fall, they could have four seasons in one week.

Annie opened her front door just as Rachel was about to knock. “Tell me you’ve got good news?” She pulled Rachel into her apartment and closed the door.

“What’s happened?” Rachel stared at the boxes scattered around the living room. Annie was getting married soon. She had everything organized, right down to the way each napkin would be folded on the tables. She’d been determined not to get stressed, or give in to the last minute pre-wedding nerves that most brides seemed to develop.

Annie ran her hands through her hair. “Dylan’s mom is driving me insane. She doesn’t like the table favors that we’ve organized for each guest. We should have gotten married next April. Why did I want to get married earlier?”

“Because you love Dylan and couldn’t wait to be his wife.” Rachel glanced at the tulle and ribbon bags they’d filled two nights before. “What’s wrong with peppermint cremes, anyway? I thought Dylan’s mom liked peppermint?”

“So did I, but she’s found a company in Vermont that makes maple toffee crunch brownies. One of her friend’s daughters got married last weekend. The brownies were the most delicious thing she’d ever tasted. They come in individual boxes, gift-wrapped with ribbon to match the theme of the wedding.”

“But this is Montana, not Vermont,” Rachel said carefully. She didn’t want to get between Annie and her mother-in-law, but with one week left before the wedding, it wasn’t the time to be changing anything.

“Precisely. But is she listening to me? No. Dylan called her this morning, but she’s determined to have the brownies. She called the company and they can send enough boxes to us by Friday. She even offered to pay for them. What am I going to do?”

Rachel took her coat and scarf off and left them on the back of a chair. “What difference does it make if you have the brownies?”

“Nothing, if they arrive in time. We could give the sixty bags of peppermint cremes to someone else. But it’s the principle that counts. Dylan and I have spent months getting everything ready.”

“Do you want my advice?”

Annie nodded. “You’re the most sane person in the room at the moment.”

“Go with the brownies. Who cares what the table favors are? No one’s going to be worried if they get a brownie instead of peppermint cremes.”

Annie moved two pairs of shoes off a chair and sat down. “I suppose you’re right. It’s just so annoying.”

“Welcome to the world of families. Dylan’s mom probably had the best of intentions when she mentioned the brownies.”

“If she’d had those same intentions two months ago, it would have been better,” Annie grumbled.

“I’ve got some news that’s better than your brownies.”

Annie frowned. “Have your students found their farmyard animal costumes for the Christmas play?”