Page 68 of A Pen Pal for Christmas

But Sofia seemed to sense my unease and reached out, brushing her fingers lightly against mine. “Anyway, just thought I’d mention it in case you want to try to talk to him. You know, since you’re both Snow Hill residents now and we look out for our own. Right?”

My lips twitched. “I’ll see what I can do.”

She glanced toward Jamie one more time, then back at me. Her expression turned thoughtful, and she tilted her head, studying me. “You know, I kind of miss your letters.”

My brows pulled together. “You do?”

“Yeah. They were sweet. And silly. And maybe a little over-the-top sometimes, but in a good way. You should write to me again. Just for fun.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “Not sure I can live up to your expectations now. You know my secret identity, so you might not feel the same way.”

“Oh, please. If anything, maybe I’ll like the letters more now that I know they’re from you. Plus…”

The way she trailed off as she let her puppy dog eyes come out in full force had me fighting back a laugh as I waited for her to go on.

“It’s not like I can reread the ones you already sent.”

My head fell back with a groan, and I shut my eyes. “Wow. Really?”

“What? Too much?”

Shaking my head, I wrapped my arms around her waist and squeezed her to me. “Sofia Sullivan, I have a feeling I’m going to spend the rest of my life giving you whatever you want.”

“You totally might—if you play your cards right.”

“Is that so?” I asked, leaning in for a quick kiss. “Fine. I’ll write you a letter. Maybe I’ll mail it to your new house. You should get it in a few business days.”

Her laugh was brighter this time, and she hugged me back, holding on like she didn’t plan to let go anytime soon. And honestly? I hoped she never would.

CHAPTER 23

Sofia

“After you,”Hudson said, opening the door for me with a devilish smile.

He looked incredible. His deep navy suit hugged his broad shoulders perfectly, the fabric smooth and luxurious to the touch. And as he moved, the suit caught the light, creating an aura of elegance that took my breath away. The crisp white shirt beneath contrasted beautifully with his dark hair and tanned skin, and the whole picture had me stumbling slightly as I moved toward the door.

But then I recovered with an exaggerated flip of my dark hair, thanking him with a demure nod and making him laugh.

I entered the bright, bustling space inside City Hall for the annual Gingerbread Ball, and the sweet notes of live music floated around me. Hudson came in behind me, his hand resting on my lower back to guide me deeper into the crowded room.

My black, backless dress allowed his thumb to graze over my skin, and a shiver of delight raced through me, igniting every nerve ending.

But… that wasn’t exactly a surprise.

Lately, it was as ifeverybrush of his skin had the power to send ripples of electricity through me. Every lingering touch or soft, knowing smile could instantly heighten my awareness of him—of us. Of the connection we shared.

I turned to meet his gaze, hoping it would always be like this between us. And maybe it was because it was Christmas Eve and I was feeling sentimental, but when he winked and pressed a quick kiss to my temple, I had a feeling this moment would linger in my memory for a long time to come.

As we waited for the bottleneck at the entrance to clear so we could find our friends, I bumped his shoulder with mine. “You know, this suit is nice, but I really wanted to see you in your dress blues.”

He grinned down at me, his hazel eyes sparking with amusement. “You’ll get plenty of chances to see them now that I’m on recruiting duty. Lots of events, lots of different uniforms. Plus, the Marine Corps has a birthday ball every year.”

“They do? Is it like this?”

He craned his neck and scanned the space. “There’s a lot less kids, but the Marines tend to act like kids during the birthday ball, so…”

I chuckled as he let the sentence hang. “Well, good. I’m down for any excuse to be on your arm in those blues. Ida showed me pictures from your boot camp graduation, andwhew.”

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