Page 69 of The Christmas Box

She blows out a discouraged-sounding breath. “Well, now I’m worried. Let me try him again in case he was just driving and hasn’t looked at his phone.” She pulls her cell phone from her pocket and taps the screen a few times. A moment later, she says to me, “Still straight to voicemail,” then leaves a message. Travis, it’s Helen again. Please call or text me as soon as you get this. I need to know you’re okay.”

As Helen and I go about getting ready for the festivities, she tells me more about what happened at the manor last night and I reveal more about my heartbreak. She stops in the middle of mashing potatoes, the old-fashioned way, to give me a big hug.

And I tell her, “Maybe he’s fine. He probably made it home and is sleeping in. Maybe he’ll call you later. Or, now that his dad’s gone, maybe he’s just…done with Winterberry and everyone in it and we’ll never hear from him again.”

Soon, other guests show up. Chuck from the Christmas tree lot brings a neighbor named Dennis who just moved to town, and I’m so grateful that Dennis is a strong, burly guy able to carry Dara’s mom up the steps when Dara texts me from the front sidewalk. Elaine Mitts arrives with her usual green bean casserole, and Dean from the post office comes bearing a pecan pie.

And even though my heart is breaking to know what sent Travis barreling out of town, I’m still so hurt—not to mention angry that he let Dara down, too, after he was so insistent on making all those wishes come true. Maybe I never should have asked him to build that box. Maybe he was right all along and it’s just a bunch of false hope.

Fortunately, entertaining is a distraction. Christmas music plays, the aroma of good food fills the apartment, and I put on my happy hostess face as Helen and I carry serving dishes to my dining table, everyone gathered around it.

“Chuck, will you carve?” Helen asks our tree-lot friend as she places the turkey platter in the center of the table.

As he takes up the big knife, my heart wilts a little further remembering Travis’s cute, funny insistence that he wouldn’t carve the roast beast. Guess he meant it, since he’s not even here.

That’s when I hear a clatter on the wooden stairs and look over—to see Travis walk through the door, Marley on a leash at his feet! They’re both wearing Santa hats.

“Am I too late?” he asks, his dark eyes landing on me.

“Travis!” Helen’s face lights up as she presses a hand to her chest. “What a relief! And no, you’re just in time. We’re just sitting down to dinner.”

But his gaze stays locked with mine. “That’s not exactly what I meant.” Everyone continues to stare at him, but he seems to have eyes only for me. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but can I talk to you privately?”

Without replying, I get up and walk into the living room, stopping next to the tree. Like Helen, I’m relieved beyond words to see him alive and well—but I refuse to let it show. Because that doesn’t fix my shattered heart.

“I’m sure Helen told you Dad passed away.”

I nod, saying, “I’m truly sorry, Travis. I know how hard it is.”

“I know you do,” he replies. “And…I just didn’t handle it with your grace. Instead, I panicked. I thought I was ready for it, but I was wrong. And I guess I started fearingotherkinds of losses, too. Other things that could fall apart. So I headed for Chicago, a place…well, where it’s always felt like nothing could hurt me. Only then I ran out of gas and was stranded on the side of the road with a dead phone in a snowstorm, and that’s when I realized…all I wanted was to be withyou.”

I choose not to react. Because this is coming at me fast. I simply ask, “Then what happened?”

He takes a deep breath and tells me, “It was getting cold and I was pretty sure Marley and I were gonna freeze to death, so I did what I thought you would do. I made a wish. I wished really, really hard for some kind of help. Then a few minutes later, I heard the first sound of an approaching vehicle since I ran out of gas, so I jumped out and waved it down. It was a semi-truck, and the woman driving it was kind of…an angel. She took Marley and me to the next exit, we got gas, and she drove us back to the truck and waited to make sure I got going and wasn’t stuck. Then Ididget stuck on the way back—the interstate was closed for a while. But I finally rolled into town a little while ago.”

“And?” I guess I’m still waiting for…more. Something that makes it all more than just words, some sort of proof that this is real between me and him.

“And…I brought you this.” He holds up a small sparkling red gift bag. “A little late. Alotlate. I was too dumb in high school to see the opportunity before me. I was too dumb to see it even just a week ago. But I see it now, very clearly.” And instead of giving me the bag, he reaches inside it to pull out the most beautiful laurel wreath I’ve ever seen. Holly berries nestled in pine sprigs glisten with artificial snow and long red velvet ribbons stream down the back I can’t hold in my gasp as he places it gently on my head.

I turn toward the mirror hanging above my mantel, unable to hide my awe as I reach up to touch it. “Where on earth did you get this on Christmas day?”

“From Bill at the Holly Leaf,” he informs me. “He wasn’t too happy about my request, but when he heard it was for you, he agreed to meet me at the floral shop on my way back into town. And...”

“There’s more?” I ask, letting my eyes go wide.

“Yeah. Your wish came true.” With that, he reaches down to extract a slip of paper from the front pocket of his blue jeans.

And I’m stunned to see my missing wish between his fingers. Taking it from him, reading it once more—That Travis decides to stay in town, and maybe he even falls in love with me—I’m crumbling with embarrassment…until I grasp what he just said. That my wish came true. I dare to raise my gaze to his, asking cautiously, “Which one?”

“Both,” he tells me. “And this time I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me—I promise.” After which he leans down to lower a gentle kiss to my lips that leaves me tingling from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. “Merry Christmas,” he whispers deeply in my ear. “From your favorite reformed Grinch.”

One Year Later

Christmas Eve

Lexi

The tree in my apartment is beautifully lit, the fire blazing, and on TV, George Bailey is begging Clarence the Angel to get him back to the wonderful life he’d taken for granted. Travis and I are snuggling on the couch, Crinkle wrapped in my arms, and Marley is curled up on Travis’s other side. All four of us wear matching Christmas pajamas. Tomorrow will be another Christmas dinner with our friends, but tonight is just for us.

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