Mistletoe Kisses by Sam Mariano

Epilogue

Noelle

One Year Later

Just hear those sleigh bells jingling,

ring tingle tingling too.

Come on, it's lovely weather

for a sleigh ride together with you…

I hum alongto the Christmas music as I refill the chest full of plastic-wrapped candy canes. My early shift at the North Pole is nearing its end, but my day isn’t even half over. I’m so preoccupied thinking about my plans for the evening, I don’t even notice the extremely dashing dark-haired gentleman approaching.

“Excuse me, miss. I was told I could get an Elfie over here. How do you feel about posing topless?”

Pleasure washes through me and I feel myself light up like a Christmas tree as I lift my gaze to Cal’s. “What are you doing here, troublemaker? We’re supposed to meet up at my mom’s house in an hour.”

Cal leans over the countertop, claiming my lips in a quick, possessive kiss. “I was in the area. Picking up something for tonight.” He lifts the Daring Dolls bag so I can see. “Figured I’d drop by and see my favorite elf while I’m here.”

“Mm, well, I’m glad you did,” I murmur, leaning in to steal another kiss. One is never enough with him.

Speaking of one, it has been one whole year since we spent the night together at the Marymount Inn. One beautiful, intense, incredible year with this maddening, gorgeous, wonderful man.

Cal promised me that morning that he would be good to me from then on, and while I hoped it was true and he wouldn’t push me away again, I had my doubts about his ability to follow through.

It turns out, he was better than his word. He hasn’t just treated me well since deciding to give in to this attraction, he’s been the absolute best—my shoulder to cry on when things get stressful, my challenging partner, pushing limits and demanding my best when I forget to be brave. He’s my best friend, my lover, and yes, my teacher. Cal still teaches me things all the time, even though he doesn’t get paid to anymore.

Now that I haven’t been in his class for a good six months, we’ve finally decided to go public with our relationship. It’s been a hard secret to keep, especially from my mom, but I started dropping hints that I was seeing someone a few weeks ago, and tonight I’m finally bringing Cal home.

He doesn’t stay at the North Pole for long since he has to get ready for dinner, too. I’m sure it’s not his first choice to spend our anniversary having dinner with my mom, but he made our after-dinner plans, so he’s going along with it.

An unexpected rush hits after he leaves, so I end up having to stay past the end of my shift. I hurry home since I still need to shower and shave and get date-ready—and I still have to finish preparing Cal’s anniversary present, too.

Once I’m showered and buffed to perfection, I make quick work of doing my hair and getting dressed. I pick out a cranberry-colored sweater dress with deceptively warm black stockings, then I grab cute ankle boots to pair with it. We’re going to Winterfest tonight, and while it’s not as cold as when we went last year, it’s still chilly, and it’ll be even colder on the ice.

Then again, no matter how cold I get, Cal will warm me up afterward when we go back to the inn where we spent our first night together.

I have his real anniversary present wrapped on the bed, but before I go downstairs for dinner, I need to get his other gift ready.

Dropping onto the chair in front of my desk, I open my laptop and turn it on. While I wait for it to power up, I run my hand across the red leatherbound book I was reading last night. A Christmas Carol. The least naughty gift Cal gave me last year.

I love this book. I keep it around even when it’s not Christmastime, just because it reminds me of the start of our relationship.

In that spirit, I thought this year it would be a fun throwback to write another sexy homework assignment for him. This one I’m not afraid to print off, but it prints without jamming anyway. I staple the pages together and fold them in half, then I slide them into the crimson envelope that already contains an incredibly gushy card about how amazing he is and how much I love him. I put on an extra layer of lipstick, then I seal the envelope with a kiss.

My phone buzzes on the desk beside me. I don’t have to pick it up to see his message: I’m here.

I grin, grabbing my phone and his card and going over to collect his present off the bed. My purse for the night is oversized since I’m also using it as an overnight bag, so I shove in the present and card and head downstairs.

I greet Cal at the door, hoping to hide my nerves, but I can’t hide anything from him. Where I’m worried, he’s calm, as if this can only possibly go well.

Firmly placing a hand at the small of my back, he pulls me in, pressing a reassuring kiss to the side of my face. “Relax.”

“I am,” I insist, even though it’s not true.

He takes my hand and gives it a squeeze, then we walk together to the dining room where Adeline has already set the table for us. My mom is at the foot of the table; she looks up with a bright smile when we enter the room.

“You must be Callan,” my mother says, standing to offer her hand. Cal gives it a good, firm shake and she smiles with approval. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

That’s not true. I mean, I gushed about how smart and wonderful he is in hopes that my praise would make her more inclined to like him, but as far as the important things… no.

They exchange polite greetings and I’m relieved that my mom doesn’t seem to be alarmed by—or even notice—that he’s a tad older than I am. Of course, my mom has always been drawn to men a little older than her too, so that might be why.

Adeline brings in salads as soon as we sit down. Conversation remains light, for the most part, but while the verbal exchange is pleasantly mundane throughout, I notice my mother examining our interactions quite closely. When Cal mindlessly places his hand over mineatop the table, when he tells her a cute story about something I did and he squeezes my thigh underthe table, even the way he watches me leave the room when I excuse myself to go pee.

I’m not sure what she’s watching for, but I come back as quickly as possible, not wanting to leave him alone for a potential ambush. When I come back, everything is still pleasant, so I tell myself to relax a bit.

The main course has been served while I was gone. I take my seat beside Cal and grab my fork, but before I take a single bite, my mom begins the line of questioning I’ve been dreading.

“So, what do you do for a living, Callan?”

Neither of us says anything right away. Cal looks over at me, wordlessly checking that I still want to stick as close as possible to the truth.

I know it’s not an easy truth, but I don’t see the point in trying to lie. Things are too serious between us to even fantasize that she’ll never find out where he works. We’re only celebrating our second Christmas together this year, but if it’s up to me, I’ll spend all the rest of them with him, too.

I nod at him subtly, dropping my fork and resting my hand over his before I can think better of it. Lending each other support when things are rough comes so naturally to us, and I’m not used to having our behavior observed by an outsider.

“Cal is actually a teacher at Oak Grove High. English lit.”

My mother holds my gaze, but her expression betrays nothing. I can’t tell if she’s not surprised, or she’s so stunned that she’s trying to remember how to speak.

“A teacher,” she finally says.

My appetite abandons me with a quickness. “Yeah,” I say, hoping I don’t look as uncomfortable as I feel.

“And you never crossed paths when you went to school there?”

I fight the urge to look at Cal again, knowing it would come off as suspicious. This is much harder in the moment than I thought it would be. Curled up naked in Cal’s bed when I came up with this hare-brained idea to be honest, I had at least a dozen arguments to back up why it was the best course of action.

Seeing that I’m clamming up, Cal asserts brazenly, “Noelle was one of my students, actually.”

My mother blinks at him several times without speaking.

I feel ill. This was a bad idea. We should’ve lied. It’s not like my mom was going to fact-check our story. I could have said he did literally anything else. I could’ve even said he was a teacher at a different school. The public high school, maybe. She never had to know.

“I see,” my mother says evenly, placing her fork down on the table. Looking back at Cal, she asks, “And do you make a habit of dating former students?”

I cringe, but Cal’s not insulted and merely offers back a thin smile. “No. She’s the first. I expect she’ll also be the last. Just one of those things.”

“I’m not sure which ‘one of those things’ that might be. I’m not sure having a sexual relationship with a former student is typically ‘one of those things’.”

“Mom,” I say, pleading with my eyes for her to drop it.

“I’m sorry, Noelle, it’s a little strange. You were in his class as a pupil until six months ago. When did you start seeing him, exactly?”

“Who cares?” I toss back, rather than offering a fragment of the carefully thought out story we came up with before all this. “We love each other. This isn’t anything icky.”

“Okay,” she says, even more skeptical. “Long enough to love each other. That’s… so, at least three months? Four? Five? Did he call you the day after you graduated?”

Before I can answer, Callan does for me. “I understand why you’re skeptical, Miss Harper. I would be too, in your shoes. But, believe me, I am very serious about your daughter. It was when she was my student that she first caught my attention, but it was her mind that drew me in. I would read her papers, and they were so compelling. Skill and intelligence aside, I was fascinated by the way she viewed and processed the world. Hers was nothing like my point of view, but I was enthralled, nevertheless. I fell a little in love with her just peeking into her mind, though I obviously didn’t want to admit it at the time.”

Mom glances down the table at me, but I’m too busy melting into goo to reassure her that our stories line up.

Cal goes on, completely unapologetic. “As soon as she was no longer my student, yes, I did pursue her, and from a professional standpoint that’s certainly straddling a line that shouldn’t be crossed, but that should illustrate how important your daughter is to me. I’ve worked hard to get where I am, and if I got fired over this, there’s not a school in the country that would hire me. I value my job, Miss Harper, but not enough to miss out on Noelle.”

My mom regards Cal for a long time, not saying anything. The wordless scrutiny goes on forever, but when she finally looks away, there’s no longer distrust or hostility in her gaze.

“Well, all right, then.”

My heart floats with relief. “Yeah?” I ask hopefully.

“I suppose people meet in all kinds of ways,” she says. “At least his interest in you was provoked by what’s in your head rather than what’s in your blouse. That’s more than I can say for most men.”

* * *

After a romantic eveningstrolling through Winterfest, drinking hot chocolate, ice skating, and stealing kisses beneath the mistletoe, Cal bribes one of the men driving the sleighs to give us a ride over to the Marymount Inn, just like he did last year.

Like last year, he helps me down like a gentleman, and like last year, sliding down his hard body fills me with lots of unladylike thoughts.

“I love tonight,” I tell Cal happily, hugging his arm and leaning my head against his bicep as we approach the reception desk.

“I love you,” he returns, leaning over and stealing a kiss.

I love him, too, but he knows that already.

Once we’re checked in, we head up to the same suite we stayed in last year. We’re more prepared this time. I set up my charger cord so my phone doesn’t die, and unpack a few necessities in the bathroom.

When I come back out, I don’t immediately see Cal. I look around and spot him at the door, wheeling in a room service cart.

“Did you order food?” I ask him, peering at the cart.

He shakes his head. “A drink.”

There’s a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket of ice with two glasses waiting to be filled. “Going all out for the anniversary, huh?” I tease, but he knows I love it.

“Something like that. Are you done unpacking? I want you to open your gift.”

“Oh yes, I want you to open yours too,” I tell him, thinking more of the naughty homework assignment I did for him than the expensive watch I bought him. It will look incredible on his sexy wrist, but if I’m being honest, the gift with sentimental value is my favorite.

Cal takes my hand and walks me around the couch. It’s only when we sit down that I notice he must have had flowers delivered ahead of us, because there’s a beautiful bouquet in the center of the coffee table. It’s festive, too, with reds and whites exploding out of the vase. Red roses and holly berries and carnations, big white lilies with baby’s breath. There’s Christmas tree greenery sparsely added in, and a bright red bow wrapped around the vase to finish it off.

“Oh, Cal, they’re gorgeous,” I tell him, scooting closer to the edge of the couch so I can lean in and smell them. They smell magnificent, too. Flashing him the biggest smile, I throw my arms around him and give him a hug. “Thank you.”

“There’s a card,” he adds, pointing to the bouquet.

“Oh, I missed it.”

“I think it’s on the other side,” he says.

I frown, scooting off the couch and crawling to the coffee table, pulling the vase closer. It takes a little digging, but I finally find the card, and I smile when I read the inscription:

For my favorite elf.

Love,

Scrooge

My grin widens,and I turn back to respond, but when I do, I freeze.

Cal is still sitting on the edge of the sofa, but now he’s holding out a small red jewelry box.

“Oh my God,” I murmur, sitting back on my legs.

His lips curve up faintly, and he pops open the box. “Noelle…”

“Yes.”

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes! Yes, that’s what I meant, I meant you didn’t have to—oh my god, yes,” I say, crawling to him and grabbing the box out of his hand so I can get a closer look.

The ring he picked out for me is gorgeous and unique, an ice blue sapphire with a hexagonal halo, set in rose gold and almost resembling a snowflake. Unconsciously, I lift a hand to cover my mouth, shaking my head in absolute awe.

“Cal, this is perfect. It’s so beautiful. I love it.”

His voice is warm with pleasure. “I’m glad.”

I swallow past a sudden lump in my throat, plucking the delicate ring from its velvet bed and sliding it onto my finger.

Looking up at him, I say, “I love it so much and I’m so happy…”

“But?”

“How will we explain it to people?” I ask, hoping I don’t dull his enthusiasm. “I definitely want to marry you, I’m all in on this plan, it’s just—”

He cuts me off, taking my hand and pulling me back up onto the couch beside him. “The same way we got our head start. We’ll keep it quiet for a little while. Tell people in a few months when it won’t be as surprising.”

My teeth sink into my bottom lip and I can’t help smiling. “A secret engagement?”

His blue-gray eyes sparkle with mischief. “Perfect for us, don’t you think?”

I picture it all as I sit here with him: this time next year, back in Marymount for our annual tradition, but this time when the horse-drawn sleigh pulls up to the inn, I’m in a long white dress, Callan dashing in a black tux. Snow clings to his dark hair, pleasure dances in his eyes at the sight of me, and my heart couldn’t be fuller.

He’ll grab me around the waist and help me down. He’ll slide me down his body and get me hot. Then, he’ll escort me inside the Marymount Inn, where we’ll spend our very first night together as husband and wife.

Smiling at the plans he doesn’t know we have yet, I take his hand, answering his question and practicing for next year at the same time.

“I do.”

THE END