Backstage Romance: An Austen-Inspired Romantic Comedy Box Set by Gigi Blume (ebook reader with highlighter txt) 📕

ounce of willpower not to blurt I love you in between kisses. That would scare her off for sure.

We spent long moments just studying each other’s features. She caressed her fingers along my forearm. I twisted a lock of her soft hair. Her gaze drifted along every inch of my face, watching me. There was a whole world in her eyes. Would I find a place for me in there?

“I want to give you your present now,” I said, reaching for one of my shopping bags. “I didn’t have time to wrap it.”

Georgia furrowed her brows. “I didn’t get you anything.”

“Yes you did.” I kissed her. “You gave me a Christmas Miracle.”

She snorted and nudged my knee. “You know what I mean.”

“It’s just a little trinket. You’re gonna laugh. Here.”

She took the present and felt for the contents inside. Her fingers squeezed at the cardboard box through the paper bag as if she could take a guess what it might be then shook it by her ear.

“I think you’ll be disappointed after all this hype. Open it.”

She smirked at me and ripped the bag to shreds, crumpled it up in a ball and threw it at me. Then her eyes grew wide when she saw the box.

“I love it,” she gasped, tearing open the lid. She took the gift from the box and unwrapped it from the plastic. “It’s so cute.”

It was pretty nice, actually. I wasn’t sure what the miniature replica of Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree would look like out of the package considering it was roughly the size of a teacup, but I was pleasantly surprised at the detail. It was supposed to be a gag gift, but Georgia’s reaction was priceless. She kissed me over and over again.

“Thank you, Charlie Brown.” Her smile was radiant. “It’s perfect.”

She was perfect.

We were roused by the jazzy orchestrations of The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole. No Christmas was complete without the soothing, mellow timbre of his voice.

“I love this song,” Georgia said with a sigh.

“Me too.” I slipped off the couch and offered her my hand. “Care to dance?”

She snickered. “How can I be sure it won’t end with you crashing into the Christmas tree?”

“Just hold me tight.”

I pulled her into my arms and we swayed to the music. Her body was soft pressed against mine. She fused into me, filling all the gaps between us.

My heart swelled along with the music, so full and so happy. I pressed my lips to her forehead, trailing butterfly kisses along her temple, and down her jawbone. My mouth lingered near her ear, dying to tell her my feelings.

“Georgia...” I breathed, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. She shifted just enough to focus on my face. Her expression spoke to me. Trusting.

Tell me. Say anything.

I brushed a stray tendril from her shoulder and leveled my gaze on her eyes.

“I think I’m falling in love with you.”

She arched a brow, reflecting on my admission. “Think?”

I paused before admitting, “No. Not think. I know I am.”

She started giggling. Really tittering to herself.

“I’m glad you find that amusing,” I deadpanned. “For my next act—“

Her lips crashed onto mine, shutting me up. She laughed into the kiss. I was a goner. She could laugh at me all she wanted for all I cared, as long as she kissed me like this every day.

“Thank you for saying it first. I thought I was being a silly girl, falling in love so quickly.”

I blinked in astonishment. “You love me?”

She bobbed her head, eyes wide. “It’s crazy, right?”

“Not as crazy as living life without you.”

We gazed lovingly into each other’s eyes for exactly two seconds and then cracked up. It was all so wild.

“Too sappy?”

She threw her arms around my neck. “I like your brand of sappy.”

We danced to the end of the song and then danced some more. It was all out in the open now. I could breathe freely.

A throat cleared behind us. It was Steven tiptoeing into the living room. “Sorry to barge in. Palanca put me on Santa duty.”

“No worries,” Georgia chirped. “Tell us what to do. We’ll be your elves.”

He rubbed his eyes, too tired to protest. “I was just going to put out milk and cookies.”

“We got this.” I nudged him back down the hallway. “We’ll even take a few bites to make it realistic.”

“Are you sure?” He looked over his shoulder to Georgia.

“Yes,” I said. “Go to sleep.”

He shuffled off, waving tiredly. Once he was gone I inclined my head to the kitchen. “Let’s go get those cookies.”

Georgia started, then stopped when my phone buzzed on the side table. “Who’s texting at two in the morning?”

I shrugged. “Maybe it’s your brother. I’ll go get the cookies while you check.”

I pranced into the kitchen and Reeses perked his head from his slumber with the hope of food.

“Are you hungry buddy?”

He trotted to the refrigerator and scratched the door.

“You know where the good stuff is, don’t you? Let’s see what we’ve got.”

I found some lunchmeat and tossed him a slice. Then I eyed the carrots and thought it would be fun to leave those out for the reindeer. Sophia would get a kick out of that.

I wondered if Georgia wanted kids someday. My heart warmed at the thought, hoping to be the one she’d share that joy with. How long would I have to wait to ask her to marry me? Was right now too soon? Yeah, maybe just a tad. Tomorrow, then. I grinned, almost talking myself into it.

Once I gathered the milk, cookies, and carrots on a tray, I shut off the kitchen light and strolled back to the living room. But I stopped short as I crossed the threshold when I saw Georgia standing in the middle of the room with the phone hanging at her side and tears streaming down her cheeks.

21

Georgia

I had to squint through the massively cracked screen on Wyatt’s phone to make sure I was reading the text correctly.

Will Darcy wedding...

At first I thought