Page 89 of Mistletoe Kisses

Lucas squeezed my hand. “She’s going to love it. Is she driving home tonight?”

“No, she’s staying in Karen and Ron’s spare room.”

“That’s a great idea.”

I still had days where it was hard to believe that I’d become close with my dad’s family, but I was still wrapping my mind around the fact that my mom had too.

Mom was working only a couple of hours away in Eugene to cover a maternity leave for the next two months. She’d taken a job in Washington earlier in the year and had met Ron and the rest of the family then. Mom and Judith immediately hit it off and had grown quite close. I’d been so absorbed in my own mess that I hadn’t considered how much Mom missed Grandma. Her death had been hard on both of us. Judith had become almost a surrogate mother to my mom. I was glad her circle had expanded from all this too.

Christmas music played over the park’s sound system and grew louder as we approached. Bright-red bows hung from garlands wrapped around lamp posts and downtown store windows were decked out with festive decor. A group of teenagers hustled past us, arm in arm, singing “Jingle Bells” loudly while giggling between the verses.

It was hard to believe it had been a year since I’d come to Dahlia Springs. The year had been full of more goodness than I could ever imagine, and at the top of that list was Lucas.

All my best memories and experiences involved him. He’d been there to hold me when I missed Keaton, when I worried I’d made the wrong decision about something with the store, and when I had multiple anxiety attacks I couldn’t trace to a single source. Lucas made me feel loved, showed me love, and inspired so much love in me that I didn’t even know I was capable of. He made sure to tell me he loved me every day.

It had been, hands down, the best year of my life.

Even though I’d made the difficult decision to live on my own, that hadn’t affected me and Lucas getting to know each other. Reed’s aunt had let me rent a cute studio in her backyard. Though I’d wanted to accept Lucas’s offer of moving in with him, I knew I needed to find my independence.

I’d relied on Keaton since college, and I didn’t want to start my relationship with Lucas by relying on him too much. The last thing I’d wanted was to replace Keaton with Lucas as my crutch. Lucas and I had spent more nights together than apart for those six months I’d lived alone, but having my own space had been good for me. It had forced me to develop a new level of coping skills and resiliency that I desperately needed.

When I moved in with him last June, I knew I’d made the right choice. I felt like an equal partner in our household and relationship. I had more strength and confidence to navigate the hurdles of cohabitating with someone new. It had been an incredible six months with him.

Now, I was ready for more. I just needed to decide how to ask him the question I’d been wanting to and give him the ring I’d stashed in my empty suitcase tucked back in the corner of our closet.

We merged into the crowd and found Mom and Keaton at the hot cocoa booth.

“Arlo! Want one?” Keaton asked when we joined them in line.

“No, thanks. The dairy will make me sound weird.”

“Ooh, good call.” Keaton shimmied. “I can’t wait to hear you.”

“We better head to the stage,” Lucas whispered in my ear.

I swallowed. “Okay.” I was anxious, of course, but my excitement was nearly as strong. My always thoughtful boyfriend had asked if we could go first in the performance lineup. The thought of listening to the other performers and waiting for our turn had made me break out into a cold sweat. Maybe next year we could go second.

“Break a leg, sweetheart.” Mom pulled me into a tight hug, and then I felt her pull Lucas in for a group cuddle. SheadoredLucas. Who wouldn’t? He was a parent’s dream partner for their kid. Kind, thoughtful, and loyal.

I pulled back and grabbed Lucas’s hand. “Ready?”

He turned to me. “With you? Always. Let’s do this.”

We wove through the crowd to the stage. Lucas checked in with the city employee who was running the performances. I focused on my steady breathing and tried to ignore the crowd gathering as the mayor announced the show was about to begin. Lucas’s steady hand in mine helped keep me grounded.

A few minutes later, I heard our names announced. Lucas held my hand as he led me onto the stage. He didn’t let go until the last possible moment when he needed to start playing his guitar. Lucas opened his mouth, face tilted toward mine, as he started the opening verse of “White Christmas.”

Lucas didn’t take his eyes off me as he sang. The crowd faded and it was just the two of us on stage. I leaned toward the microphone and started my verse out of practiced habit, keeping my eyes locked on Lucas’s. He’d managed to turn it into a moment between us that just happened to be witnessed by hundreds of people instead of a performance for the crowd.

When we finished, Lucas grabbed my hand and interlaced our fingers as the crowd cheered. I pulled my attention from him and faced the crowd, smiling at our loved ones filling the front row, clapping and hollering for us.

We bowed and then left the stage. My heart pounded, but I was okay. I’d done it.

“You did it.” Lucas slung his guitar over his back and cupped my cheeks, pulling me into a kiss. “Did you have fun?”

“Actually, yeah. I don’t want to start a traveling band, but I think I can handle a song at Making Spirits Bright each year.”

Lucas hooked his finger in my belt loop. “That sounds perfect. Want to watch the rest of the show?”

---