Lydia's Pine Harbor Christmas, стр. 30
Dylan said, “We’ve already waited nineteen years, so we didn’t want to wait any longer.”
Eve beamed. “Neither of us wanted a big wedding. We considered eloping, but then we thought about all of you. What better way to celebrate being together than with our dear friends? After all, without you, we might not even be here.”
Kim made a noise, something between “Oh!” and a sob, and threw her arms about Eve and Dylan. Then she drew in a sharp breath. “Where is the honeymoon?”
Eve answered, “With the holidays, we thought we would wait until later. We don’t have any definite plans yet.”
Dylan cleared his throat. “Well, that’s not quite true.”
Eve looked at him, clearly confused.
He set down his champagne and reached into his inside jacket pocket for an envelope, which he then gave to Eve. “Merry Christmas.”
Dylan answered her questioning look with a broad smile. She opened the envelope, pulled out an airline ticket, and gasped. “Paris? I’ve always wanted to go there!”
“I know. Can you wait until April?”
Eve threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, which looked like a fairly strong yes.
The minister reminded them that they needed to sign the wedding license to make it official.
Once the paperwork was dispensed with, Dylan said, “Madame, your carriage awaits.”
Allie and Theo brought the newlyweds’ coats to them.
Then Marco and Lydia held out a couple of folded blankets. “You’ll probably need these too.”
They opened the door to find a horse-drawn sleigh. Lydia’s jaw dropped. Once they were seated and covered in blankets, the driver gave them each a glass of champagne and took them on a scenic ride around the harbor.
“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Vaughan.”
She shook her head, eyes brimming with love. “Mr. Vaughan, Merry Christmas.”
Eighteen
The Christmas snow had melted away in an unseasonal thaw, but that didn’t dampen the spirits inside the Silva Brothers’ Brewpub. Pine Harbor’s Christmas had been filled with family and love, even more so than usual. While Eve and Dylan pored over Paris travel brochures, Lydia and Marco took full advantage of being off from school. When Marco wasn’t working, they were together. Allie closed up shop for the holiday week and spent most of her time at the brewpub, but work kept Theo so busy that she often helped them out or caught up on her reading.
Theo and Marco had announced a special New Year’s Eve party, which had sold out completely. It was in full swing by the time Caroline arrived with a date.
All of their lunch group was there, but Kim was first to go over and greet her. “Two questions. Who’s your friend? And does he have a brother? Okay, maybe three questions. What’s the brother’s phone number?”
But her questions became irrelevant when Kim paired up with a regular dance partner. During a slow dance, she caught Allie’s eye over her dance partner’s shoulder and, after pointing at the back of his head, gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
Allie watched Dylan and Eve as they danced. They had finally found each other, and Allie’s heart filled with joy to see them together. In anticipation of the honeymoon in Paris, Marco played an Edith Piaf song for them.
The whole evening was so full of love and holiday joy that it was practically perfect. When they rang in the new year, Theo escaped from behind the bar and found Allie. “Happy New Year.” He kissed her then said, “I’ve got a surprise.”
As he pulled an envelope out of his pocket, Allie’s eyebrows drew together. “This isn’t another trip to Paris, is it?”
He laughed. “Sorry, no. And it’s not really a present, exactly. I just wanted to show you.”
“Okay…”
He unfolded a paper. “It’s the deed to the land I once showed you. I bought it.”
“Oh, wow! That’s fantastic!” She was so happy for him. Theo had been saving for that piece of land on a hill overlooking the harbor for years. He had worked so hard and achieved so much. “Congratulations.”
By the end of the evening, Allie was exhausted. She wondered how Theo managed to look so energized. Perhaps his vibrant spirit was what always made the events at the brewpub so fun. The evening had been a tremendous success, but the guests had all gone home. Only their good friends lingered for a last drink. Even Marco and Lydia were off to an after-hours party. Mel finished cleaning up, and Theo locked up after she left. He and Allie were alone.
He took her hand and led her to the window. “I want to show you something.”
“It’s snowing! Oh, what a nice way to end New Year’s Eve!”
Theo smiled. “It is, but it could be better.”
Allie couldn’t see how. The evening had been a fantastic way to ring in the New Year.
As they stood side by side, looking out at the gentle snow falling peacefully on Pine Harbor, Theo asked, “Do you remember the day we first met?”
She turned to him. “Are you serious?”
He just smiled.
“Yes, I’m pretty sure I can remember how we first met.”
“Since then, I might’ve mentioned that I’ve fallen in love.”
Allie smiled through her confusion. “Yes, once or twice.”
“I’ve been looking forward to having a moment alone.”
“Me too.” She started to put her arms around him, but he held them to stop her then took her hands in his. “Allie?” He dropped down to one knee and looked up at her.
Allie drew in a sharp breath.
“From the start, you have always surprised me, so I wanted to surprise you this time—although it’s no surprise that I love you. “Allie Pidgeon, will you marry me?”
“Yes, I will.”
A few leftover fireworks went off in the distance, but Theo and Allie barely noticed.
The kitchen door opened a crack, just enough for Marco and Lydia to peek at the newly engaged couple.
Lydia whispered, “I think she said yes.”
Marco nodded. “They look happy. We might have to try that sometime.” Then he closed the door gently and drew Lydia into his arms.
Thank You!
Thank you,