Liam tapped his feet as he sat in his car, staring at Mulligan’s. For a holiday—or the day before a holiday—the place was packed. It had just started snowing, and the flakes that landed on his front window melted immediately. He hadn’t seen Kate arrive with her friend yet. At this point, Ansley hadn’t confirmed that she’d been able to convince Kate to come tonight. This whole plan hinged on her making that happen.
His legs continued to bounce with anticipation. Three weeks felt like such a long time, and yet he knew the moment he saw her, it would be like no time had passed.
Liam grabbed his phone and pulled up his messages again. The last one he received from Ansley insisted she’d get Kate to karaoke, and he just had to arrive by eight. His focus shifted to the clock in the upper-right corner. It was five after the hour. If everything had gone according to plan, they would be inside the building right now.
This was his chance—possibly even the only moment he had to win her back. If he didn’t convince her to hear him out, chances were high that she’d either leave or demand for him to do so. His heart pounded, and his hands grew clammy. Liam wiped them on his jeans then pulled his key from the ignition and climbed out of the car. He headed toward the front door and slipped inside.
“Jingle Bell Rock” played from the speakers while a group of guys sang their rendition of the song on the small stage at the far end of the space. The place smelled more like a bakery than a restaurant, like the menu only contained sweets for the night. The air hummed as groups of people chatted with one another.
Liam ducked through the crowd of people near the entrance, dodging out of the way of those on their way out. He slowed and let his gaze trail over the sea of faces. The one person he wanted desperately to find was nowhere to be seen. He should have messaged Ansley and requested an update. He pulled out his phone, planning to do just that.
The song ended, and the announcer jogged up to the stage. “All right, folks, give it up for Kate!” He applauded, stepping to the side of a familiar brunette wearing a crimson-red dress that swirled just below her knees. The hammering in Liam’s chest intensified, and he froze, the phone in his hand forgotten.
Somewhere in the crowd, a woman screamed. “Woot! Go Kate!”
Kate laughed and shook her head as she grabbed the microphone from the stand and held it to her lips. She nodded to the guy manning the karaoke machine, and the music started up again. As if against his will, Liam’s feet took off toward the stage. He skulked around the side, miraculously avoiding being seen by Kate, and made it to the guy at the equipment before the lyrics appeared on the little screen. “Change the song,” he demanded.
The man stared at him, baffled. “What?”
“I said we’re changing the song, buddy. Start this one.” He jabbed his finger at the paper within a plastic sheet protector.
“But she didn’t request—”
“Just do it.”
The man shrugged, and within seconds, the music was shut off only to have a new song start. Kate shot a confused look at the man working the equipment just as “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” started to play. Liam grabbed a secondary microphone and made his way up the steps.
Kate’s mouth dropped open, causing her to miss her opening line.
His lips twitched into a smile as he brought the microphone toward them. He sang the first line then raised his eyebrows suggestively. “Come on, you know you want to join in,” he murmured to the side.
She blinked, and he wandered around her, singing her next line, followed quickly by his own. She was clearly shocked to see him. By the time she was supposed to sing her third line, she’d recovered. Her voice was rich with color and sent chills down his spine.
The crowd let out a cheer. Liam laughed as he continued singing. Kate’s eyes were alight with energy and the joy he’d fallen in love with when they’d been at the resort. Her voice wrapped around him like she was giving him a hug. This hadn’t been the plan, but it had worked out better than anything he could have dreamed or rehearsed.
And just like that, it ended too soon. When the final line was sung in unison, everyone in the room stood on their feet and applauded. It took less than three minutes, and now he had one shot at explaining himself.
Kate hurried off the stage, leaving her microphone at the table, where a new couple were pointing out the song they wanted to sing. Liam hurried after her, shoving his microphone at the gentleman as he passed.
Flashes of her red dress was all he could see as Kate slipped through the crowd of people. At one point, he had to jump out of the way of a waitress while he chased Kate down. Where was she going? This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to go.
She slipped through the entrance, but he was close behind. When he burst through the doors, he found her standing in the middle of a snowstorm. White flecks clung to her hair, giving her the appearance of a sugar plum fairy. Kate spun around to face him, her cheeks almost a near match to her dress.
“What are you doing here, Liam?” she asked breathlessly. “How did you know I was here?” There was that familiar pain in her gaze, the one he’d seen in their last moments together. It was almost like she was holding back her emotions, refusing to let him see her weakness.
He didn’t move toward her for fear that she’d bolt if he did. Liam tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but it refused to budge. He bounced his fist against his leg and glanced back toward Mulligan’s for just a moment before setting his gaze on Kate once more. “I begged Ansley to help.”
Her brows shot up, and she let out a sharp laugh. “You’re kidding.”
Slowly, he wagged his head back and forth.
“Ansley isn’t some hopeless romantic. What did you do to convince her? In fact, I could have sworn she disapproved of you more than I did. Did you pay her off or something?”
“What? No. I told her the truth.” He took a step toward her. “I told her I was madly in love with her best friend.”
“You—wait. You’re—” she stammered.
“Madly, deeply, ardently”—he took another tentative step toward her—“in love with you.” Liam was quickly closing the distance between them. “Back at the resort, you got it all wrong.”
Skepticism still filled her eyes. “I saw the message, Liam. You didn’t deny it. There was someone else.”
He shook his head. “I’ve never met Rebecca. My buddy was attempting to set me up with her after I got back from the resort. I had zero interest in it from the start.”
Her eyes widened. He couldn’t dare hope that it would be this easy.
“In fact, we sort of talked about it at one point—our friends pushing us to do things we weren’t thrilled about doing to begin with.” He tilted his head and offered her a smile.
“I remember,” she whispered.
A thrill exploded within him. This was working. Her gaze had shifted, softened somehow. He continued, “I came tonight because I knew I would never forgive myself if I didn’t make this right—if I couldn’t win you back.” His voice lowered. “Because if there’s one thing I’ve realized over the last few weeks, it’s that I can’t live without you, Kate. You’ve been the brightest thing in my life since I lost Sarah, and I was an idiot for letting you leave the way you did.”
He stood in front of her now, under the moon and the falling snow. Reaching out, he hooked his finger under her chin. “There is no one else for me but you.” He searched her eyes, searching for one thing. Finding it, he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers.
Sparks exploded behind his eyes, and he allowed them to close as she slipped her arms around his neck. He shifted, slipping his free hand around her waist, and pulled her tight against him. The crisp, cold air around them faded away, and fire ignited in his stomach and moved to his chest.
She slipped her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, eliciting a groan from his lips as they continued to rove against hers. This was everything his heart had needed, and it was even better knowing she wanted him like he wanted her. Their kiss, tender and sweet, was the perfect way to seal what could be a future together.
She sucked in a shuddering breath before pulling back. “Oh, Liam…” Her mouth curved into a soft smile, and she placed her hands on either side of his face. “You have just given me the perfect Christmas present.”
“Really?” His warm breath expelled a small puff into the cold air. His lips quirked into a half smile. “What’s that?”
“You.”