Christmas in Romance Book 3

  by

  LIWEN Y. HO

  Holding onto Love in Romance

  Copyright © 2018 by Liwen Y. Ho. All rights reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design: Shanna Hatfield

  Interior Design: 2 Square 2 Be Hip (www.2square2behip.com)

  Publisher: 2 Square 2 Be Hip (www.2square2behip.com)

  First Edition

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Afterword

  Acknowledgments

  More Books by Liwen Y. Ho

  About the Author

  Excerpt from A Reel Romance

  Dedication

  To my dear readers who loved Chase and Izzy’s story from Chasing Romance. You are the reason I wrote this sequel!

  Chapter One

  Izzy

  “Mama, please be careful!”

  Izzy Sutton glanced down from where she was perched on top of a ladder on the porch of her quaint bed and breakfast. Her nineteen-year-old daughter, Gracie, stared back at her with wide eyes. Izzy waved her free hand without a care and called down, “Don’t worry, sweetheart. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this.”

  “But it’s raining cats and dogs right now. I don’t want you to slip and fall.” She handed her mom a fake garland tied with a red velvet bow in the center. A gust of wind suddenly blew a sheet of rain at them, causing drops of water to stain her pink cheeks. “Can’t we wait until the rain stops? We have plenty of time to decorate for Christmas. Two weeks to be exact.”

  “Make that three hours. I need the other week, six days, and twenty-one hours to finish wedding planning.” Izzy released a deep breath as soon as the words left her mouth. If anyone had told her a year ago that she’d be getting married on Christmas Eve this year, she would’ve called them crazy. When her ex-boyfriend ran off with another woman years ago, she never expected to get a second chance at love. As a resident of Romance, however, she shouldn’t have been surprised. This Oregon town was well-known for instigating love. She still had a hard time though believing she’d fallen for a pop singer eleven years her junior.

  Gracie bristled. “That’s what I’m here for, Mama. I have a checklist of all the things we still need to get done, so you don’t have to worry about any of it. You just need to write your vows.”

  Izzy shook her head. When had her only child started sounding so responsible? Gracie had always been mature for her age, but Izzy supposed college had helped her grow up even more. She flashed Gracie a grateful smile. “I really don’t have much to worry about, do I? Except for the vows. You’re right about those.”

  “So how much have you written?”

  “Um, not much?” It wasn’t that Izzy was avoiding the task—okay, who was she kidding? She was avoiding it. “I don’t know why Chase insists on us writing our vows. Why can’t we go the traditional route?”

  “Because it’s special and more personal this way. And you’re a writer who writes love songs, so it shouldn’t be too hard to do,” Gracie teased.

  “It shouldn’t be,” Izzy agreed with chagrin. Running Interlude Inn used to be her day job, but her songwriting career had picked up so much in the past year, it had become her main source of income. One would think she’d have no problems writing her vows, but it was a lot harder than she imagined. Especially since she’d need to speak them out loud in front of their wedding guests. She wasn’t used to being in the limelight like Chase. That’s why she preferred writing songs instead of singing them. “I just want them to be perfect, you know. You only get married once. I’ve waited thirty-seven years for my time to come. I want the moment to be unforgettable.”

  With the sleeve of her waterproof jacket, Izzy pushed back some wet strands of her strawberry blonde hair that were stuck to her face. She narrowed her eyes to look for the metal hook nailed into the porch roof. Once she found the hook, she hung the garland on it with a satisfied grin. “There. Two sides down, one to go.”

  She stepped down the ladder and shifted it forward a few feet. After climbing back up, she reached for the next garland Gracie handed her. When she met her daughter’s gaze, she was surprised to find a wet sheen lighting up her blue eyes. “What is it? Are you okay?”

  Gracie nodded eagerly. “I’m just so happy for you, Mama. You deserve to find love after all these years.”

  Izzy reached out for Gracie’s hand and squeezed it gently. “I don’t know about deserving it, but I sure am grateful.” She paused for a moment before asking, “Are you okay with all this, sweetheart? With me marrying Chase?”

  Gracie’s brows furrowed, creating a line above her pert nose. “Of course I am. Why would you think I wasn’t? I’ve liked Chase since the first time I heard him on the radio. Of course, he wasn’t our Chase then; he was a famous pop star we had never met. But now that I’ve gotten to know him, I like him all the more. He makes you happy, and that’s all that matters.”

  She was right. Chase did make her happy, so happy. Despite their age difference, they bonded over their shared love of music. Professionally speaking, they were already partners who had started writing songs together since they met last October. However, marrying Chase would not only affect her personal life, but Gracie’s as well. “You know things are going to change around here. It’s not going to be the two of us anymore.”

  “Mama, it hasn’t been the two of us for a while now. Did you forget about my brother?”

  At the mention of him, a large black dog bounded out of the inn. The front screen door slammed after him, adding a resounding bang to the pitter-patter of the falling rain. He skidded on his two front paws as he came to a stop at Gracie’s yellow rubber boots. His tail wagged back and forth, slapping the bottom rungs of the ladder.

  “Thor!” Gracie bent down to give the now wet dog a rub behind his ears. “You heard me talking about you, didn’t you?” She cocked her head to one side as she resumed her conversation with Izzy. “As I was saying, Mama …”

  Izzy laughed. The sweet Labrador-pit bull mix she had adopted at last year’s Fall Festival had certainly become an important part of their family. “I didn’t forget Thor.”

  Thor barked in reply and bumped his head against Izzy’s jean-clad legs. He nearly knocked her petite frame off the ladder in his enthusiasm.

  “Gentle, Thor!” Gracie grabbed a hold of the ladder to keep it stable. “You okay, Mama?”

  “I’m fine, sweetheart. But back to what I was saying,” Izzy continued, her tone sober. “Things will be different after I marry Chase. When you come home from school, there will be three of us living together and eating together—doing everything together.” She pursed her lips for a moment. “Okay, maybe not everything. I doubt if Chase will want to go shopping with us. But you know what I mean. It won’t be only you and me in this house. But that doesn’t mean you’ll stop being important to me. No matter what, you’ll always be my baby.”

  “Mama, please. I’m not a baby anymore. I’m a sophomore in college, remember? I have a boyfriend. I even do my own laundry now.”

  Izzy inhaled sharply. Gracie’s face blurred before her eyes, from both the rain and the hot tears threatening to spill over. Her daughter was right. She was a young woman who could take care of herself, someone who was years ahead in maturity than she was at her age. A bittersweet smile crossed her lips. Her work as a mother was far from over, but maybe she could rest easy and let go a little bit. Just enough to focus on her new life with her husband.

  Gulp! Husband—that one word sent tingles down her back in a good way. She felt like pinching herself. The idea that someone as kind and charming as Chase Lockhart would want her was beyond her wildest dreams. She only hoped she would make Chase as happy as he made her.

  But what if she wasn’t enough for him? What if he hated being stuck in a small town when he could be traveling the world? These questions niggled at the back of her mind, planting seeds of doubt.

  Gracie must have noticed her hesitation. She tugged at Izzy’s hand. “You’ve got a future with Chase to build. You guys are going to have so many adventures together. Writing songs, going to music award shows, meeting famous people—I can’t wait to hear all about it. I’ll be busy with classes and Brady—” she blushed at the mention of her boyfriend’s name “—so, you don’t have to worry about me, or at least n ot as much as you usually do.”

  The earnestness in her daughter’s voice warmed her heart. Other than Chase, Gracie was the one person who could brighten her day with a smile, just like she was doing now. “How did I end up with such an amazing daughter?” She reached down to pull Gracie into a tight embrace, resting her chin on her blonde head.

  A loud bark made them both jump. They watched as Thor ran toward a tall figure clad in black jeans and a jacket hurrying up the front steps. The handsome face of America’s hottest pop sensation, hidden behind dark shades, greeted them.

  Izzy’s breath hitched to see Chase. He shook his head free of rain, causing a lock of dark hair to fall into his eyes. The smile that made every teenage girl in the nation swoon was aimed at her, bringing with it a ray of sunshine on this dreary winter day. No wonder she had fallen for him.

  “You guys started decorating without me?” Chase took off his sunglasses and hung them on the front of his shirt. He pretended to pout as he reached them. “If you had waited, you wouldn’t have needed this ladder. I would’ve carried you on my shoulders,” he added with a wink in Izzy’s direction.

  “So I could experience what it’s like to be a giant?” she teased him back. Thanks to the ladder, they were eye to eye for once.

  “Hey, the view’s great up here. I can easily spot things in a crowd. Just like how I spotted you.” He leaned in close and tipped Izzy’s chin up with one hand.

  Behind him, Gracie cleared her throat not-so-subtly. “I’ll let you two finish up here. I’m gonna make some apple cider for when you guys are done.” She patted her leg and called out to Thor as she walked off. “Come on, boy!”

  The dog barked again and ran after Gracie, only to return after a second. He raced toward the ladder and stood up on his front paws to give Izzy a parting kiss. In his enthusiasm, he knocked her completely off balance. Izzy yelped and scrambled to hold onto the ladder to keep from falling. Her feet slipped off the rung just as a pair of large hands caught her.

  “I’ve got you,” Chase exclaimed.

  He certainly did, in more ways than one. Her heart fluttered in her chest as Chase held her gaze. He pulled her close until their foreheads touched. With nary an inch between them, Izzy relaxed in his strong arms. “You were saying? You spotted me …”

  “Across a crowded supermarket. Over a bin of potatoes, if I remember correctly,” he added with a chuckle. “That’s when I knew you were the one for me.”

  She licked her lips. “Because I was picking out potatoes?” she asked with a teasing lilt.

  “Exactly.” Chase’s blue eyes twinkled. “You know how much I love to eat.”

  Izzy rolled her eyes. Chase was over six feet tall and all muscle. It seemed he could eat his weight in food, yet not gain a single pound. His quick metabolism was just one way in which they differed. It wasn’t the most extreme way though. The difference that worried her the most was their opposing lifestyles.

  He was a big-time pop star with upward of ten million followers. She was a small-town girl who loved staying behind the scenes. Why he had fallen for her was still a mystery.

  He had summed it up with one line when he’d proposed on Valentine’s Day ten months ago: I knew you were special the first time I saw you. She had chalked it up to puppy love or an infatuation with older women, but he said it was more than that. With the same passion he embodied to sing his songs, he’d vowed to love her for the rest of his life. And because she had never experienced a purer love, she had said yes.

  Now as she stared into his eyes, she saw his affection for her. A peace settled in her heart as his mouth found hers. Her stomach dropped as his warm lips kissed away the cold.

  When they pulled apart, he gave her what could only be described as a goofy grin. “I think there might be something I like more than eating.”

  “What?”

  “Kissing you.”

  Even as her body warmed to hear those words, her mind fell down a spiral of doubt. Chase had the best of intentions, but he was only twenty-six. What if he got tired of being tied down? What would become of their marriage then? These were the questions she needed answers to before their wedding day.

  Chapter Two

  Chase

  “Here, let me do the dishes.” Chase walked over to where Izzy stood in front of the stainless steel sink. The kitchen lights he’d recently installed for her shone from above, highlighting the red in her hair. His heart skipped a beat just looking at her. He took the blue checkered apron she was in the process of slipping over her head and put it on himself. “I think this looks better on me anyways.”

  Her hazel eyes lit up in amusement. Placing her hands on her hips, she gave him an appreciative once-over. “Hmm, not bad, not bad.”

  “Not bad?” Chase raised a brow and pulled her flush against his chest. His body instantly warmed at their contact. He loved being close to Izzy. They’d been apart from each other much too often this summer when he’d gone on tour. He dreaded having to leave her again tomorrow. “Maybe you need a closer look.”

  “Are you implying I need bifocals?” She gave his bicep a playful slap. “I may be old, but I can still see fine, young man.”

  He pretended to study her face, from her smooth porcelain skin and defined cheekbones to her full red lips. “You are far from old. My perfect vision doesn’t see a trace of a wrinkle anywhere. You look just as young and gorgeous as the day we met.”

  “Which was only a year ago, need I remind you.”

  “One year, one month, and four days,” he remarked proudly. “I’ve been keeping track.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “You’re pretty adorable, you know that?”

  He chuckled softly. “It must be the apron.”

  Chase held Izzy in his arms, wanting nothing more than to savor their time together. As much as he was a romantic, he hadn’t truly believed in love at first sight until he laid eyes on Izzy. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. But theirs was more than a physical attraction; they shared a mutual respect and a passion for creativity. Izzy had also become a source of peace and calm in his otherwise noisy world of fame. He thrived in her presence, whether they were creating songs together or strolling along the streets of their small town.

  Moments earlier, they had finished dinner after a busy afternoon of decorating the house. He’d helped hang up the remaining garlands and also strung lights around the Interlude Inn placard. Inside, they had switched out all the fall decor, both upstairs and downstairs, for Christmas ones.

  Standing here in the kitchen, he could see the fresh wreath hanging over the window at the sink. The dishware displayed behind the glass door of the cupboards featured holly, berries, and a gold trim. The aroma of cinnamon and cloves from a burning candle filled the space. As much as he enjoyed the holiday smells, he loved Izzy’s scent even more.

  The coconut fragrance he’d come to associate with Izzy, along with her own unique scent, filled his senses. He longed to hold her like this all night … but he still had a suitcase to pack. Not to mention a sink full of dishes waiting for him. He inhaled deeply one more time before letting go. Goodbyes were difficult enough, but having to leave Izzy so close to their wedding date made it doubly hard. He chose to put on a brave face.

  Chase picked up a dinner plate and began soaping it. “So, I forwarded my itinerary to you. I’ll be reachable by phone, but just in case, I gave you the numbers for the hotels I’ll be staying at in Australia.”

  Izzy nodded as she leaned one hip against the kitchen counter. She seemed to be in a world of her own, focusing her attention on a stray thread fraying from the dish towel in her hands. The large diamond solitaire on her left hand sparkled as she pulled at the thread. She murmured in acknowledgment, “Okay, got it.”

  He rinsed off the plate and handed it to her. Without a word, she wiped it down and placed it in a cupboard. All the while, she chewed on her lower lip the way she always did when in deep thought.

  Concerned, Chase rinsed off his hands, turned off the faucet, and faced her. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. “I’m sorry I haven’t been much help with wedding planning. All these tour dates were scheduled over a year ago before we met. You can bet if I’d known back then that I’d fall in love with my songwriter, I wouldn’t have planned on traveling anywhere this year.”

 

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