A Little New Year's Romance (9 page)

What was it about her that could make him go through so many different emotions? But then, did he really need an answer? No. There was only one emotion that mattered. His love for her. If she asked him to prove it by walking ten miles over a bed of burning coals on his bare feet, he’d do it without hesitation.

For five minutes he stood there, uncertain if he could deal with her rejection—
if
she was still upset with him.

The aroma of freshly brewing coffee seeped through the door. Strangely, it seemed to soothe and fortify him at the same time. He felt as though the scent wrapped him in warm fleece blanket, bringing him comfort.

Okay, okay! Message received. Thank You, Lord
, he thought.

He lifted his hand, and gave the door three quick, sharp raps. Only afterward did he see the button for the doorbell. When he heard no response from within, he pressed the button. A strident
ding dong
sounded, and he felt sure there was no way she could ignore it.

This time, there was movement on the other side. Why did he decide at the last second to hold the bouquet of roses in front of his face? Because he was still nervous, and if she looked through the peephole, that’s all she’d see. She couldn’t tell him to go away if she didn’t see him.

“Who’s there?” The sound was as sweet as he remembered.

He disguised his voice. “Delivery for a Miss Allison Benton.”

Why did he do that? What was the point? But he knew the answer. He wanted to be sure she’d open the door.

“Delivery?” He could barely hear her, though she sounded confused.

Seconds ticked by, but it may as well have been hours. Then he heard it, like music to his ears. The sound of multiple locks being undone. He’d have to think, and talk, fast the first instant he saw her standing there, framed in the door.

~~*~~

Allison wasn’t expecting any deliveries. What was it, anyway? A swift glance through the door told her what she wanted to know.

Roses! So many she was unable to see anything else!

Wait. Who was sending her roses? And why? But then, did it really matter? No. She didn’t care one bit about any of that. Besides, her acceptance of the bouquet didn’t necessarily mean anything. Well, it meant she liked roses, but that’s all.

Attacking the locks on the door, she wondered why people insisted on more than two or three of the things. Of course, she knew why. It was an attempt to keep evildoers from getting in, but it also got in the way of her getting out.

She flung the door open to find a tall man standing there with the flowers hiding his face. Odd. Why would a delivery person hold them up like that? The moment the answer arose in her mind, he let his hand slide down until she could see his face.

Daniel? It was Daniel! The surprise was overwhelming for a moment—but then she glanced down to see that she was still in her pajamas. It bothered her for less than a second. She didn’t care what she was wearing, and he likely wouldn’t either. He was here and that was the only thing that mattered.

She felt a grin turn up the corners of her mouth as she lifted her head to see him once again.

“Come in, come in.” She heard herself say, sounding shocked, yet still cordial.

He wore a confused expression, but did as she requested. It was then that she saw the gift bag in his other hand. Why would he bring her such a monstrous bouquet of long stemmed red roses
and
a gift? Unless…

Her eyes opened wide with immediate understanding. He was no longer upset with her! That had to be why he was here. Then he was handing her the flowers and words were being spoken.

In her mind, she gave herself a smack on the head to bring her back to the present.

“I’m sorry. What was that? I’m so surprised I didn’t catch what you said.”

His grin nearly turned her knees into melted butter.

“I was saying that I hope you have a vase that’s big enough.” Until that moment she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed the sound of his voice.

“Oh. Yes, I do.” She accepted the roses from him, then gestured to the little sofa. “Have a seat while I tend to these.” In the kitchen, she called out, “I was about to have some coffee. Would you like a cup?”

“No, I don’t think so.” She detected a tone of uncertainty. “I just came to speak with you for a few minutes.”

What could he possibly say that hadn’t already been communicated by the roses? She set them on the counter next to the sink.

“Okay, then. Give me a minute and I’ll be right there.”

She filled her favorite mug with hot brew, adjusted it to her taste, and went back into the living room to sit next to Daniel.

“So. What did you want to talk about?”

He remained silent for a few seconds, gazing at her as though she were one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Then he looked down at his hands, clasped together in his lap.

“I, uh…” His head came back up and their eyes met. “I acted like an idiot, Allison. I can’t tell you how sorry I am for accusing you. The fact is, I don’t even care who called the media that day. I hurt you and that bothers me more than anything.” He took a quick breath. “I only know that I needed to come to tell you this, and to apologize. I’ll go now, if that’s what you want.”

He moved as if to stand, but she put a hand on his arm to stop him. “No. There’s more, isn’t there? I want to hear it all.”

“Yeah. There’s more.” A deep inhale, then he continued. “I know we only had less than two days, but I haven’t stopped thinking about you—not for a second. I also know that I’ve never felt that kind of connection with anyone else. Yes, I’m surrounded by friends, employees—even my own son—but none of them make me feel the way you do. It was as though we were made for each other. Like we were meant to be together.”

Were her ears deceiving her? Did he really just say what she thought he said? Wait. He was still talking.

“What I’m trying to say, Allison, is that I’m so deeply in love with you I can’t think about anything else. I could have called, but I felt I had to find you so I could say it in person. Hope you don’t mind.”

Yep. That’s what she thought he was saying. Hold up a sec. Did he say he had to find her?

“How
did
you find me?” She tried to sound neutral.

He glanced at his hands again, seeming embarrassed. “Please don’t be upset, but I hired a Private Investigator. I felt the need to tell you all of this personally.”

Upset? Why should she feel that way? The man of her dreams just admitted he was madly in love with her, and he was worried she’d be upset? She hadn’t dared to hope he’d given up on being mad, so this was much more than a pleasant surprise.

“Did you really mean that? All of it?”

He fixed those gorgeous dark brown eyes on hers again.

“Every word.” His sincerity came through as clear as a cloudless summer day.

“Well, then. I suppose there’s something I should tell you.”

Still staring intently at her, he seemed anxious, but said nothing.

“I understand what you’ve been through these last several weeks. You don’t know how many times I wanted to call you, but figured you were still mad. At first, I didn’t understand why I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and it took me a while to realize that it was because I’m in love with you, too.”

For a brief second, his eyes went blank, but then she saw them widen with surprise, followed by what she could only describe as joy.

“Are you serious? Did I hear you correctly?” His volume wasn’t much above a whisper.

“I assure you, there’s nothing wrong with your hearing.”

It took him a few seconds, but he responded. “I couldn’t let myself dare to dream you’d feel the same way.”

He pulled her close, and brought his lips to hers. Tenderly, he kissed her, then pulled back. She gave a smile, and he kissed her again, this time with a passion she thought would set her apartment ablaze. Maybe the entire building. She didn’t care about that, though. All she wanted was to remain here with him, locked in his embrace, lost in the fervor of his kiss. Let a million eternities come and go. She’d stay right here, absorbed in the ecstasy this man brought to her heart.

All too soon, he brought the moment to an end. “I love you. I love you.” He repeated those words as he landed tiny kisses all over her face and neck. But then, he stopped and sat upright once again. His breathing was ragged, and she realized that hers matched.

“I think I’ll take that cup of coffee now. Black, one teaspoon of sugar.”

A few seconds later, they erupted in laughter. Heading back into the kitchen, her eyes fell upon the laptop computer.

“By the way, I took the liberty of doing some research.” She gestured toward the desk in the corner. “I printed out some information that might interest you.” He rose and moved across the room.

By the time she’d made his coffee and refilled her mug, he’d looked over the stapled sets of paper. He now stood there, reading through one of them with his jaw hanging open. Two minutes went by before he tore his attention away.

“This is what Dylan has! How did you find this?” He sounded breathless.

Shrugging, she said, “A good editor knows how to use the internet to find information. I have to check facts all the time. It’s just part of the job.”

With long strides, he came to her as she set the mugs on the coffee table.

“This is exactly what I’ve been praying for!”

He embraced her, holding onto her as if doing so would save his life. Then he reached down next to the sofa and retrieved the gift bag. Until that moment, she’d forgotten about it.

“I knew there was a reason I got this for you.” His voice hitched as he handed her the bag. “It seems like a fitting ‘Thank You’ now that you’ve done this for me.”

Confused, she took it, sat down and reached inside. Once the box was liberated, she saw the logo for Tiffany’s and felt the blood run from her head. It couldn’t be! Could it?

She wasn’t sure she could open it without help, but she managed. In a matter of mere seconds, the gorgeous crystal angel she’d wanted so desperately was in her hands. Tears filled her eyes.

“Daniel, I don’t know what to say.” She barely heard her own words.

“I think I do.”

He took the angel, placed it on the table between their coffee mugs, and grabbed her hands to help her stand. With that accomplished, he held her tight and gazed deep into her eyes.

“Allison Benton, would you ever consider becoming Mrs. Trotter?”

Her dream had come true, and her prayers had been answered.

“I already have. Yes, I’d love to be Mrs. Daniel Trotter.”

She saw the joy in his eyes once more, but only for a moment before he kissed her again.

EPILOGUE

Valentine’s Day, one year later.

Allison couldn’t believe her ears. The stunningly handsome man next to her had just promised to love, honor, and cherish her until his death. He placed a ring on her finger to symbolize the love he held for her in his heart. What more could she possibly ask for? Nothing. She had more than she’d ever dreamed possible. Was she dreaming? It seemed so. But then again, it felt more like reality.

Somewhere in the distance—as though she were in a trance—she heard the preacher’s voice.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Daniel’s lips were upon hers, and their warm tenderness filled a place deep within her. A place only his kiss—his undying love—could reach. She wanted to stay lost in his embrace, his passion, until time itself came to an end. She prayed she’d feel this way every time he kissed her.

Again, the preacher spoke from dreamland.

“Ladies and gentlemen! I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Trotter!”

She turned to face the throng of people—invited guests, clamoring media, onlookers—all of them cheering for the newlyweds. For the tiniest of moments she felt like the Queen of the World. Pushing that aside, she praised her Lord that He’d allowed her to experience it for a fraction of a second.

Her mother’s and stepfather’s faces seemed to float by. Again, she thanked God—this time for the joy she saw displayed on their features.

Flashes of light came and went in rapid succession. Photos for the news media, no doubt. Allison had become used to this over the past year, though she wasn’t fond of it. Yes, she’d become sought after as the fiancée of one of New York’s most eligible millionaires, but she never wanted any part of the publicity. She simply tolerated it with humility for Daniel’s sake.

Now they were all vying to be the first to publish pictures of the man and his new wife. She could understand that and not be bothered by it. Let them have their fun. Soon, she’d be allowed to fade into the background, and that was perfectly fine with her.

There was Dylan, now nine years old, standing with the aid of crutches next to the back door of the white limousine, waiting for them. Dear Lord, she loved that child. What a trooper he’d been, enduring every moment of the experimental treatment they’d found for him. He’d come a long way in less than a year.

Seated in the back of the car with Dylan facing them, the couple shared another kiss. They waved to the crowd on the sidewalk as the limo pulled away from the curb. Her new life had now begun, and she knew it would be filled with awe and wonder.

AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY

Katie Ingersoll has not always written Christian Romance novels. After going through her own personal trials and crisis of faith, she emerged spiritually transformed. Now she writes Christian Romance as a way of telling beautiful love stories, and as a way of sharing the real power of God in people’s lives. 

If you enjoyed this book, Katie would like to ask you a favor to take a minute or two to leave her a review on Amazon. Thank you very much!

Table of Contents

Title Page

Prologue