Tis the Season: A Christmas Romance

Chapter 14

Noelle's POV

One year later...

Oh the joys of the holidays...I still love coming up to the cabin when the ground is blanketed with snow.  It was so peaceful and relaxing up here.   Allowing me the time to unwind and rest.  I could sit here by myself in front of the fire as I caught up on all my reading.  

Resting my head on the back of the couch I reflected on my time spent here last year.   I was such a fool turning down Nic's proposal, but at the time I knew that it was all happening too much, too soon.   I had just realized I loved him...marriage was a huge step that I was not ready to make.  

Man he was so pissed and hurt.   I still can hear the sound of the door slamming as he stormed out.

Oh I have so many regrets in life and I have to say that that moment was probably my biggest one.    One that has stuck with me every day since.  

Luckily Nic was too determined to take no for an answer.   After cooling off, he came back.  The next two days we spent making love until we passed out.   We would get up again and start all over.   It was the best two days of my life.

One the third day we went to his parents’ house for dinner…

The family was all sitting around the fire as the kids played upstairs.  Nic stood and made his way over to me before falling to a knee, taking my hand in his.   A hush settled among the family.

“Noelle, kitten.   In the past three days I have asked you to marry me, more like demand that you marry me, your answer was always no.  But I am not giving up.  Noelle, you hold my body, mind, soul and heart in the palm of your hand.   You are my everything; and I want to spend every day for the rest of our lives proving to you that my love for you is never ending.   I am offering not only myself, but my family as well.   Look around this room.  In a few short days these people have become your family as well.   We are yours as much as you are ours.   You are no longer alone in this world.   You told me that for Christmas after your parents died, you would wish to have your family back, well I can’t bring them back, but I can offer one to fill that part you have been missing for so long.   So for this Christmas, I am offering you a family.  Most importantly I am offering you me.   I want to be your family.  I want to have children with you, I want to grow old with you.  If you will have me…”

Taking a box out of his pocket, he opened up to reveal a beautiful emerald surrounded my rings of diamonds.  It was the most gorgeous ring I have ever seen.  “Kitten, this was my great-grandmothers ring, a family heirloom.   My dad thought it was fitting for you to have it.   See his grandmother, shall we say was very head strong.   It took my great granddad some convincing for her to marry him.  They had 54 happy years together, never leaving each other sides.  That is what I want with you.   That is what I am offering you.   So Noelle, here I kneel before you, half a man.   I need you to be whole again.   Noelle, kitten, with our family surrounding us in love…Will you marry me?

That moment still brought tears to my eyes.   And I never regretted that decision since.   We were married two days later and hold the family record of a three week courtship.   This family is so crazy when I comes to love, but I love them to pieces.  I truly had everything I always wanted…a family.