Finding Mr. Write (Business of Love #5) - Ali Parker Page 0,94
almost every day all day and made the house smell like cinnamon and mulled spices. Christmas music played around the clock and candles flickered and danced in nearly every corner. The mantle boasted an elegant display of pine garland, as did the stair railings and bannisters. At night, we hardly turned the house lights on. Instead, we enjoyed the cozy ambiance of the Christmas lights and candles.
Under the tree, in a tiny box wrapped in gold paper, was the first piece of jewelry I’d ever bought for Briar. Our first Christmas was a big deal and I wanted the gift to be just right. I’d spent weeks searching for the perfect piece until I spied it in a shop window when I was Christmas shopping with Walker. It had stopped me in my tracks and I went inside to investigate.
The piece, a beautiful necklace on a silver chain, was a diamond pendant set upon a halo of other smaller diamonds. It caught the light like nothing I’d ever seen before and dazzled my credit card right out of my wallet into the hand of the salesperson, who rang me up and somehow managed to sell me on the matching pair of earrings, which were in a separate box tucked in amongst the tree branches.
I couldn’t wait to see Briar’s face when she opened them.
Back in the jewelry store, Walker had just suggested I buy her an engagement ring and do a Christmas proposal. I knew a proposal was likely on the horizon but I didn’t want to rush things. There were still milestones in our relationship and I wanted to enjoy each and every one of them. I wanted more time as boyfriend and girlfriend, regardless of how silly it sounded, before we got engaged.
After all, we’d only been together for around two months.
It was more than enough time for me to know I was going to marry her one day.
I put my pen down when I heard Briar coming down the stairs. She’d slipped away shortly after dinner to indulge in a bubble bath so she could relax before her parents flew in tomorrow and we went into hosting mode. Just like the last time they stayed with us, the house was ready and the guest room was prepped.
She came around the corner and stopped when she saw me looking at her.
“Damn,” I said.
Briar wore a sexy Santa lingerie set. It was red and trimmed in white fluff, and she’d pulled on a Santa hat and everything.
“I’m a lucky man,” I said.
Briar walked languidly into the living room and stopped in front of my chair to turn in a slow circle. “You like it?”
“I do. I definitely do.”
“I was going to save it for Christmas Eve but I thought it might be weird since my folks would be here.”
“This is better,” I said. “This is much better.”
Maybe I should have bought an engagement ring and proposed on Christmas day.
Briar took my notepad and put it and my pen on the table beside me. She stepped in close and sat on my lap so she could drape one arm around my shoulders and lean into me. Christmas music played in the background and the lights on the tree winked in her eyes.
“I can’t believe this is my life now,” she whispered.
“Likewise,” I said, running a hand absently down her thigh and over her knee. “And to think, we never would have met if you hadn’t made the leap and moved to New York.”
She smiled. “I was looking for the right place to start over but I found Mr. Write instead. See what I did there? Did you catch that?”
“Please don’t use puns. You’re going to give this writer’s brain an ulcer.”
She giggled and shook her head at me. “I mean it. I thought for so many years that the only thing out there for me was New York. I thought my dreams would come true in the form of a new job or a condo that was all mine. I never thought I’d be lucky enough to have a dream this big come true.”
“If you don’t stop talking sweet to me, I’m going to rip those Santa panties right off of you.”
She clicked her tongue. “Careful, you don’t want to get yourself put on the naughty list.”
“Oh, I think I do.”
Briar nodded pointedly at the plush rug in front of the fireplace. “I’ve always wanted to be one of those couples who have sex on a carpet in front of the fireplace. What do you think? I’ll let you unwrap this present early.”
“I’m not going to handle with care.”
She slid off my lap and walked over to the carpet. “I would never expect you to.”
I stood up and untucked my shirt.
Briar’s eyes slid up and down the length of my body and she smiled wistfully.
I paused after I undid my pants. “What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“It’s something,” I insisted.
She shrugged one shoulder and the lights of the tree caught in her eyes. I realized she was getting emotional.
“What is it?” I asked, going to her and cupping her face in my hands.
She laughed lightly as a tear escaped. I brushed it away with my thumb.
“It’s silly,” she said.
“I love silly.”
Briar’s eyes danced back and forth between mine. “I’m just in awe that this is my home. I’m in awe that you’re my man. That this is my life. I still wake up sometimes wondering if I’m going to wake up from the best dream I’ve ever had.”
“Baby,” I whispered, “I’m the one who’s in awe. I haven’t been able to catch my breath since I first laid eyes on you.”
Briar wrapped her arms around my waist. “Merry Christmas, Wes. I love you.”
She stretched to the tips of her toes and kissed me. When we pulled apart, I lowered her to the carpet and braced myself above her. The light of the fire painted her skin in amber light, and for a moment, I was paralyzed by her beauty. I ran a hand through her hair before cupping the back of her neck.
“Merry Christmas, Briar,” I whispered.
She pulled me down to her by the collar of my shirt. “Just kiss me already, Shakespeare.”
The End
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About the Author
Ali Parker is a full-time contemporary and new adult romance writer with more than a hundred and twenty books behind her. She loves coffee, watching a great movie and hanging out with her hubs. By hanging out, she means making out. The man is hot. Hello.
She’s a creative at heart and loves coming up with more ideas than any one person should be allowed to access. She lives in Tennessee with her hubs, teenage son, two grown daughters and first grand baby (yes!). Telling a good story that revives hope, reminds us of love and gives a vacation from life is all she’s up to.
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Finding Mr. Write
Business of Love 5
Copyright © 2020 by Ali Parker
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
First Edition.
Editor: Eric Martinez
Cover Designer: Ryn Katryn Digital Art