Andi knew Kim believed that—in this case, they couldn’t have gotten it more wrong.
“Do I really have to go through with this?” Kim whispered.
Andi squeezed her hand. “Oh, Kim! I’m so sorry!”
Kim’s cheeks turned red. As was tradition, she was going to have to face Nathaniel, allow him to slide the garter up her leg, and pretend she was fine.
Kim sat in the chair Mike had brought to the center of the room, and Nathaniel stepped forward, garter in hand. Then Nathaniel took a deep breath, and Andi got the impression he was as nervous as her sister.
He kneeled, lifted the floor-length hem of Kim’s holly green Christmas skirt, and slipped the garter over her toe, up her calf, and over her knee.
“Kim,” Nathaniel said, “open your eyes.”
Andi could tell her sister hadn’t wanted to look, but when she did, Kim let out a scream.
What happened? Andi craned her neck to see and almost screamed herself when she spotted the glittering diamond ring tied around the blue lace garter.
“That was fast!” Rachel exclaimed, an even bigger smile spreading over her already smiling face.
“Kimberly Nicole Burke,” Nathaniel said, taking the ring off the garter and transferring it to her hand, “I love you. The greatest adventure I could ever have would be to share my life with you. I want a home, family, and kids, all of it.”
“You do?” Kim didn’t look like she believed him.
“Why do you think I committed to buying the garden nursery? I’ve traveled enough to know that this is where I’d like to establish a permanent residence. But then I met you and I was afraid that you were the one who would want as many stamps as you could fit in your passport.”
Kim, not usually one to give in to emotion, was a teary mess. “I heard you tell Stacey about your travel plans to New Zealand.”
“I told her I thought it would make a good honeymoon destination—with you.”
Kim laughed. “I can do honeymoons.”
Nathaniel grinned. “Is that a yes? Ja ? Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” Kim shouted and flung her arms around him for a kiss. “I love you, too!”
“A few minutes earlier, and we could have made it a double wedding,” Mike joked.
Rachel walked over and apologized to her cousin. “If you didn’t shine the light on the Grinch, no one would have seen him. You win the reward of a dozen peppermint hot chocolate cupcakes.”
Stacey gave only a half-smile.
“If she doesn’t want them, I’ll take them,” Grandpa Lewy said, leaning in.
“Too bad you have to leave, Stacey,” Rachel added. “You’ve been a great help in the kitchen.”
“Actually,” Stacey told them, “I don’t have . . . anywhere to go. In Coeur d’Alene I stayed with a friend but couldn’t find a job, and . . . now I’m homeless and flat broke.”
“You can be the one who runs our new traveling cupcake stand on the beach this summer,” Andi told her.
“What cupcake stand?” Rachel and Kim demanded.
“The one we’ll buy with the money my dead-beat ex finally paid me back with after all these years,” Andi said, barely able to hold on to her excitement.
“Should we open the gifts?” Jake asked, motioning everyone together.
Rachel and Mike admitted they did have a gift for each other. Homemade gifts. Mike presented Rachel with a miniature model of the cupcake shop. Rachel gave him hand-written movie tickets for a quiet night of popcorn and romance at home.
Kim gave Nathaniel a canvas she had painted of two turtle doves perched on top of the Astoria Column, nose to nose as if they were kissing. And he gave her a rose garden of her very own, in his yard, with her name on it so that there would be no doubt in the future where she belonged.
Andi watched the excitement cross Mia’s face as she opened one of the gifts they’d pulled up through the trapdoor.
“An Easy-Bake Oven!” her daughter squealed. Then Mia handed a stocking to Max, the same one she’d written his name on with
“Do I really have to go through with this?” Kim whispered.
Andi squeezed her hand. “Oh, Kim! I’m so sorry!”
Kim’s cheeks turned red. As was tradition, she was going to have to face Nathaniel, allow him to slide the garter up her leg, and pretend she was fine.
Kim sat in the chair Mike had brought to the center of the room, and Nathaniel stepped forward, garter in hand. Then Nathaniel took a deep breath, and Andi got the impression he was as nervous as her sister.
He kneeled, lifted the floor-length hem of Kim’s holly green Christmas skirt, and slipped the garter over her toe, up her calf, and over her knee.
“Kim,” Nathaniel said, “open your eyes.”
Andi could tell her sister hadn’t wanted to look, but when she did, Kim let out a scream.
What happened? Andi craned her neck to see and almost screamed herself when she spotted the glittering diamond ring tied around the blue lace garter.
“That was fast!” Rachel exclaimed, an even bigger smile spreading over her already smiling face.
“Kimberly Nicole Burke,” Nathaniel said, taking the ring off the garter and transferring it to her hand, “I love you. The greatest adventure I could ever have would be to share my life with you. I want a home, family, and kids, all of it.”
“You do?” Kim didn’t look like she believed him.
“Why do you think I committed to buying the garden nursery? I’ve traveled enough to know that this is where I’d like to establish a permanent residence. But then I met you and I was afraid that you were the one who would want as many stamps as you could fit in your passport.”
Kim, not usually one to give in to emotion, was a teary mess. “I heard you tell Stacey about your travel plans to New Zealand.”
“I told her I thought it would make a good honeymoon destination—with you.”
Kim laughed. “I can do honeymoons.”
Nathaniel grinned. “Is that a yes? Ja ? Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” Kim shouted and flung her arms around him for a kiss. “I love you, too!”
“A few minutes earlier, and we could have made it a double wedding,” Mike joked.
Rachel walked over and apologized to her cousin. “If you didn’t shine the light on the Grinch, no one would have seen him. You win the reward of a dozen peppermint hot chocolate cupcakes.”
Stacey gave only a half-smile.
“If she doesn’t want them, I’ll take them,” Grandpa Lewy said, leaning in.
“Too bad you have to leave, Stacey,” Rachel added. “You’ve been a great help in the kitchen.”
“Actually,” Stacey told them, “I don’t have . . . anywhere to go. In Coeur d’Alene I stayed with a friend but couldn’t find a job, and . . . now I’m homeless and flat broke.”
“You can be the one who runs our new traveling cupcake stand on the beach this summer,” Andi told her.
“What cupcake stand?” Rachel and Kim demanded.
“The one we’ll buy with the money my dead-beat ex finally paid me back with after all these years,” Andi said, barely able to hold on to her excitement.
“Should we open the gifts?” Jake asked, motioning everyone together.
Rachel and Mike admitted they did have a gift for each other. Homemade gifts. Mike presented Rachel with a miniature model of the cupcake shop. Rachel gave him hand-written movie tickets for a quiet night of popcorn and romance at home.
Kim gave Nathaniel a canvas she had painted of two turtle doves perched on top of the Astoria Column, nose to nose as if they were kissing. And he gave her a rose garden of her very own, in his yard, with her name on it so that there would be no doubt in the future where she belonged.
Andi watched the excitement cross Mia’s face as she opened one of the gifts they’d pulled up through the trapdoor.
“An Easy-Bake Oven!” her daughter squealed. Then Mia handed a stocking to Max, the same one she’d written his name on with
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