Twist of Fate (A Holiday Romance Novella) (12 page)

KENZIE OPENED HER eyes and blinked at her darkened apartment bedroom ceiling. She twisted her head and squinted at her clock. 6:12 AM. Christmas morning. She grinned, rolled out of bed, slid her feet into her pointy, elf-hat slippers, and rushed to the bathroom where she readied herself and mashed a Santa hat down over her out-of-control curls.

Then she left her apartment behind, rushed down the stairs, and rapped on Ty’s door.

Nothing.

She rapped louder and put her ear to his door.

Still nothing.

She tried his doorknob.

Locked.

She pounded on the door, this time loud enough to wake the neighbors. Why hadn’t she remembered her copy of his key?

Kenzie was about to turn back when the door opened. Ty stood before her wearing a faded Dodgers T-shirt and black athletic shorts while covering up a yawn with his hand. He blinked tired eyes at her and opened the door wider for her to come in. “I guess I should be grateful you made it all the way to six.”

“Merry Christmas to you too.” She walked straight to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “We get to spend the entire day together, and I didn’t want to waste a second longer.”

His hands rubbed up and down her back before he kissed her forehead. “Let me go wash up, and I’ll be right back.”

In no time at all, Ty returned, his face and hair damp. His arm came around her as he guided her out the door and back to her apartment where they’d moved their few presents the night before.

The glow of her perfectly imperfect Christmas tree met them as they walked inside. Kenzie led him to the couch, grateful that they were able to spend Christmas morning alone together. They’d be driving back to her parents’ home later today, but for now it was just her and him. Perfect.

“Me first.” Kenzie hefted a large package wrapped in green paper and placed it on Ty’s lap. “Just so you know, you’re impossible to shop for.”

Ty ripped open the paper and laughed. “Tire chains. Nice.”

Kenzie sat beside him. “They’re easy to put on, and you won’t believe how much of a difference they make on slippery roads.”

“Thanks, Kenz.” He leaned over and kissed her before reaching for a large gift bag. “This is from… well, either me or my mom.”

“Either?” Her eyebrow rose as she tossed the tissue paper aside and pulled out a lovely gray cardigan, followed by a gaudy cream sweater with pink ribbon flowers and pearls appliquéd across the front. She looked from one to the other, wondering what he’d meant by “either.”

“So here’s the thing,” said Ty. “Evidently it’s overkill for you to get two sweaters for Christmas, so I picked out one and my mom picked out the other. You now get to choose your favorite and return the one you don’t like.”

Kenzie’s lips twitched as she examined the sweaters. She could honestly say she’d never gotten to pick her own present on Christmas morning before. “What if I like both?”

“You don’t like both.”

“But what if I do?”

“You don’t.”

He had her there. Kenzie bit her lip as she studied the two sweaters again. There really was no contest. The cream was horrible and not something she’d ever wear in public. But what if Ty had picked it out? Hmmm. She peeked up at him. “Which one is from you?”

“Do you seriously have to ask?”

“Well, you’re a guy, and sometimes guys don’t really—“

“Give me some credit.”

Kenzie smiled and lifted the beautiful gray cardigan. “I’ll take this one since I’m not really a fan of pink floral anything.”

“Oh.” Ty frowned, looking slightly hurt. “You’re not?”

Shoot. She’d guessed wrong—and today of all days. She tried to backpedal. “Well, I mean I… I’m sure the cream one would look beautiful on someone else.” Like a sweet, lovable grandma who looked adorable in anything. “But it’s not really my—”

“Gotcha,” said Ty, grinning.

Kenzie grabbed a pillow off the couch and hit him with it. “That’s it. I’m taking back those tire chains and getting you coal instead.”

Ty chuckled as he wrestled the pillow from her. “I can’t believe you’d actually think I would pick out that floral thing for you. I’m seriously offended.”

“And I’m offended that you’d play that kind of trick on me on Christmas morning. Of all the mean—”

“Sorry.” Ty leaned over and silenced her with a kiss that made her toes curl. “There. All better?” he whispered.

Kenzie’s hand went to the nape of his neck, keeping him there. “Not quite.”

He chuckled and leaned in for another kiss, this time longer and more thorough. Kenzie melted against him, forgetting about the other present still under the tree. She didn’t care about anything else. Only this. Forever and always.

“You still have one more present,” Ty murmured against her lips.

“It can wait.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you knew what was inside.”

“Okay, okay.” Kenzie pried herself away and grabbed the last gift bag. Reaching inside, she pulled out a small box wrapped in shiny red paper with a gold bow. It was about the size of a ring box. Her fingers trembled as she tugged at the ribbon and removed the paper. Sure enough, a white ring box. Her heartbeat quickened as her eyes met Ty’s. Was this really happening? Was he about to propose?

“Are you going to open it?” Ty’s face held a hint of a smile.

Her heart pounding, Kenzie swallowed before carefully prying the box open. Inside was a small, pink USB drive where the ring should have been. Her gaze flew to Ty’s humor-filled eyes. She suddenly wanted to hit him again. “Wow, you really shouldn’t have.”

“I know.” Grinning, Ty leaned over and pulled out the USB drive. “This is actually a computer game for your class. It’s geared for third graders and will help those kids who are struggling with math and reading. I still have a few bugs to work out, but by the time school starts up again, it should be ready to go.”

Kenzie stared at the USB drive with new eyes, thinking of how much her kids had loved his other game and how long this must have taken him to write. Her heart skipped a beat. “Are you serious? You did this for me?”

“I did it for you.”

Whether it was the way Ty said it or the fact that he’d just given her the most thoughtful gift ever, tears stung the back of her eyes. “But I only got you tire chains.”

Ty laughed then reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful marquise diamond ring. “Not if you say yes.”

Kenzie suddenly found it difficult to breath. Ty. The ring. The computer program. His proposal. It was all too much. “But then I’ll be Mackenzie McKenzie,” she blurted—not that she really cared. She’d happily take on any name if it meant having him in her life permanently.

Ty chuckled as he twisted one of her curls around his finger. “I actually kind of like it. It sounds like the title of a Dr. Seuss book, which, if you think about it, would make you the coolest third grade teacher ever.”

She smiled through her tears. “Good point.”

“I’m smart like that.”

“You are.”

His hands framed her face. “So, how about it, Kenz? Will you marry me?”

Her tears spilled down her cheeks. All she could do was nod and let him put the ring on her finger. Then she threw her arms around him and covered his mouth with hers, pouring all of her love and happiness into the kiss.

Somehow, over the course of the past few weeks, she’d toppled into love with the guy who’d moved into the apartment directly under hers. The guy who shared her same name and whose mail kept winding up in her box. The guy who’d tried to teach her to use chopsticks and how to ice skate. The guy who’d become her everything.

People always talked about the perfect kiss and Kenzie had always wondered what made it more perfect than the rest.

Well, now she knew.

Dear Reader,

Thanks so much for reading! I hope this story took you out of reality for awhile and into a world of escape and rejuvenation because everyone deserves that once in a while.

If you enjoyed this story and would like to be notified of any new releases in the future, please sign up for my
New Release Newsletter
.

Also, if you can take a minute of your time, I’d love a review from you on
Goodreads
,
Amazon
,
Barnes and Noble
, or wherever else you’d care to post one. Or you can find me online at
RachaelReneeAnderson.com
.

Thanks again, and happy reading!

Rachael

If you enjoyed this book, you’ll also love . . .

When Natalie goes home with her best friend for Christmas, she expects plenty of quiet time to work on a winning ad so she can turn her dream internship into her dream job. Instead, she gets time-consuming Christmas festivities, a house full of children, and Jimmy, her best friend's brother - someone who makes her question everything she's always thought she wanted.

Available on
Amazon
.

The last thing Norah needs is to be attracted to anyone - especially in her deceased fiancé's parents' home. Collin's starting a new career, and has no business getting involved - especially while staying with his roommate's family, who very kindly offered to take him in for the holidays. Unfortunately, you just don't always pick the most convenient time and place to fall for someone.

You can find this book on
Amazon
or
Barnes and Noble
.