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I WOKE UP TO SLEIGH bells.
Yes, you heard me correctly.
Sleigh bells.
The night had only gone downhill after Tom dropped me off. Rose, surprised to see me back so soon, was literally kissing some guy from marketing on the couch. She graciously kicked him out when it became clear that I needed help, and sat up with me instead, drinking vodka on the floor.
Strangely enough, it wasn’t the sudden promise that I was going back to work, never to kiss Tom Larchwood again, that had me so upset. It wasn’t the fact that my beautiful weekend had come to an end—banished forever into the deepest recesses of my mind.
It was that look he had given me before he drove away.
I had no idea what that look meant. No idea if he was as torn up as me, or if he was done with me and could finally get back to work.
The answer was no clearer to me looking at it from the bad side of a bottle of vodka.
And then...sleigh bells.
Okay, very festive.
I pulled open my window and leaned outside, only to crawl back into bed a second later. I was dreaming. There was no other explanation.
A snowball hit my window, and I pulled the covers over my head with a grimace. Didn’t pranksters have anything better to do on Christmas?
The next second, my phone buzzed.
I groped around on my bedside table, groggy with the after effects of the booze, and held it up to my face.
“Hello?” My voice was scratchy as a frog.
“Nice to see you again.”
I sat up from under the covers and squinted in the harsh light of day. “Tom?”
“Who else did you think was in the carriage?”
Wake up, Jen! This is not a dream—there was a carriage!
I fell out of bed with an ungainly flop and felt my way once more to the window. Sure enough, standing there in the fresh fallen snow, was Tom Larchwood. He had a sprig of poinsettias in one hand, and a huge coffee in the other. Behind him, was a horse-drawn sled.
“What is happening right now?”
I could see his smile all the way from my window. “Get down here—I’ll tell you.”
Five minutes later, I was still pulling on my sleeves as I stumbled out into the crisp New York air. For the first time in weeks, it wasn’t either raining or snowing. The sun had come out just in time for the holidays, sparkling off the snow and glinting off the sides of the red and green twinkle lights strewn about the trees.
“Merry Christmas!” Tom exclaimed, looping a thick red scarf around my neck.
The horse stamped its foot impatiently behind him, and several cars honked excitedly as they drove past. I stared blankly between the sled and the coffee, still trying to wake up.
“Tom...did that thing follow you here?”
He chuckled and graciously handed me the cup of caffeine. “Oh, you’re going to be even more fun than I thought. Come on, Jen—up you go.”
“Up,” I repeated doubtfully, “into that thing? What do horses eat? Is this safe?”
“You can take the girl out of the city, but you—”
“No, no, no,” I tried to stop this madness before it got any further. “You absolutely cannot take the girl out of the city.” I eyed the horse speculatively. “What’s the range on these things, anyway?”
“Just get in.”
Before I knew what was happening, he leaned in and kissed my cheek. My skin burned where his lips had warmed it, and I stared up into his face, completely bewildered. He smiled back at me, his eyes sparkling in the bright morning sun.
“Jenna Harks, no matter what may have happened between us, or what the future may hold...today I am going to give you a Christmas you will never forget.”
There was a pause.
“...with a horse?”
“Please just get in the sled.”
I climbed up the steps, eyeing the giant wheels doubtfully as I did, and in a rush of jingling bells and espresso—we were off!
At first it was a bit terrifying, riding out in the open amidst all the rushing cars. As the sixth cab rushed past, I was actually feeling a little protective of the horse. But after a few minutes, the nerves faded and I actually started to enjoy myself. I had never seen the city from this vantage point—despite all my years of living in New York over the holidays—I’d never really noticed all the different decorations before now.
The trees were just the tip of the iceberg. There were murals on the store windows, fake icicles hanging from the misty streetlamps, and actual carts selling roasted chestnuts by the cup.
I leaned back with a little grin, warm in my new scarf, sipping my Christmas coffee. A second later, I felt Tom’s arm slide around my shoulders. All at once, the nerves were back. I twisted around in the carriage chair and studied him cautiously.
He didn’t look like the same man who’d flashed me the strange look before driving away. He looked like the man from my magical weekend in the woods. But looks could be deceiving.
And this—I glanced around me—certainly wasn’t part of the original plan...
“Tom,” I began uncertainly, but he stopped me almost at once.
His lips turned up in a quirky smile. “Listen, I still have to change your mind about Christmas, after all. A deal’s a deal.”
I gripped my coffee tighter and stifled a smile. “And then tomorrow, everything goes back to the way it was? You’re going to leave me on the curb again and drive away?”
Before he could answer, the driver yelled, “We’re here, sir.”
Tom’s face lit up excitedly, and I took a quick look around. “Wait a minute, are we...?”
It was the Rockefeller Ice Rink. A place I’d successfully avoided since my first year here.
He grabbed me around the waist and lifted me out of the carriage. “No time to back out now—we’re already here!”
I was about to protest but stopped short at the look on his face.
I didn’t know what to do with this new light-hearted, boyish side of him. I was utterly smitten, and utterly bewildered all at the same time. Long gone was the man who sat with perfect posture in board meetings, leveling the competition with his piercing gaze. Gone was the man who’d turned his back on me in the hallway, and left me to fend for myself amidst the office rumors. This Tom...was something else altogether.
I followed him cautiously to the edge of the partition, glancing nervously at the people whizzing by. While I liked to exercise and was up for most anything physical, something about flying around with blades stuck to my feet had always made me pause.
The side of my face suddenly warmed as he brought his lips down to my ear. “Please, please tell me that you’ve never ice-skated before,” he murmured.
My eyes narrowed indignantly. “Why would you wish that on me?!”
He chuckled and grabbed me up in his arms. “Because I want you to hold onto my hand the whole time.”
My heart stuttered and stopped in my chest. What was happening right now?! “I don’t know if I want to skate, I mean fall down and embarrass myself. Just what I wanted on Christmas morning. To fall on my butt in front of the entire city.”
“Then I’ll tickle you until you say yes.”
Before I could turn around, he started tickling me mercilessly in the sides. I shrieked with laughter and fell back into his arms just as we neared our place at the front of the line.
“Okay,” I laughed. “I’ll do it!”
He smiled as I grinned.
“Two pairs of skates, please,” Tom asked cordially.
The man gauged our sizes with an expert eye and handed them over the counter, accepting Tom’s generous tip with a smile. As we headed over to the benches to put them on, I cast another wary glance out at the rink.
“Hey,” Tom’s voice caught my attention; he was giving me a soft smile, “I’m not going to let you fall. Promise.”
I nodded quickly and took his hand as we got to our feet, walking awkwardly to the edge of the ice. A pair of fast-paced teenagers whizzed by and I leaned back into him.
“Can’t we just go around in the carriage a while longer? The horse is really growing on me...”
“You’re going to love this,” he squeezed my hand and winked, “I promise.”
A gentle hand nudged my back, and before I knew it, I was out on the ice.
I can honestly say that it was exactly as terrifying as I’d always imagined. The world blurred away as I looked down at my shaking feet with something close to tunnel vision. My arms careened wildly around me, and I felt my balance start to shift.
But then he caught me. Two arms wound snugly around my stomach, and the next second, we were gliding forward. My hair whipped around my face, and I let out a gasp of excitement. It was exhilarating! I hardly even had to move my feet! I leaned into him, letting my head fall back on his shoulder. He steered us gently around the curb as I looked up at the sky.
A light snow had finally started to fall, but the sun melted it before it hit the ground. The entire effect made it look as though we were skating through a snow globe—the soft flurries melting on our noses and the tips of our tongues.
I opened my mouth for good measure and looked up at the sky, trying to catch whatever snowflakes I could. The next second, Tom’s mouth was on mine.
It felt as natural as the snow.
I wrapped my arms backward around his neck, twisting my fingers through his hair as he continued to gently kiss me. I didn’t properly know how to describe it. It was just one of those truly magical moments. The kind you read about in books.
Up until the very moment we skated into the wall.
We both cursed at the same time, doubling over as the couples skating past us laughed good-naturedly and sped on. By the time we pulled ourselves up, we were both laughing.
“Sorry,” he panted with a grin, “couldn’t resist.”
I giggled. “It was well worth it.”
“Hey! No standing on the ice!”
We whipped our heads around to see one of the attendants waving furiously at us to keep moving. Still chuckling, Tom turned back to me. “On that note, ready for some lunch?”
“Absolutely, lead the way!”
Although it was clear the horse would rather have stayed at the rink to eat the shrubbery, we took the carriage a couple blocks uptown to a small café Tom recommended. As we rolled to a slow stop, I saw that a small group of people had gathered in a curious crowd on the sidewalk. At first, I thought it was the novelty of the horse that caught their attention. Then, I thought it was probably the novelty of seeing a Larchwood. It wasn’t until Tom took my hand and escorted me down the stairs that I heard the strings.
“What the...”
A trio of violins was playing ‘Carol of the Bells,’ swaying in unison with their eyes closed. At first, I thought we’d caught a lucky break by stumbling into them. I didn’t understand their strategic placement until Tom caught my eye.
“Do you like it?” he said softly.
It suddenly clicked. I turned back to the strings with amazement, small tears forming in the corner of my eyes.
“This...you did this for me?”
He stared at me for a long moment, before squeezing my hand. “Come on, let’s go inside.”
The café seemed to have the same arrangement with Tom that the Starbucks had. The second we walked through the door, we were led up to a quiet roof patio where a table had already been set. A dozen streams of silver lights twinkled innocently from the trees, and I could still hear faint strains from the violins all the way up here.
As I sank gracefully into my chair, I flashed Tom a little grin. “What if I had said I wanted Italian?”
He flashed me a cocky grin in return. “Then we would have gone three blocks farther to the other set of violins and the other table at Amato’s.” Before I could ask, he continued, “Same with French, same with Chinese, same with Lebanese... I don’t really know what kinds of things you like yet, so I’m kind of playing it by ear.”
I silently thrilled to hear him say ‘yet,’ but played it cool and looked down at my menu.
We both kept it simple with bowls of hot soup to warm us back up. But as we were getting up to go, the head baker, a kindly old lady of about ninety-five, walked out with a little tray of gingerbread cookies.
“Mary,” Tom embraced her warmly, “you didn’t have to do that.”
“Don’t be silly, Tommy, I wouldn’t miss it. Merry Christmas, dear.”
He kissed her on both cheeks. “Merry Christmas.”
She vanished through the patio door, leaving the plate of steaming gingerbread behind her. I picked one up and bit into it with a huge smile. It tasted like cinnamon and pine trees and happiness—all rolled into one cookie. If Mary patented this recipe, she’d be rich.
I stuffed the remainder of the cookie into my mouth and washed it down with a swig of eggnog. “So...Tommy, huh?”
The grin washed right of Tom’s face and he lifted a warning finger. “That’s for Mary to say, and that’s only because she’s known me since I was four. If you ever try calling me that—”
“Hey, Tommy?” I backed away to the door and locked it with my finger. “I have a small Christmas request...”
If that’s the kind of punishment I got when I called him Tommy...I was going to start doing it more often.
“Well I had a whole day planned,” he said. “But now I’m going to have to take you somewhere and kiss you senseless.”
I nodded seriously. “In that case,” I slipped some gingerbread into my purse, “I’d better carb up.”
He chuckled and swept me in his arms. “Miss Harks, whatever am I going to do with you?”
“Well I don’t know,” I said teasingly, “but you always figure something out.”
We spent the rest of the day at my apartment. Kissing, laughing, and eating gingerbread. I had to admit, if this was Christmas, I could get used to it.
“Alright, Jen, last stop of the evening. We’ve gotta go.”
“Can’t we just stay here and watch more Christmas movies?”
“Come on—we can’t be late.”
He then grabbed my hand, and we rushed down the stairs to where the carriage was still waiting. The horse was having the time of his life, standing amidst a throng of carrots and admirers as his driver kicked back and read a book. The second he saw Tom, he stashed the book under his seat and put on his most jovial smile.
“Where to now, sir?”
“Back to Times Square.”
I looked at Tom curiously, pulling the scarf higher around my mouth. “Are we going skating again? Not that the first time wasn’t a blast, but isn’t it closed by now?”
He swung my legs over his lap and nestled me back in his arms. “All in good time...”
I should have seen it coming. I honestly don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. But I had no idea what we were doing back out in the city until I saw the huge tree.
An enormous throng of people had crowded around it, waiting for the annual countdown to fire up the lights. For a second, I just stared in wonder. Despite all my time living in the city, I had never seen it in person before. Rose and I usually just watched from the couch, that is, if we hadn’t passed out already from our holiday shopping.
I leaned a little further out of the carriage to get a better look. “Are we going to go right up to the base?” The excitement in my voice made me sound like a child. I turned around to see Tom smiling. He was also holding something out in his hand. A little-wrapped box.
“What’s this?”
“Merry Christmas, Jenna.”
My face paled. “Tom...I didn’t...I didn’t get you anything. I didn’t think we’d see each other today or that you’d want—”
“Relax—the day was my present. Now open yours.”
I still felt outrageously guilty, but he pressed it into my hands with a little coaxing smile. The wrapping came apart easily (despite his other perfections, Tom was a terrible wrapper), and as I opened the box, I literally gasped in astonishment.
Two beautiful diamond earrings sparkled back at me.
They looked like he’d simply taken the falling snowflakes, and fashioned them into art. Each one had a million little curves and facets. A million delicate intersecting lines, woven together to make them look like actual drops of fallen snow.
“Do you like them?”
“More than anything. Thank you so much!”
“Have I changed your mind about Christmas?”
I pondered, then smiled. “Yes, I believe you have.”
“I hope the present wasn’t too much.”
He was staring at me intently, tense—as if there was a chance his huge gesture might be taken the wrong way. In truth, I didn’t know how to take it. I didn’t know how to take the whole day. But looking at the man in the carriage beside me, holding these exquisite diamonds in my hand, I wanted nothing more than to stay in this moment forever.
Outside the carriage, the countdown began.
“Ten...nine...eight...”
“Tom, I...I don’t know what any of this means. I don’t know what comes next.”
“...seven...six...five...four...”
“I don’t either, Jenna. I really don’t.”
“...three...two...one!”
The world around us exploded in light. Fireworks shot through the sky as the enormous tree danced in the glow of a billion sparkling lights. Couples started pairing off, kissing each other and wishing everyone Merry Christmas.
“But Jenna?”
Our lips met, for the briefest moment, before he lifted his up to my ear.
“...I can’t wait to find out.”
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To be continued...