Page 11 of The White Chocolate Christmas Wish

“We make a pretty good pair,” I said softly, catching Hope’s eye as we finished tying the last knot.

She held my gaze for a moment, a warmth in her expression that made my heart skip. “Yeah, I guess we do.”

“Now that the tree lot is checked off the list, what’s your wish?” I asked.

She hummed. “I wish… there was mistletoe right here.”

My mouth dropped open as she pointed skyward, andI faked to the right like I was going to run off and get some.

“Wait, wait,” she said, little puffs of her breath visible as she laughed at my antics.

“I know, I was just kidding. We don’t need it.” I punctuated my words by backing her up against the side of the truck, then delivered a quick kiss that was just as impactful as the first. I rested my forehead against hers and brushed a stray wisp of hair from her cheek. “I hope you’re not too tired after decorating the tree.”

“Why?”

“Another item on the list. But I can’t tell you more. It’s a surprise.”

“Really, Colt?” She said with a teasing groan, and the sound reverberating against my chest as I held her hit me in all the right ways.

I winked. “It’s a good one, I promise.”

CHAPTER FIVE

HOPE

The next night, I tucked the candy cane into Mrs. Henderson’s mailbox, my gloved fingers brushing against the cold metal. Then I readjusted the basket of white-and-red striped candy in my arms as we moved on to the next house, sighing as I took in the heavily decorated suburban street. Warm golden light spilled from windows, silhouetting Christmas trees and wreaths.

And, as was becoming a habit these last few days with Colton, I felt a spark of that childlike wonder I’d been missing for so many years.

“I still think we should give ourselves an A for effort,” Colton said, shaking his head. “I made sure we had all the right vegan and gluten-free ingredients, and we followed the recipe to the letter.”

Last night’s white chocolate cranberry surprise wouldprobably go down in history as the biggest baking disaster of my life. Sure, it was a fun process. And yes, it was sweet of Colton to get the ingredients we needed so that I could enjoy the cookies with him.

But the end result? One word: disgusting.

“The important thing is that we checked it off the list, right?” I asked. “It tells uswhatto do, but it doesn’t specify how good it has to turn out.”

He shot me a mock scowl. “Haven’t you heard the saying that anything worth doing is worth doing right?”

“Of course.”

“Well, you basically ripped my heart out when your wish at the end of the night was that the cookies tasted as good as they looked.”

I laughed loudly at that, tucking another candy cane in another mailbox. “I’m sorry! It’s not your fault my food preferences got in the way!”

“Well, I’m gonna figure out a way to make them Hope-friendly and still taste good, because those things were nasty.”

“You don’t have to solve every puzzle you come across. You know that, right?”

His chuckle rumbled through his chest. “Sure, sure. Anyway, how are you feeling about all this Christmas spirit? It’s not too much, is it?”

I paused, considering. “Actually... it’s nice. I’d forgotten how magical it can all feel.”

Colton’s expression softened. “I’mglad. Christmas was always a big deal in my family, even when I was deployed, and my family became the other Marines in my unit. Made me appreciate home that much more. Wherever home happened to be.”

“What was it like?” I asked gently. “Being away during the holidays?”

He was quiet for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly. “Tough. But also... clarifying. You realize what really matters. After I got out, I missed that sense of purpose, of being part of something bigger than myself.”

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