A Billionaire's Holiday Love - Posey Parks Page 0,46

hour. He said I didn’t need to move his daughter to Aspen.

We argued much of the call.

That was a hell of a conversation.

Hope and I flew to Aspen on the twenty-seventh. I was eager to move her into our house.

The stadium lights at our backs shined down on us as we reached the top. I sat our snowboards beside us.

“I love it up here.” I inhaled the fresh crisp night air.

“How many minutes left before the ball drops. We have to kiss at midnight.”

“Less than a minute.”

“Can we ski after midnight?”

“Yes.”

She massaged my bearded face.

Hope was bundled in her green ski jacket. There was a twinkle in her eye. The way she held my gaze in this moment told me how much she loved me.

I exhaled and kneeled before her.

Her eyes widened. “Noah, what are you doing?”

At the end of our call Christmas day, her father finally gave me his blessing to marry his daughter.

“I know this is crazy. But I know how I felt the moment I laid eyes on you. The woman in love with the Christmas holiday. Your beautiful spirit rubbed off on me. Helped bring me back from darkness. I love you, Hope. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

I released her hand to grab the red box from my pocket.

Gripping her hand again, I peered up into her teary eyes. “Hope Misha Manning, will you marry me?”

A tear escaped her eye. “Yes. Over and over again, yes.”

I slid the huge oval diamond onto her finger, then stood, pulling her into my arms. I glanced at mom, dad, and my brothers’ smiling faces at the bottom of the slope.

“Congratulations,” they yelled.

“Thank you.” Hope blew them kisses.

I peeked at the timer on my phone. “Let’s countdown,” I shouted.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Happy New Year!” we yelled.

I devoured her sweet lips.

Hope stared into my eyes. “Next year I’ll return to Christmasville as Mrs. Canyon.”

“Yes, and hopefully a little baby will be in your stomach.” I grinned.

She peeked up at the dark sky, still clutching my neck. “Maybe.”

This was the perfect way to start the New Year...with family.

The End

READ ON...

LUNCHTIME CHRONICLES:

SWEET GEORGIA PEACH

CHAPTER ONE

WYATT

I PEEKED AT THE SCOREBOARD, then my eyes fell on our team captain, quarterback, and best friend—Deacon Hurns.

Turning his head slightly, he winked.

Showtime.

We were down by three. The right play and we could win the game. Maxon hunched over at the other end of the lineup.

Sweat dripped down my brow. I tugged the face mask of my football helmet once. We disbursed. I side-stepped Jimmy from Cherokee High. Running down the side of the field, I glanced over my shoulder. Deacon released the ball, and it spiraled through the air. I extended my hands, while peeking at Jimmy in my periphery.

He ran at top speed toward me. My focus was on the play. I drowned out the cheering crowd, the band, the cheerleaders, even the coach on the sidelines. Everything felt like it happened in slow motion. The ball slapped my gloved palm midair. I tucked it at my side and sprinted toward the end of the field. A surge of adrenaline shot through my body. Felt like my legs were on fire. Two other players reached for me. A third grabbed my jersey. I shook him off, not losing my momentum. The cheering fans struck my eardrums just as my foot made contact with the end zone. Spinning around, still clutching the ball, I stared into the eyes of my ferocious screaming teammates. I slammed the ball to the ground and jammed my index finger in the air. “Number one baby,” I roared, as the guys hoisted me into the air.

“Yes, we won!”

Twenty minutes later, after leaving the locker room, my best friends and I met our families on the sidelines.

“Great job, Oak.” Dad poked his chest out, slapping my shoulder. He looked good for his age. The man didn’t have one gray strand in his jet-black hair. He still worked out a few times a week, maintaining a solid build.

“Thanks.”

I hugged my mother and little sister.

“You were great out there, Wyatt.”

I was an only child for five years, until my sister entered this world with a head full of dark curly hair. Mom said that was why she had indigestion throughout her pregnancy. The memory made me laugh inside. She’d get our parents' undivided attention once I went off to college.

“Thanks, Phoebe.”

My sister and I had the same color eyes as dad. Dark gray.

Mom’s