Page 23 of Cherished By Her Guardian

“Ready for what?” Winterlyn asked.

“Let’s go outside, and I’ll show you,” Declan said.

He took her hand, and they left the barn, heading down a freshly shoveled path and up a small hill. As they crested the hill, she could see the Northern Lights so clearly and close that she felt like she could touch them.

“What are we doing here?” she asked, hardly able to drag her gaze from the sky.

“Watch,” Declan said.

He was pointing at Santa, so she turned her attention to him. He lifted his hand and blew across his palm. Glittery snowflakes poured from his hand like water from a faucet, running down and across the field. They pooled in the center of the field until the oval grew in size to a large pond. With a shimmer and a shake, the glittery pond turned to ice, clearing completely with a loud crackle.

She heard footsteps and looked behind her to see Ivy and her mate Knox, plus Seren and her mate Storm, walking toward them, each carrying a set of ice skates.

“What’s going on?” Winterlyn asked.

Ivy handed Winterlyn and Declan a pair of ice skates. “Declan wanted to do something special for all the mates before Christmas Day since we’ll all be leaving to visit family.”

Winterlyn took the skates and smiled at her mate. “You asked Santa for this?”

“Yep. I remembered you telling me about going skating with your mom and aunt when you were a kid and how much youmissed it. Santa agreed to expend some magic to create this for us, and I wanted to invite our friends to join in.”

“This is amazing! Thank you!” She kissed him and then looked at Santa. “Thank you so much.”

“It’s my pleasure. Welcome to Northernmost. Enjoy the night. And Merry Christmas.”

Everyone said, “Merry Christmas” to Santa.

Winterlyn sat on a log and took off her boots, replacing them with skates that fit perfectly. She and Declan hit the ice, both a little unsteady at first but quickly getting the hang of being on the thin blades. The other couples joined them after someone set a holiday playlist to play through a Bluetooth speaker. As the soft strains of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” filled the air, Declan turned in a slow circle with her and drew her into his arms, giving her a kiss.

“We had the best solstice together,” he said. He released her and dropped slowly to one knee, the toe of his blade scraping the ice. He pulled a black box from his pocket and opened it, turning it toward her to reveal a sparkling diamond ring. “Now I want us to have the best Christmas too. You’re already my mate and the best thing that ever happened to me. I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me, Winterlyn?”

She stared down at the ring, the Northern Lights lending a golden glow to everything. “Yes!”

He took the ring from the box and put it on her finger, then rose to his feet and hugged her tightly. He lifted her off her feet as he kissed her, tears slipping from her eyes and cascading over her cheeks.

Their friends clapped and cheered, and Ivy said, “I’ve got it on video! I’ll send it to you.”

“This was so perfect,” she said. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me too.”

Her heart swelled, and she smiled at him as he put her gently on the ice.

At the same time, they both said, “I love you.”

Their eyes went wide and then they both laughed. “Great minds think alike,” she said.

“We sure do.”

It was definitely the best Christmas ever. It had only been a week, and tonight was the icing on the cake.

They skated around the magically created ice pond with their friends until it was time for Santa to leave. They took off their skates and hiked up a small hill where they had a clear view of the barn. The roof slid open a minute before midnight.

A flash of light erupted from the interior of the barn, then the sleigh and reindeer lifted slowly through the roof.

“Merry Christmas to all! And to all, a good night!” Santa bellowed.

Their group clapped and cheered as the sleigh was there one moment and gone the next, leaving a trail of glittering stars in its wake. The magic crackled like fireworks, and the Northern Lights seemed to bend toward the trail that the sleigh had left.

“Holy crap, that was amazing,” Winterlyn said.

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