Lydia's Pine Harbor Christmas, стр. 28
Lydia said, “We need to talk.”
Marco nodded slowly. “Okay, but if the snow keeps coming down at this rate, you might find yourself stranded at the brewpub.”
Eve and Dylan were noticeably silent, so Marco put Lydia’s bag in the back seat then closed Lydia’s door.
Dylan said, “We’ll follow you as far as the brewpub.”
“Mom, text me when you get home.”
Minutes later, Marco and Lydia sat by the woodstove. The weather had driven all the pub business away. No one needed to be out in that weather.
Theo said, “I’m closing early. If you need me, I’ll be upstairs.”
Marco set down two coffee drinks just as Lydia received a text from her mother. “Mom and Dylan got home safely.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Marco got a blanket from a chest in the corner and wrapped it around Lydia.
With a laugh, she said, “Marco, I’m fine. Really.”
While Lydia sipped her drink, Marco watched quietly then said, “Your car was heading in the wrong direction.”
She looked into his eyes. “It was the right direction for me.”
“Because of the weather?”
She shook her head. “Because of you.”
Despite the look in her eyes, he couldn’t trust himself to believe what he was hearing.
Lydia continued, “I was on the train, ready to go.” She looked into the fire. “Bryce is a really great guy. But he isn’t for me. I think I always knew it, but I…”
Marco felt elated until he realized that it didn’t change a thing where he was concerned. She could not like them both at the same time.
“I wanted to be loved, and Bryce could have done that. I think we were headed that way. But being loved isn’t the same as being in love. And I wasn’t—at least not with him. So I got off the train and headed for home.” She smiled. “That didn’t quite go as planned, but that tie you gave me came in really handy! Apparently, running off the road and going down an embankment can mess up your lights, and the snow was falling so fast that I was afraid no one would find me.”
Marco couldn’t take his eyes from her. “I should have found you a long time ago.”
Lydia eyed him unsurely. “I’m an idiot.”
“Is this the part where I’m supposed to look shocked?” He smiled, but it faded. Marco felt nervous. He had never been nervous with a woman. “You’ve been such a good friend.”
“Yeah, well… thanks.” She lowered her eyes, looking disappointed, which filled him with hope.
Marco ran a hand through his hair. “But the thing is that things change. I’ve changed.” He found such depth of emotion in her eyes, which shimmered in the firelight. He wondered how long that depth had been there.
“That’s why I came back.”
“Because you’re in love?”
She averted her eyes. “How did you know?”
“Because I love you.”
She lifted her eyes to meet his. “I have wanted to hear that.”
“Just to clarify, because you love me too?”
“Yes!” She laughed.
Marco’s heart felt close to bursting. “Then would you mind putting down that damned coffee drink?”
“Yes—I mean no.”
Without waiting, Marco took the drink from her and set it aside. Then he held her face in his hands and kissed her.
The fire crackled and warmed them, while outside, large snowflakes floated down and settled in a thickening blanket. The boats in the harbor seemed to lie atop the frozen, snow-covered sea. A snowstorm at Christmastime was magical when viewed from an indoor fireside, but Marco and Lydia didn’t notice any of that, because they were in love.
Sixteen
They stayed up all night, sometimes talking but always curled up together by the woodstove. Warm in each other’s arms, they discussed all the moments they’d missed and the ones they would share in the future. All that mattered anymore was that they’d found each other at last and discovered the love they’d had all along. Lights twinkled from the evergreens Lydia and Allie had hung. Christmas magic surrounded them, and love filled their hearts.
Marco pointed at the rafters. “See that?”
Lydia smiled. “Mistletoe.”
“Like I needed a hint.”
He brushed his lips against hers, and the day dawned on their kiss.
Marco brought over two fresh mugs of coffee then sat with his arm around Lydia’s shoulder and stroked her long hair. “This mane of yours changes color in the firelight. It almost looks orange at times, but I think it’s mostly red.”
Lydia frowned. “Auburn.”
He hugged her closer. “I stand corrected.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “I like this. What took us so long to get here?”
“If we have to place blame, I plead guilty.”
“I wasn’t trying to blame you. I just feel so happy. I wish we could have just known. Why can’t there just be a computer pop-up window?”
He pulled back just enough to take a good look at her. “What are you talking about?”
“A window that pops up and says, ‘This is the one. This is the person who will make you happy forever.’”
“That would take all the fun out of it.”
“I’m not sure I’d call it fun.”
“Why? I’ve had fun since I met you.”
Lydia laughed. “That is such a Marco thing to say.”
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s easy when you’re not in love. That torch I was carrying got pretty heavy.”
“I think I was in love, but I just didn’t know it.” Marco stared at the fire. “I used to think I knew what love was, and I thought I could control when it happened. When I decided I was ready, love would strike like some huge, overpowering sledgehammer of emotion, and I would just know. Apparently, that’s not how it works. Love snuck up on me. While I thought I was keeping love on a shelf, ready for when I chose to feel it, it was already there in the things that we shared, like our first coffee at the diner. I think that’s when it started. You were different.”
Lydia wrinkled her nose. “Thanks.”
“No! I mean in a good way. You were smart and interesting, and I wanted to know more about you.”
“For