Page 110 of Everlasting Promises

Evan spins on his heel to head inside, but not before I see his grin. He pats the side of his thigh. “C’mon, Rex. I’m just gonna get a drink first. I’m thirsty.”

The screen door slams behind boy and dog, and Hope wraps both arms around me, tilting her head back. “Can I get a proper kiss now?”

I dip my head closer to hers. “Absolutely. I was trying to be respectful in front of Evan.” I lower my mouth to hers and kiss her the way she deserves to be kissed.

Every. Single. Time.

She’s only been gone a few hours, but I missed her. The house suddenly felt too empty. Too quiet. And I understood Hope’s need to always have the television on in the background. It’s the reason I went out and purchased more than what I need for Christmas decorating this afternoon. The screen door bangs again, and I know we have a witness, so I slow our kiss with small pecks to her lips, finishing with a satisfied grin.

“Ahhh, here we go! It’s started already,” Evan sighs as he walks toward us, and I can almost hear his eyes rolling in his voice.

“Sorry. Not sorry.” I smile against Hope’s lips, and we both chuckle.

Hope heads inside to check the pantry, and Evan and I get to work finishing the lights. An hour later, we stand on the grass to study the lights with a critical eye.

“I don’t think we can really get the full effect until it’s dark, but they all look evenly spaced to me,” Evan says.

I stand with my hands resting on my hips. “I agree.” The scent of freshly baked cookies drifts out of the house, and a grin creeps across my lips. “Smells like the cookies are ready. Let’s put this stuff away.”

We spend the afternoon assembling the Christmas tree, adding the lights after much debate about whether they go on the tree first or last—first, obviously—and eating Hope’s delicious ginger shortbread cookies.

Christmas music—including Mariah fucking Carey—fills the room as we hang decoration after decoration on the ten-foot pine tree, complete with fake snow flocked onto the ends of the almost natural-looking pine needles.

Hope stands back as Evan climbs the ladder to place the star at the top of the tree. He plonks it on top and takes one step down. “Ev, you need to tilt it a little to the left. It’s wonky.” He climbs back up and twists it to the left. “That’s too far now.”

He looks down at me and rolls his eyes with a grin, but repositions the star, looking over his shoulder for approval from his mom. “How’s that, Mom?”

Her smile lights up the room. “Perfect.” I watch as she scans the tree with a critical eye. As Evan climbs down the ladder, she steps to the tree and repositions a few decorations. Tilting her head this way and that to ensure everything is precisely where she wants it. This is exactly what I want every Christmas to be like from here on out.

I plug in the lights and move the ladder out of the way to give a clear view of the Christmas tree. We all step back to admire our handiwork, and I press the heel of my hand against my sternum, rubbing it. It actually feels a little like Christmas, something I haven’t experienced since moving to the city.

Hope stands next to me and hooks her arm through mine, resting her head against my bicep. I tug my arm out and pull her in front of me, wrapping my arms around her, resting my hands on her flat stomach. She sighs and melts into me. “It’s so beautiful.”

I nod and kiss the top of her head, drawing her vanilla shampoo deep into my lungs. “I don’t usually bother with a tree.”

Her body stiffens, and she turns within my embrace. Adorable creases decorate her forehead as she looks up at me. “Why not?”

I shrug like it’s unimportant, but I’ve realized this afternoon that I’ve missed this, so it kinda is a big deal. “It’s just me, and I usually work over the holiday.”

Her body sags, and her eyes drop to my chest. “I’ve never really thought about the work-life balance of a police officer.”

Pushing a lock of curly hair behind her ear with my fingers, I chuckle darkly. “Not many people do. It’s the worst time of the year for domestic violence and criminal activity. Drunk drivers and intoxicated patrons cause all sorts of problems over the holiday.” The mood in the room has darkened considerably, and I don’t want Hope dwelling on anything negative—especially regarding my job. I kiss the tip of her nose and grin. “C’mon, let’s go outside and see how the tree looks through the window. Evan, can you turn on the Christmas lights across the front of the house, please?”

“Sure.” He puts on his coat and pushes out of the front door with Rex close behind, and I drop my hand to grip Hope’s so I can tug her outside.

“C’mon.”

She chuckles at my enthusiasm as I pull her behind me, grabbing our coats on the way out the door. It’s not quite dark, but it’s dark enough to get the idea.

Hope pushes her arms through the sleeves of her coat and gasps when she sees all the lights. “It looks gorgeous,” she whispers as she soaks everything in. Her eyes scan across the front of the house, pausing on the living room window and the tree inside.

“We did a pretty good job,” Evan states, his shoulders pushed back and chest puffed out.

Hope turns toward him and drags him in for a group hug. “You guys did a fantastic job.”

Evan shows Hope how we can choose different settings for the lights, and we settle on one that blinks slowly across thestring. The cool evening air turns our breath to mist, and I rub Hope’s arms when she shivers. “Come on. Let’s get you back inside before you freeze.”

After dinner, we finish adding the decorations to other areas of the house and watchThe Polar Expresswith Hope snuggled into my side.

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