The young people sat on the floor in Muriel’s living room. The grown-ups sat in the dining room, which only seated eight. And somehow it all worked. It was the best Christmas Alexa had ever had, even better than the good days in Charleston.

They left Savannah at her mother’s for one more night, and Edward and Alexa walked to the Carlyle as it started snowing. They sang “White Christmas” together off-key and he stopped on the street and kissed her. It was the happiest Christmas of her life, and he felt the same way. He had loved being married to Sybil in the beginning. But this was better, it was more grown-up. And sometimes Sybil was a little too wild, even for him, although he loved her dearly.

“Maybe it’ll keep snowing and we can have a snowball fight tomorrow,” Alexa said, sounding hopeful, with a hand tucked into his arm.

“I don’t think so,” Edward said, looking down at her with a serious expression.

“No? Why not? Don’t you like snowball fights?” It seemed so unlike him not to. He was a good sport about everything else.

“I do like snowball fights,” he conceded, as he stopped walking again and looked at her. “I just don’t know if it’s a good idea for a senator’s wife to be lobbing snowballs at people in the park. You might hit a stranger and wind up on the news.” Her eyes opened wide as he said it. “What do you think about that?” he asked softly.

“The snowball fight?” she asked breathlessly.

“No…the other…the senator’s wife thing. Does that sound too crazy?” He knew how terrified she was of marriage, but he was sure now himself. He had waited a long time to find her. Sybil was right. Alexa was the one. The perfect one for him.

“I…yes…no…” She stumbled on her words, and he kissed her again. “Yes. I mean no. No, it doesn’t sound too crazy…and yes, I want to.” She was crying and laughing when he kissed her again, and then with her hand tucked tightly into his arm, they walked into the Carlyle. Alexa was grinning broadly, and looked ecstatic, despite the butterflies doing somersaults in her stomach, and the senator from South Carolina looked extremely pleased.

Danielle Steel

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