Page 17 of A Very Grumpy Christmas

“I love your letters,” I whisper, my hands still resting on his shoulders.

He blinks, looking like I’ve just knocked the wind out of him. “You... you knew?”

I smile, my heart swelling with affection for him. “I figured it out the other day when you got all jealous about those guys talking to me. Plus, when I showed Saffron the stationery, she told me that you were the only one to buy it in the last few months.”

His brow furrows. “They were hitting on you.”

I roll my eyes, laughing softly. “They were just talking to me. You didn’t need to scare them off.”

He shakes his head, a small grin tugging at his lips. “Trust me, they weren’t just talking.”

I tighten my hold on him, and uncertainty flashes across his face.

“Are you disappointed?” He whispers, and I bite my lip, feeling the butterflies in my stomach fluttering wildly.

“Well... I was kind of hoping it was you.”

His eyes widen.

“Really?”

“Yeah, why are you so surprised?”

His finger absently runs across the scars on his face, and my heart hurts.

“I don’t mind your scars. I like them. They make you look like a badass. Plus, it means that you can scare off any guys who try to flirt with me.”

“Damn right,” he growls, and I giggle.

He smiles at me softly, his whole face softening, and I can see it then. He loves me. He would do anything for me.

“I’ll always protect you, Ginger.”

“I know,” I whisper, and for a moment, we just stand there, staring at each other.

The space feels small, like it’s just the two of us, and I can’t help but feel like everything has been leading to this moment.

“I can’t believe you figured it out,” Kip says, his voice low and a little shy. “I thought I was doing a pretty good job of hiding it.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “You were... until you weren’t.”

“Yeah, I was starting to crack. It was hard being close to you, but not close enough,” he says with a chuckle, but then his expression shifts, turning more serious. “I wanted to tell you. I just... I didn’t know if you’d want me.”

I feel my heart ache at the vulnerability in his voice. How could he ever think I wouldn’t want him? Kip has always been the one I wanted, even when I didn’t know it was him behind the letters.

“I’ve always wanted you,” I whisper, my voice trembling with emotion. “You don’t have to hide from me, Kip. I like you... and your letters.”

His eyes widen at my words, and before I can say anything else, he kisses me again, pulling me closer, his lips soft and warm against mine. It’s perfect. It’s everything I’ve been dreaming of.

But then a shiver runs down my spine, the cold seeping into my bones from standing still in the cold, away from the heaters and crowd. Kip pulls back, concern flickering in his eyes.

“You’re cold,” he says, his voice soft as he starts to shrug off his coat.

I laugh, shaking my head. “I have a better idea for how you could warm me up,” I say suggestively.

His eyebrows lift in surprise, but then a slow, hopeful, smile spreads across his face. “Oh yeah?”

“Uh-huh,” I nod, biting my lip as I take his hand and start leading him toward the parking lot. “Let me tell you about it on the way to your place.”

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