Page 92 of Some Sort of Love (Happy Crazy Love 3)
“Oh my God. He’s here. He’s here.”
Erin looked over her shoulder and then back at me. “In the black suit? With the beard and the broad shoulders?”
I blinked. “Yeah. This is crazy. But that’s him and his son.”
She touched my shoulder. “I love it. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” I said, meeting her eyes, still in a daze. What was he doing here?
I set my wineglass down on a nearby table and started walking toward him, and we met halfway. I grabbed his free hand and threw the other one around his neck, and he lifted me right off my feet. Against my chest, his rumbled with laughter. “Hey, beautiful.”
“Hi,” I said, tearing up. “Oh my God, what are you doing here?” I released him and stood back to greet the boy at his side. “Hey, Scotty. How are you?”
“How are you?” he asked, not quite meeting my eyes.
“We came to see you,” Levi said, squeezing my hand. “You look gorgeous.”
“Thank you. You both look great too.” I took in father and son in matching black suits, white dress shirts, and dark ties, and grinned. “Quite a pair you make.”
“Thanks.”
“But what about your mom? What about your family?”
He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “You’re family to me, and this is where I want to be.”
I hugged him tight again. “I love you so much,” I whispered.
“I love you too,” he said. “This is everything I want.”
I was so happy I didn’t even know what to do with myself. “Are you hungry? Thirsty? You have to meet my parents! Is it too noisy?” I glanced at Scotty.
Just then the music faded, and a female voice rang out at the front of the room.
“May I have your attention, please.”
Levi and I turned toward the fireplace and saw Mia Fournier addressing the room. “We’re so glad you’re all here tonight. It means so much to be able to share the holidays with the people you love.”
“Hear, hear!” someone shouted, and I felt another tug on my hand.
“Tonight is extra special,” Mia went on, her eyes sparkling. “Something is about to take place, something that will remind us that aside from all the gifts and the lights and the snow and the food and the wine, this is a season about love.”
At first I thought she was going to make a toast, so I was surprised when she said, “Could Jillian Nixon and Skylar Pryce please come forward?”
“What on earth…” I muttered, glancing at Levi.
“Come on up here, ladies,” Mia called.
“Go on,” he said, his eyes sparkling, like he was in on a joke.
Confused, I made my way to the fireplace at the same time as Skylar, who looked equally perplexed.
Mia smiled at us before reaching into a box I hadn’t noticed at her feet. She pulled out two small bouquets of winter white flowers and evergreens and handed them to us.
We exchanged a frantic look and immediately searched the crowd for Natalie. She was nowhere to be found. “She wouldn’t,” Skylar said.
“She couldn’t,” I said.
“She did.” Mia grinned.
