That wasn’t what she’d expected to happen, Sadie thought as her eyes closed even tighter and Charlie’s arms wrapped around her.
That Christmas magic buzzed around her until she was dizzy.
When Charlie eased back from the kiss, he pressed his forehead to hers. “I didn’t expect you.”
“I didn’t know I was going to come. I guess I wanted to see if you really lived here.”
“I do,” he said, still holding her tight. “You should come in. Do you have time?”
A giggle escaped her. “I do.”
Charlie eased back more and took her hand, then he led her into his apartment.
As he closed the door, Sadie looked around. His apartment was only slightly bigger than hers was. She could see a door to what she assumed was a bedroom, which she didn’t have. Otherwise, the layout was the same.
“I have some soda,” he offered and then his eyes went wide. “I have to clean up. Don’t move.”
He hurried to his kitchenette and pulled a towel off the side of the sink. Turning on the faucet, he ran the towel under it, then turned it off and wrung out the towel.
“I kicked over my drink when I went to answer the door,” he admitted as she walked back toward the chair and began to clean up the mess.
“I shouldn’t have come so late.”
“I was up,” he quickly said. “I was reading.” Charlie pointed to the book that Sadie had originally picked up at Leona’s store.
“You were reading the romance I bought? You bought. I mean the book from the store?”
“I was,” he nodded as he walked back to the kitchen and rinsed out the towel. “My grandmother wanted me to read it. She called me.”
Sadie smiled, and the hint of tears stung her eyes. “She called you?”
Charlie nodded as he draped the towel over the faucet and walked back toward her. “She did. She called me by name and everything.” He ran his fingers through is hair and it made the curls pop up. “My dad was with her. He doesn’t usually go in to see her. He just checks on her. But he was there. I’m sure he helped her call me.”
“That’s very sweet.”
“Christmas miracle sweet,” he said moving closer to her. “Just like bumping into you today.”
Sadie lowered her head, diverting her attention, so that she could collect her thoughts. It was then that she noticed the bag by the door. It was a bag from Leona’s store, and she could see wrapped books among the paper.
Lifting her eyes back to Charlie, she narrowed her gaze. “Did you leave the book outside my door?”
Charlie’s brows shot up. “Yes,” he said on a breath.
“Why?”
“For Christmas,” he said almost shyly. “I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I thought you could use something for Christmas Eve. You told me your mother didn’t like Christmas, so I thought you’d like a gift.”
Those tears that had stung earlier, now began to pool in her eyes. “You went to Leona’s store and bought me a book?”
Charlie nodded and then looked at the bag. “I bought you a few. But I was going to save them for Christmas,” he defended. “I hope you’re not mad.”
“Why would I be mad?” The first tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. “I don’t get Christmas presents.”
Charlie wiped the tear from her cheek with his thumb. “That’s what Leona said.”
“She told you that?”
“She said she usually gives you salve or lip balm so that you’ll have a gift.”
Sadie nodded. “She does do that. Usually.”
“I think she knew I was going to go into the bookstore to buy you something for Christmas. She’d picked these books for the store with you in mind, and she suggested I get them for you.”
Sadie hiccupped a laugh. “That was sweet of her.”
He lowered his hand and took hers. “Leona said she didn’t make you anything this year.”
Sadie shook her head. “She didn’t. But that’s okay. I don’t expect gifts, ever.”
“You should. You deserve them.”
Her lip trembled now. “Oh, I gave that dream up when I was little. But finding that book at my door was a special surprise. I sat down and read it, and lit the candle.”
“She said you like cinnamon in the winter, and peppermint to think by.”
Sadie bit down on her bottom lip to keep it still. “I do. I lit the peppermint candle and read the book with a cup of tea and a bag of popcorn.”
Charlie’s brows drew together again. “Dinner. I never ate dinner.”
The absent-mindedness of it made Sadie laugh. “We could have some now.”
“It’s past ten-thirty. I have pastries from the coffee shop. They saved me some,” he offered. “I was going to bring them to your place in the morning, along with your other gifts, so that you could wake up on Christmas morning to something special.”
It was then that the rest of the tears broke through and rolled down Sadie’s cheeks. She shuddered back a breath and then lifted her glasses to wipe them away.
“I didn’t mean to make you sad,” Charlie began, and Sadie shook her head.
“No. It’s—I mean—I’m not—” She looked up at him, his eyes wide, and she saw it. She knew what he felt inside, and she was sure that the rapid beat of her heart meant the same thing.
Without consent or even thought, Sadie lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her mouth covered his, and his arms wrapped around her as they stumbled back, into the coffee table and then onto the couch.
She landed right on top of him, their chins bouncing off one another’s.
Sadie looked down at him to make sure he was okay, and she figured he must have been just fine when he reached for the tie in her hair, pulled it out, and then tucked his fingers into her hair.
“It’s crazy,” he said as he kissed her cheeks, her lips, her nose. “I know that I love you. That’s crazy, right? I mean—”
“I love you too,” she sucked in a breath. “I don’t know how I know, I just know.”
They stilled in the heat of the moment and locked eyes. Yeah, she thought, they just knew.