Page 117 of Nocere

"Yes. Thank you." I waved to her as she bid us farewell and turned to Sam. Anita returned to her office, leaving us to it as we headed out.

Right away, Sam brushed her thumbs over my cheeks. leaned into her touch and she pulled me into a hug.

"I'm okay," I told her as I kissed her neck.

"I can tell when you've been crying…"

"I can tell when you've been crying, too." I tucked her hair behind her ears and brushed my thumb over her bottom lip.

"Do you like Christmas?" she asked, seemingly out of left field.

"I do. Yes."

"Before we go to Stella's, would you come with me to the Festival of Christmas Trees in Seattle?"

"Rebecca took me once when I was a kid." I smiled at her suggestion, lacing my fingers behind her neck. "Yes. I would go with you."

"The crowd won't bother you, baby? I mean, it might not be crowded."

"Sam, I've learned that as long as I'm with you, nothing bothers me too much."

She caught me in a kiss that lifted me to my toes. My smile ended our connection and she said, "C'mon, my sweet. Let's go see the pretty things."

Sam and I spent most of the afternoon waltzing through the dozens of decorated Christmas trees, and imbibing in the spirits of music and lights. We held hands, sipped hot cocoa with marshmallows, and shared cookies on our walk through the holiday market. Sam's quiet, reflective nature mirrored mine as we enjoyed our time together. We paused to look at handmade ornaments, and she smiled at a few dazzling snowmen.

"You like them?" I asked and she nodded. "I thought you didn't celebrate Christmas, honey."

"I don't. But you do." She pressed her lips to my temple.

"Sounds to me like you want to celebrate it, but don't." I plucked the sparkly snowman off the display and toted it over to the woman selling them. She smiled at me and began ringing me up.

"Hey." Sam scurried after me. "What are you doing?"

"Buying this for you."

"Why?" Her eyes widened when the woman handed me the little wrapped snowman after I gave her some cash.

"Because you like it." I held the ornament out for her to take, meeting her gaze as her eyes misted over with emotions she often kept at bay.

She accepted it, her fingers wrapping around it in a slow, careful grip. "Thank you, Rosie."

"You're welcome." I rose to my tip-toes to kiss her softly.

When we parted, her smile and sparkling eyes spoke volumes more than her words ever did. I glanced over to the woman selling her wares and she wore a grin while helping another customer who approached, though I noted she tore her gaze away from us a second before.

"C'mon. Let's look around some more." I took Sam's hand and she gave my fingers a squeeze.

***

"No, Rosie is playin' with me!" Luna gave Nova such a rough shove that the six-year-old's rump landed on the carpet.

"Luna!" she shrieked, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Hey now." I took hold of Luna's arm before she could lay into her sister again. "Rosie doesn't play with anyone who pushes their sisters. Go have a seat over there for a timeout, Luna. That wasn't nice." I pointed to the little bench that her moms perched beside the window. Luna stomped over, a huge pout on her lips, and plopped down.

"Santa saw that," Nova muttered when Luna scowled at her. Luna's eyes widened and she didn't complain about her timeout.

"Well," announced Alice as she stalked over. "Looks like bedtime is upon us."

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