Rush

obviously up to no good, and since it involved her, she was going
     to be a victim of whatever they’d hatched between them.
    Jace had a driver tonight, which was odd since he tended to tool around town in his
     car when it was just them. But they bundled her inside after making sure she was dosed
     in case her fever returned.
    “Where are we going?” she asked in exasperation.
    “That’s for us to know and you to find out,” Jace said smugly.
    He and Ash both looked like kids at Christmas, and their eyes gleamed with unholy
     glee.
    She relaxed in the seat and told herself she would enjoy whatever it was. Even if
     her heart still ached with emptiness. Gabe had disappeared after staying at her apartment
     Friday night. Not one word had she heard from him. Had he given up?
    When they pulled up in front of Saks Fifth Avenue just across from Rockefeller Center,
     she gasped in pleasure at the enormous lighted tree towering above the skating rink.
     It was so beautiful, and it made her ache with all the memories of Jace taking her
     here when she was a child. They’d never missed a lighting. Not until this year, in
     fact.
    “Oh Jace,” she whispered as he pulled her from the car. “It’s as beautiful as ever.”
    Jace smiled indulgently at her, and then he and Ash fell in beside her as they guided
     her toward the crowd gathered around the tree.
    The tree loomed over them, aglow with thousands and thousands of colored lights. Christmas
     music filled the air. And then a melodious sound as a man began to sing “The Christmas
     Song.”
    “There’s a concert?” Mia asked in excitement as she turned to Jace.
    He smiled and nodded and then urged her toward the front. Surprisingly, no one protested
     their cutting in front of others, and in fact, a group made room for them at the very
     front where the aisle cut up to the stage.
    “Oh this is perfect!” Mia exclaimed.
    Ash and Jace chuckled and then Mia’s attention turned to the singer performing Christmas
     carols.
    Oh but it brought back so many warm memories of her and Jace. She reached over to
     catch Jace’s hand and she squeezed it tightly, her heart overflowing with love for
     her brother. He’d been her rock for so long, and he still was. She’d have never made
     it through her breakup with Gabe if it weren’t for Jace and Ash both.
    “Thank you,” she whispered close to his ear. “I love you.”
    Jace smiled. “Love you too, baby girl. I want this night to be special for you.”
    There was fleeting sadness in his gaze and before she could ask about his cryptic
     words, the song ended and the singer began talking to the crowd. It took her a moment
     before she realized he’d said her name.
    She blinked in surprise, and then a spotlight bounced over her and remained solidly
     in place, illuminating her spot in the crowd. She glanced up to Jace in bewilderment,
     but he’d stepped back along with Ash, leaving her alone in the spotlight.
    “A very merry Christmas and warm holiday wishes going out to Miss Mia Crestwell,”
     the man said. “Gabe Hamilton wants you to know how much he loves you and how much
     he wants for you to spend this holiday season with him. But don’t take my word for
     it. Here’s the man himself to tell you in person.”
    Her mouth gaped open when Gabe appeared at the end of the carpeted aisle that led
     up the steps to where the man had beenperforming. His gaze was fixed solidly on her, and in his hands he carried a brightly
     wrapped box with a huge bow on top.
    The crowd around her cheered as Gabe drew near, and then he went down on one knee,
     the box still held out in his hand.
    “Merry Christmas, Mia,” he said in a husky voice. “I’m sorry I was such an idiot.
     I should have never let you walk away from me. You’re right. You deserve someone who
     will fight for you always and I want to be that man if you’ll just give me another
     chance.”
    She had no idea what to say, how to respond. Tears welled hot in her eyes and threatened
     to fall.
    “I love you,” he said fiercely. “I love you so damn much that I ache when I’m not
     with you. I don’t ever want to be apart from you. I want you in my life always. Do
     you understand that, baby? I want you to marry me. I want forever with you.”
    He held out the box to her and she took it with trembling fingers. They bounced erratically
     over the bow as she tried to pry the top off. Inside was a velvet jeweler’s box. She
     nearly dropped it as