Page 76 of Why Not Now?

She calls out to Lis and asks if she can have the snickerdoodle recipe Derek and I used last week because Derek wouldn’t give it to her.

We reach the Hyatt Regency Hotel, where a few people are going in and another couple are coming out.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“Have you ever been to Gingerbread Lane before?” Derek asks me.

I shake my head. “No. I don’t think I’ve even heard about it.”

“You’re in for a treat, then,” Lis says and laughs.

We enter the lobby into a low bustle of activity. Everywhere I can see, gingerbread displays are set up along the walls with cards explaining who made them and how to vote for your favourite. We start at the first one, a Santa’s village created with white frosting for the snow and so much candy, just looking at it makes my teeth hurt.

“Spencer,” Derek says. He nods toward a tall man with dark hair, a close beard, and glasses. The man is with a girl who looks to be a couple years younger than Lacey.

“Hey, Tanner!” Spencer calls loud enough that a few people turn, one being the man in question.

The man—Tanner—grins and waves before making his way over to us, looking around as though trying to find someone.

“Hey, guys,” he says when he reaches us, shaking first Derek’s hand, then Spencer’s. “What are you doing here? Date night?” He looks at Lis and me, both of us with our arms linked with the two men he knows.

“Yeah,” Spencer says. “This is my girlfriend, Lis.”

“Girlfriend?” Tanner says, his eyebrows raised. “Congratulations.” He turns to Derek. “You, too?”

Derek looks down at me with a smile that makes my heart melt.

“Yep. This is my girlfriend, Ava, and her sister, Lacey. Ladies, this is Tanner. We were at business school together.”

I shake Tanner’s hand, a thrill sweeping through me when Derek calls me his girlfriend. It’s such an official word. After I shake Tanner’s hand, I link my fingers through Derek’s, squeezing tight, and he squeezes right back.

“This is my niece, Juliet,” Tanner continues. “She dragged me out to this thing. Said shehadto come.”

“Is this the niece who taught you origami?” Spencer asks.

Juliet smiles. “I am. Has Uncle Tanner made you something?”

“Not me,” Spencer says. “But I’ve seen some of the things he’s made. You’re a good teacher.”

“So, did Adalie or Vic come with you?” Tanner asks.

Derek shakes his head. “Adalie wanted to paint and Vic is going to seeThe Nutcrackertonight with a couple friends.”

The three men fall into a conversation about business while Lacey and Lis talk to Juliet about the gingerbread displays.

I consider the people in front of me, the conversations dropping to a hum in my mind. Two people who I care about more than anyone in the world, both of them here and happy. I pull my camera from my bag and focus it on the group, ensuring I have Derek’s face in the shot. He looks more relaxed right now than I’ve seen him lately as he talks with his two friends. I know his father’s calls have been weighing on him.

The picture I take captures his signature charm as he doles it out. He turns to me, his eyes finding mine behind the camera, and I snap another picture. He holds out his arm and I move into the space against his body while he holds me close, kissing my temple.

“You’re supposed to be taking pictures of the houses. Not of me.”

“I was taking pictures of all six of you,” I say. “I’ll take some of the displays as well. These will look amazing in my portfolio.”

“That’s why I brought you. Lis said some of these are insane.”

I look up at him, tucked in against his side, as I say, “You really do think of everything.”

“For you, sweetheart? Absolutely.”

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