A Very Married Christmas: A Silver Bell Falls Holiday Novella(17)

Nodding, Christine took a sip of her own wine before responding. “Well, I would imagine Josiah’s accident took precedence over everything!” Then she looked at Josiah and smiled. “Although I have to admit, if Melanie hadn’t told me what happened, gunshot wound would not even cross my mind!”

“I was fortunate,” he said, hoping he sounded modest. “It could have been a lot worse.” Melanie instantly reached for his hand and he saw the tears in her eyes. They’d spent a lot of time talking about how scared she was and he had to admit, the situation had scared him as well. In all his years of living in Silver Bell Falls and as the sheriff, nothing like this had ever happened. And as much as he tried to comfort Melanie and assure her that he was fine and this was an isolated incident, he knew it was all too new and too fresh in their minds for them to simply gloss over.

Kissing Melanie’s hand, he smiled at her and looked at Christine. “It was a clean shot and other than being really sore, I’m good. Now I’ll have a couple of weeks off to sit around and hopefully start planning a wedding.”

Which—if they ever got to it—would be a great distraction.

Christine’s smile was bright as she looked at the two of them. “Do you have any ideas about when you want to do it? A summer wedding? Fall?”

Melanie looked at him briefly before responding. “I was thinking spring—you know, flowers blooming, warmer temperatures…”

“Ooo…that does sound nice.” Christine looked at Josiah. “Is that what you’re thinking too?”

In that moment, he was almost afraid to look at Melanie but…

“I was hoping for a Christmas wedding,” he said, his gaze focused on Christine and Christine only.

Her eyes went wide and if possible, her smile broadened. “Oh, that would be fantastic! And in your little Christmas town too!” She gasped and then looked at Melanie. “You would make a beautiful winter bride, Melanie!”

Beside him, he heard Melanie’s groan but if Christine did, she chose not to comment on it.

“And really, why wait? The two of you have been together for so long now and everyone can see how you were meant to be since the moment you met! On top of that, think of how much of the work would be done for you because everything around you would be so beautifully decorated and…”

Josiah tuned out at that point because he could tell Melanie was only half-listening. He squeezed her hand in encouragement and offered her a smile when she looked at him. Unfortunately, he could tell she was getting a little annoyed at yet another positive response to the mention of a Christmas wedding.

Clearing his throat, he interrupted Christine. “We have a lot to take into consideration, but we hope to make a decision soon.” Then he changed the subject to the food they were eating and that seemed to do the trick. The remainder of the meal was spent talking about their meeting tomorrow and all the ways this movie deal would help boost Melanie’s career. And at that point, he was more than happy to sit back and listen because really, what he wanted most was for Melanie to be happy and successful.

Writing was a passion of hers and he knew that even though it sometimes came across as being a burden, she loved it. The publishing world was forever changing and it was getting harder for her to find ways to stand out in a sea of talented writers. He hoped this movie would help her achieve her goal.

He was learning so much about her job and he had to admit he had no idea so much went into it. At first glance, he thought, okay, you get an idea for a story and you write it. Boy, was he wrong. There was so much more to it and he was in awe of how talented she was and how she balanced everything she needed to do—writing, editing, marketing, promoting, cover designing…it was exhausting just thinking about it.

When the meal was over, they thanked Christine and promised to see her tomorrow. Well, Melanie did. There was no reason for Josiah to go with her. It wouldn’t look particularly professional for him to be there and besides, he planned on doing a little sight-seeing or shopping while she was out. It wasn’t his favorite way to pass the time but he figured it was the best option for him.

Since the restaurant was right next to the hotel, their walk back should have been short. All he wanted was to go to their room and relax, but they weren’t far from Rockefeller Center and Melanie begged to go see the tree with its lights on.

How could he say no?

The temperature was cold but he was used to that. The constant throngs of people—however—were really starting to grate on his nerves. But when they turned that corner and the massive Christmas tree came into view, it almost made the whole trip worth it.

Beside him, Melanie chatted excitedly about how beautiful it all was and how she couldn’t believe how she’d never noticed it before and he had to admit, he loved hearing that. There was no way he could imagine her going through the rest of her life hating Christmas the way she had when he first met her. And as much as he loved the holiday, it was incredible to be experiencing it through her eyes.

They were overlooking the ice skaters and Josiah stood behind her and wrapped his good arm around her. “It’s kind of amazing, isn’t it?”

She nodded. “You see it on TV but it doesn’t do it justice. I mean…the energy, the vibe in the air is just…it’s infectious!”

Chuckling, he placed a kiss on her temple. “I was looking forward to going back to the room, but I’m glad we came down here to see this.”