‘Not really,’ he admitted, his easy smile still warming his face. ‘I just really like to see you laugh.’
And it was in that exact moment that Kate felt her heart surrender to him completely. She smiled, looking back to those early days of furious pranks with a quiet sound of amusement. ‘They reallyweremurder eyes, you know,’ she told him. ‘I genuinely considered murdering you that day. Just for a millisecond, but it was definitely there.’
Sam threw back his head and laughed as she shrugged, then he looked back down at her with a bright twinkle in his eye. ‘Well, life with you isalwaysan adventure, Kate Hunter. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.’
Unable to resist him a moment longer, Kate pushed up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. Sparks flew as they connected, and as Sam took her in his arms and kissed her even deeper, pure, unharnessed bliss flowed through her veins like it was a fluid mix of magic and silk and the joy of every Christmas she’d ever known combined. The world around them slipped away. The fire, the tree, the falling snow outside, all of it. And there in that perfect moment, as her heart soared and her soul sang, Kate knew that whatever happened now, whatever life may throw at her, spectacular things were ahead.
Because she’d done it. She’d let her heart lead her forward in all parts of her life, with nothing but hope and blind faith to guide her. And taking those leaps, those paths not yet tried and tested, was what made life an adventure. That was how all those tiny fragments of her big picture would be coloured with joy and fulfilment. It was what would make Kate feel truly free and alive.
Andthat,at the end of the day, was what made a life truly worth living.
***