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    A Kiss at Christmas: A Holiday Romance
    A Kiss at Christmas: A Holiday Romance
    A Kiss at Christmas: A Holiday Romance
    Ebook144 pages1 hour

    A Kiss at Christmas: A Holiday Romance

    By Lisa Marbly-Warir

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Meet Vanessa McIntosh. After years spent being married to her career, she believed in the notion that true love was for other people. When the love of her life swept her off of her feet, it was the happiest moment of her life. On what would have been her wedding day—one month before Christmas, her fiancé called off the wedding.

    Love and the magic of Christmas no longer held a special place for her. After losing her man she swore off love and immersed herself in a new job venture. Then the love she didn’t think was for her showed up in the most unexpected way.

    Will the bitterness of being left at the altar ruin her chance at succumbing to a love that was right under her nose the whole time?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLisa Marbly-Warir
    Release dateOct 31, 2017
    ISBN9781370687329
    A Kiss at Christmas: A Holiday Romance
    Author

    Lisa Marbly-Warir

    Lisa Marbly-Warir is an avid reader and has been writing for years. She started out writing fan fiction of celebrities and TV/movie characters. Michael Jackson was her favorite to write about and it garnered her a small following. She published her first book Destinee romance novella (year of completion 2001) in January 2015. Painting and drawing is also a favorite pastime though she doesn’t do it as often as she used to. Next to reading, writing and drawing, Lisa also loves to travel. She has been to Europe, the Caribbean and North Africa as well as travels throughout the United States. You will see she incorporates some of her travel journeys into her stories. One of her quotes “Writing is an escape, and I love living through my characters and bringing them to life” Check out her other storiesTwo Become one-A Destinee romance book 2Jewel—A Chance at LoveBorn Out of Lust (novella) book 3Sista’s can we talk?Under the Irish MoonThe Millionaire—Diamonds Are ForeverA Kiss at ChristmasHis Soul, Her Heartwww.shimmergirlbooks.comwww.lisamarbly-warirauthorpage.weebly.comTwitter @LwarirFacebook Destinee romance Novellawww.Goodreads.com

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      Book preview

      A Kiss at Christmas - Lisa Marbly-Warir

      A kiss at Christmas

      A Holiday Romance

      By Lisa Marbly-Warir

      Edited by Karen Garette

      Cover by Annoula (Fiverr)

      ©2016

      www.shimmergirlbooks.com

      Lwarir@yahoo.com

      The characters, names and places mentioned in this novella are purely fictional. Any similarities between the characters of this book and real people are coincidental.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Chapter 17

      Chapter 18

      Chapter 19

      Chapter 20

      Chapter 21

      Other books by the author

      Chapter 1

      Ms. Vanessa McIntosh sat on the deck of the cruise ship with twenty of her closest friends. Hopefully it was her last few weeks and her last Christmas as a single woman and getting her aunt off of her nerves about still being single at forty plus.

      Keep the drinks flowing, she said to a waiter as he came around offering drinks and other refreshments.

      Girl, I am so happy for you, her good friend from elementary school said as she took a sip of her drink and stared off at the sunset.

      I can’t even believe this is happening, Vanessa said and put an arm behind her head and basked in the warm fuzzy feeling of happiness. Gordon is such a sweet man. I can’t believe I even found him…she trailed off.

      You were blessed, I mean at your age—our age, her friend corrected. "It gets harder to meet and find the one."

      I know and my mother is over the moon that her baby girl is finally getting married, Vanessa said.

      Her friend snickered.

      Yes, she has an image to keep with the old ladies at the church.

      I know, Vanessa said with a laugh, she sees Sister so-and-so’s daughter getting married, or Sister so-and-so having a baby shower and she rides my back about settling down. You got your wish, Mama, she raised her glass in the air. Well, Mama won’t get her grandbabies, but she’s gaining a son-in-law, Vanessa continued.

      What are you guys talking about? Shannon, her maid of honor came over and asked.

      Mama, Vanessa said.

      Shannon rolled her eyes. Is she still bothering you about getting married?

      You know she is—well, was, Vanessa said and took a sip of her Kiss on the lips.

      "If she was my mother I would put her in Shady Pines." Shannon said. The ladies laughed at The Golden Girls reference. I’m kidding; I love your mother, Shannon said.

      I know. Whew; this is my last hoorah, Vanessa said and stood up.

      Pretty soon the other friends were up on deck and were ready to party. They had already done a photo shoot earlier that day on the beaches of the Bahamas and now it was time for the party on the ship that night.

      When Vanessa walked into the community room, it was decked out in her wedding colors—red, green and gold—the colors of Christmas, her favorite time of year. Her maid of honor did her proud with the decorations and organizing the trip.

      While the ladies were enjoying balmy tropical weather in the Bahamas, back home in Michigan the weather was in the teens.

      A girl could get used to this weather, Vanessa said to whichever friend was close by. But, I love the winter months too much.

      Girl, you’re the only one, one of her friends said. The drinks continued to flow and the music was good. After her fill of partying and living it up with her friends, Vanessa went and crashed on her bed. It was one o’clock in the morning. She picked up her phone and called Gordon.

      Hi, baby, she said.

      Hey, he said into the phone. He didn’t sound his usual enthusiastic self; Vanessa attributed it to the time of morning and him longing for her.

      I miss you—can you believe in six weeks we will be married? she said dreamily.

      He chuckled. Yeah—can’t wait, he said. Try not to have too much fun without me, he added before they ended the call.

      One month later

      Vanessa sat on the couch in the living room across from Gordon—after their impromptu Christmas party. He didn’t want to have it, but he gave in for Vanessa’s sake.

      He had a strained look on his face, but he refused to look at her. He was the man who was going to be her husband in just two short weeks and he couldn’t look her in the face.

      Gordon, what’s wrong? You’ve been distant for weeks now.

      I can’t do this, he mumbled under his breath.

      Pardon me? Vanessa asked.

      Gordon took a deep breath. "I said, I can’t do this—I’m sorry, I should have told you sooner,

      but, I don’t want to get married."

      The room started spinning as a gamut of emotions went through her body. She stood up, then sat down, then stood up and paced.

      Why are you doing this to me? Is there someone else? she asked, holding back tears.

      There’s no one else, he said.

      She started to cry out of pity for herself.

      When were you going to tell me this? She asked. How long have you felt this way?"

      He just looked at her and then put his head down, not wanting to hurt her any more than he already had.

      I’m sorry, was all he could say and then added, You don’t have to move out right away.

      More tears came. She had given up her pricey apartment downtown to move in with him because he had begged her. She wanted to wait until they were married and now she was being thrown out. He got up from the sofa, turned on his heel and left the room. She stood there in shock not knowing what to do next. She wanted to hurt him. She wanted to pick up the heaviest object she could find and level it against his head.

      His cold and distance stance irked her to her soul and she wanted him to hurt as much as she was hurting. She couldn’t stay there that night. She picked up her purse and went to her car. There, she was able to break down and sob. She composed herself because she didn’t want him to see her sobbing in the car.

      ***

      I’m so sorry, baby, her mother told her when she finally gave her the news a week later of her wedding being off. She didn’t say much, she just held her daughter.

      I can’t believe this is happening. It’s so surreal, Vanessa said with tears streaming down her face.

      Where are you staying? her mother asked.

      I’ve been staying at a hotel downtown, Vanessa said. When he broke up with me, I left that night.

      At forty-eight, Vanessa felt Gordon was her final chance at love—a chance to make up for her years of chasing a career. She’d passed up eligible men and the chance to have children and thought that Gordon could change it all for her. She was looking forward to her winter wonderland wedding. Her dress, jewelry and shoes had all been carefully picked and cost a lot of money. She took a deep sigh and stepped out of her mother’s embrace.

      I love you, her mother said and kissed her cheek.

      I love you too, Mom, she said and left her mother’s house.

      As Vanessa drove to the hotel Shannon called.

      How are you holding up? she asked Vanessa.

      As well as can be expected—I’m mad at myself for not seeing the warning signs, Vanessa said and pulled up to the hotel. She sat in the car for a moment as her mind raced.

      You can’t blame yourself for this, Shannon told her friend.

      I know, I know—sometimes I go over in my mind what went wrong—

      Don’t beat yourself up over this. I know it hurts, but it’s better it happened like this than

      after the wedding—you know what I mean?" Shannon said.

      I do, and yes, I thought about that, Vanessa said.

      When she got off the phone she went on to her hotel room and sat on the edge of the bed. She knew it was going to take a few months to get over the betrayal and humiliation. After a

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