got Holly her tree!
“If there wasn’t a timer ticking away I would kiss the hell out of you right now,” she said.
Gabe kissed her anyway. Short and sweet, and when he pulled back, he gave her a smack on the bottom.
“Then I guess you’d better get that sweet ass of yours moving. You have a tree to win. And I have a kiss to claim.”
Regan grabbed the top of the tree and started tugging, noticing that Gabe stayed behind, letting her have her moment. It was heavy and awkward and slow going, but she was making good time. She passed the first cluster of trees when she ran into a solid wall of “ax-hole.”
“Whoops, I didn’t see you,” Paul said, looking sheepish.
“Get out of my way.”
“Look, you seem like a nice lady. Actually, I considered asking you out earlier.” He ran a hand down his face. “My sister’s a little unstable when it comes to winning, and she really wants Lauren to have that part in the musical. Just tell your kid you’re taking her away for Christmas so I can move out of your way and you can get your little girl her tree.”
“Hey, Paul. What seems to be the problem?” Gabe said, appearing from the next row over. He placed a hand on Regan’s shoulder.
“Hey, Gabe. No problem. Just seeing if the lady needed any help.”
“She’s doing just fine on her own.”
Paul’s mouth turned up as his eyes slid down Regan’s body. “I can see that. Better get going, the whistle’s going to blow any second now.”
Shoving Paul aside, Regan dug her heels in the ground and pulled her tree. She came through the last clearing and saw the finish line. She also saw that she had less than forty seconds until time ran out. She pulled faster, ignoring the sap dripping down her hands and the way her lower back rebelled. It wasn’t going to be enough.
Then, suddenly, the tree felt weightless. She looked back and saw that Gabe had picked up the trunk and was practically shoving her forward. She opened her mouth to tell him she didn’t need his help, then closed it. Because if the goal was getting Holly her tree, she knew she couldn’t make it alone. No matter how much that ticked her off.
Gabe pushed her right over the finish line, past the crowd of well-wishers, and around the back of the bleachers before he let her stop. Irritated and humbled and breathing heavy, Regan dropped the tree and snapped, “I could have done that on my own.”
“I had no doubt.” Gabe walked around the tree until they were only a breath apart. “But sometimes having someone in your corner can make everything easier. Life is about sharing, Regan. I wanted to share that with you.”
His statement made her wish for things that she knew could never happen for a girl like her. It wasn’t that she didn’t want someone to share Holly and her life with. She had just learned over the years that when it came to forever not all women had that elusive quality that men were looking for.
Fiddling with the bottom of his shirt, she asked, “What was up with the tour of the bleachers?”
He looked up and grinned. She followed his gaze and saw a cluster of mistletoe hanging from the underside of the bleachers.
“How did you know that was here?”
He rested his hands on her hips, pulling her close.
“My grandfather started the tradition about sixty years ago. It was how he got ChiChi to give up her first kiss. It has been a tradition ever since.” He lowered his head. “Now, can we stop talking? I’d like you to kiss the hell out of me.”
Regan slid one hand behind his neck and pulled his mouth to hers. Then, for the first time since meeting Gabe DeLuca, she did as he asked.
Gabe’s night went downhill from there. Holly had needed Regan to take her to the ladies’ room and his family had wanted him to load up ChiChi’s tree and get her home before it started raining. Family appeased for the moment, he’d gone off to find Regan, maybe grab another smoking-hot kiss, ask if she and Holly wanted to grab a bite of dinner, and offer to haul her tree home, when he discovered that she’d paid to have it delivered.
The woman who refused to leave town had finally cut and run. And he found himself frowning.
They hadn’t arrived together, so he shouldn’t have been disappointed,