Sophie Love

#1 bestselling author Sophie Love is author of the romantic comedy series, THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR, which includes eight books, and which begins with FOR NOW AND FOREVER (THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR – BOOK 1).

Sophie Love is also the author of the debut romantic comedy series, THE ROMANCE CHRONICLES, which includes 5 books (and counting), and which begins with LOVE LIKE THIS (THE ROMANCE CHRONICLES – BOOK 1).

Sophie would love to hear from you, so please visit www.sophieloveauthor.com to email her, to join the mailing list, to receive free ebooks, to hear the latest news, and to stay in touch!

Copyright © 2018  by Sophie Love. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright  vvita, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

BOOKS BY SOPHIE LOVE

THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR

FOR NOW AND FOREVER (Book #1)

FOREVER AND FOR ALWAYS (Book #2)

FOREVER, WITH YOU (Book #3)

IF ONLY FOREVER (Book #4)

FOREVER AND A DAY (Book #5)

FOREVER, PLUS ONE (Book #6)

FOR YOU, FOREVER (Book #7)

CHRISTMAS FOREVER (Book #8)

THE ROMANCE CHRONICLES

LOVE LIKE THIS (Book #1)

LOVE LIKE THAT (Book #2)

LOVE LIKE OURS (Book #3)

LOVE LIKE THEIRS (Book #4)

LOVE LIKE YOURS (Book #5)

Chapter one

Keira sniffed. Ham. She could definitely smell ham.

She opened her eyes, taking a moment to adjust to the bright daylight bouncing off the powder blue walls. Milo’s bedroom. She smiled to herself.

Another waft of cooking food caught her nostrils. Yolanta and Nils, Milo’s parents, were probably preparing Christmas dishes down in the kitchen. Her mouth flooded with saliva in response.

Keira rolled over and looked at Milo’s sleeping form. The last few days in Sweden with him had been wonderful. Magical. The snow had come, covering the mountain cottages in a thick blanket of white, and they’d spent the days hiking, ice fishing, and skating on the frozen lake. It had felt dreamlike to Keira, as if she were the heroine in a fantasy film. The beautiful scenery was made better when the evening drew in and the Northern Lights started to undulate in the sky.

Keira wished it didn’t have to end. But she knew she couldn’t stay in Sweden forever. Tomorrow she had a flight booked home to New York City. It made her sad to think about leaving this place, leaving Milo and his family. The whole experience had been refreshing for her. Rejuvenating.

The relationship, too, had felt like the most welcome relief from the stress of her last romantic endeavors. It was the first time Keira had really felt able to live in the moment, knowing that neither she nor Milo had any expectations, no unrealistic, overambitious plans for a future together (as she’d had with Shane), no marriage pressures (as she’d had with Cristiano). She realized this was the first time her thoughts of leaving weren’t gut-wrenching. They were merely sad, like the whole world and her whole heart were not dependent on the outcome of this relationship.

Just then, Milo woke up. He looked over at her and smiled. “Happy Christmas.”

Keira leaned down and kissed him softly. “Happy Christmas.”

Milo lay back against the pillow, his eyelids fluttering several times, as though he wasn’t yet fully awake.

“I smell ham,” he said sleepily.

Keira giggled. “Me too. I’m guessing your parents are in the kitchen.”

“Of course,” he said, yawning. “Swedish Christmas is a time for excess. They’ll be cooking all day.”

“We should help them,” Keira suggested.

Milo shook his head. His eyes were shut again. He clearly wasn’t ready to be fully awake yet.

Keira gazed at his face, so handsome and serene. She was going to miss this, the closeness, the easiness of it all. Never before had things felt so right between her and a man, so devoid of friction or fraught with insecurity.

Milo opened a single eye. “What are you looking at?” he asked with a smirk.

Keira sighed. “Just your gorgeous face.”

He frowned and reached out to gently touch her arm. “Why so melancholy?” He smiled softly, reassuringly. “No one is allowed to be sad on Christmas.”

Keira laughed but felt her stomach twist. “You know why,” she said in an exhalation.

Milo pushed himself up onto his elbows, the covers sliding down to reveal his honed torso. “You’re thinking about tomorrow,” he stated. “About leaving. And about the future. About what comes next.”

She nodded, her gaze falling to the bed sheets.

Milo reached for her, wrapping his arms about her and pulling her into his warm chest.

“It’s going to be okay,” he told her. “We can’t predict the future, but whatever happens, we will be okay. Every relationship, romantic or otherwise, teaches you something. About love, friendship, the human psyche, yourself. No moment is wasted if you allow yourself to be fully immersed in it. And you’ve done that. You spent Christmas in a foreign country away from your family for the first time in your life. The future, path, it’s nothing to worry about. You’ve got this.”

Keira felt him press a kiss into the crown of her head. His positive approach to life and relationships was reassuring, and she was glad he hadn’t said anything overblown like her exes would have. There was no pretense, no promise, just now.

She committed to immersing herself in the day, just as Milo had suggested.

“Come on,” she said, moving from his warm, strong arms. “Let’s see what your folks are cooking up. I want to learn some more crazy Swedish recipes.”

Milo chuckled. “Homemade liver pâté? Really think you’re ready?”

Keira grinned and flexed her muscles. “I was born ready!”

*

Down in the kitchen, they found Milo’s parents, Nils and Yolanta, and his sister, Regina, all buzzing around in an organizing frenzy. Unlike at her own home, the Nilson family seemed to love being busy. Had this been her mom’s kitchen, with Mallory and Bryn inside, there’d be at least one spilled pan on the floor, one dry, overcooked ham smoldering in the oven, and a discarded dish towel starting to burn on the stove’s open flame.

“Good morning!” Nils exclaimed, in his bouncy, lilting Swedish accent.

“Are you here to help cook?” Regina asked. Of all the family, she was the least chill, Keira thought. She seemed to enjoy reveling in stress and bossing everyone around, whereas her parents were far more lighthearted about it all.

“Oh, Regina, leave them alone,” Yolanta said. “Keira’s our guest, must I remind you. And besides, we only have her for one more day. There’s no way she’s lifting a finger.”

Keira smiled at the sweet comment, but she felt her melancholy growing. Yolanta had brought up the fact that they were nearing the end of the countdown, that her time here was soon over.

“Milo still needs to help,” Regina said.

“I’d love to, dear sister,” he joked, slinging an arm around her. “What can I do to help?”

“You could start on the liver pâté,” she said, gesturing him to a chopping board set up on one of the counters. Beside it sat a lump of terrifying-looking meat. Keira felt her stomach churn.

Milo turned and wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Told you so.”

The family settled into their cooking, and Keira’s attempts to join in were constantly thwarted. In the end, she busied herself setting the table for breakfast, making it exceptionally neat. She adjusted the gaudy reindeer print tablecloth and laid out the elaborate silver candlesticks and Santa figurines. Then she moved on to tidying the room and straightening all the pictures. They’d previously spent a joyful evening decorating the whole house in Christmas-themed art – strange images depicting winter woodland nymphs – and she’d been assured this was a traditional Swedish thing to do.

From helping decorate their tall, densely branched tree with Swedish flags, tinsel, colored baubles, and electric lights, Christmas time in Sweden, Keira had learned, was a fun, lively, and often bizarre affair. But it wasn’t all strange. There was the usual excess of good food – the classic glazed ham served alongside more Swedish delicacies such as egg and anchovy mixture, herring (pickled, patéd, and in salad form), rye bread, potatoes, meatballs, beetroot salad, liver pâté, and a fish dish called lutfisk. And though the daylight hours were short, the skies had been blue, the sun shining, and the snow underfoot glistening and bright. When the long, dark evenings drew in, Yolanta lit the candles and their warming glow was comforting. Fresh hyacinths were ever present, filling the home with their powerful scent.

Just then, Keira heard clattering from behind and turned to see the family entering, their arms laden with dishes and trays which they began to place on the table. The excess of food for Christmas breakfast was even more mouth-watering than the last few days had been. Keira licked her lips in anticipation.

Everyone sat and began dishing out the food. Keira filled her plate with breads and cheeses, and gratefully accepted a cup of exceptionally strong, fresh brewed coffee.

“Do you know what your next assignment is going to be, Keira?” Yolanta asked, as she passed over a bowl of sliced tomatoes.

Keira took it and began heaping slices onto her plate. “Not yet,” she said. Then she confessed, “I technically haven’t finished the one I’m working on yet.”

“You’ve not?” Nils asked.

Keira shook her head. She didn’t like to think of the work still to be done hanging over her. But things with Viatorum,