Page 26 of Christmas Kisses

Sam

Once the case is dismissed, Ben turns around and looks for me. When he spots me, there's nothing keeping him from coming to me. He puts his arms around me, and I feel joy inside of my heart. He's okay.

"Thank you for whatever you did, beautiful. Don't tell me what it was. I don't want to know."

I burrow myself into his chest as if he's my lifeline. I think he is, and I don't want to let him go anytime soon.

"Your brothers are here to take you home. You should go rest. Were you able to sleep at all on that ugly cot?"

"I don't want to be away from you right now."

"I'm going to be busy all day. We're behind schedule with the baking."

"How can I help? Put me to work."

I hesitate, but he looks so sure of himself. "Well, if you’re sure, can you finish with the decorations while I bake? I couldn't get myself to do anything until you were released."

He nods and smiles.

We go to my shop where Amy and, surprisingly, one of Ben's brothers are working on the baked goods for the Mixer. With all hands on deck, we're ready to go on Friday night at seven o'clock. Ben's single brothers have made an appearance, and I see a lot of my regular customers enjoying the treats.

Ben is somewhere around here, and I cringe when Mayor Douchebag walks through the front door. His face looks horrid, and I worry he might want to cause trouble tonight. I take the initiative and go say hello to him.

"Hi, Mayor. Things turned out great, don't you think?"

He's got a scowl on his face, and I notice the girls who usually twirl around him are keeping their distance. There have been some rumors about what happened with him and Ben, but that's part of living in a small town like Woodland Falls.

"Is your so-called boyfriend here? I'm thinking of getting a restraining order against him."

"He's…around."

"This is pretty crowded. Make sure you ask my assistant for the information to deposit the money for the tickets."

"Oh, the ticket sales have been donated to the Kringle Christmas Fund. They donate toys to children in need."

"Why on earth did you do that? What is wrong with you?"

He's so loud that a couple of people turn to look at us. I grab him by the arm and pull him aside so that we don't draw so many people's attention. I put the sternest look on my face, which I'm capable of.

"Listen. You know you manipulated me into working on and paying for this whole event. I might have put up with it before, but not anymore. If you don't want the entire town to know what a jerk you are, be cool and enjoy the event, or better yet, leave. Right now, your choice of girls is nonexistent with your face all bashed like that."

With that, I turn around and get myself some punch. It takes a few minutes before Ben finds me, and when he does, he's got a plate of treats for me. I grab a pig in a blanket and take a bite. It's juicy and tasty, and a small moan comes out of my mouth. I blush profusely, and Ben chuckles at my silliness.

"I saw you talking tohe who shall not be named. It looked intense."

"I told him I would expose him to everyone in town. I think he'll behave. His image is really important to him, especially if he wants to be reelected."

"How did doing that make you feel?"

"Amazing."

I give him a bright smile and keep eating the treat he's brought me.

"By the way, he said you were my 'so-called boyfriend.' Don't you want to do something about that?"

"You want me to beat him up?" Ben asks and searches for the mayor through the crowd. I grab Ben’s arm before he leaves my side.

"That's not what I meant."

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