Page 27 of Wrapped Up In Tinsel

After making both of us a plate I took it out to him and the two of us sat on the couch eating while chatting and watching television. It was nice, and I liked the fact that neither of us felt the need to do something that we didn’t like to impress the other, but there was somewhere I wanted to take him tonight after dinner. “Hey, do you mind if we take a little drive after dinner?”

“Where to?” he asked.

“You’ll see. Don’t worry, you only need to throw on a coat and you’ll be ready to go.” He stared at me a moment before lifting his shoulder in a shrug.

“Sure, is Teddy going?” he asked, and I know he was trying to figure out what I had planned.

“Of course.”

“Well now you’ve got me curious,” he said. We chatted a bit more as we finished eating and as soon as we were done, we put the rest of the food away and loaded the dishwasher. “Are we going?” He rubbed his hands together as he waited for me to answer and when I said we were ready, he rushed to get both of our jackets.

“Let’s go then,” I said and led us out the door with Teddy tucked inside Steve’s coat. We loaded into my car and even though it hadn’t been that long ago I’d driven it—it was still cold.I cranked up the heater and drove us to the nearest coffee place with a drive thru.

Twenty-Seven

Steve

After ordering both ofus a peppermint mocha and a pup cup for Teddy, Garrett drove us down Sunrise to an area I hadn’t been to for a while. “What’s over here?” I asked.

“You’ll see.” He smiled at me, took a sip of his drink, and turned up the radio which was also playing Christmas carols. We drove past Madison before he turned down a street and in front of us people were walking, and cars were barely crawling along a neighborhood street.

“What is this?”

“Dove Court, they always have a great light show. We don’t need to get out, we can just drive down the street. Traffic is always so slow we’ll be able to see everything from the car.”Garrett smiled at me, and I reached across to settle my hand on his leg.

“Garrett?”

“Yeah, sorry, I know it’s crowded.”

“No, it’s not a problem. I just wanted to say thank you,” I said, and didn’t take my eyes off him. He turned to meet my eyes when we came to a stop.

“For what?” he asked.

“For taking a chance on me. I know I’m not the easiest person to be around, but I’ve never met anyone who was so filled with happiness as you, and I never really thought I was a dog person until I meet this little guy,” I said, and patted Teddy where he was buckled in, in the back seat. “You fill me with so much love, and I didn’t want another day to go by without telling you I love you.”

He pulled over to the side of the road and the car behind us squeezed into our space, before he put the car in Park and took both my hands in his. “I love you too. I didn’t want to scare you, so I’ve been holding back, but it’s been harder every day.”

“We’re kind of a mess,” I said and both of us grinned.

“But together we’re perfect,” he whispered before holding my face in his hands and kissing me. He held my hand after he pulled back into the line of cars and we slowly made our way down the street that had to have half of the lights in Sacramento on it. Everything that could be covered with lights was. Some houses were themed, while others had a variety of characters and designs covering the house and lawn. At the end of the court was a tall evergreen tree that was completely covered with the old-fashioned large bulbs giving it a nostalgic look and making it the perfect place to turn around and go back out to see the other side of the street.

“Can you imagine living here?” I asked.

“No, I mean I love Christmas, but this is a big commitment. The Fabulous Forties is the same great decorations but lots of work.”

“I’m happy with our tree, that’s plenty for me,” I said and meant it.

“I’m glad,” Garrett said and squeezed my hand. After finally leaving the area we drove home, and since it was late the traffic wasn’t as heavy, so it didn’t take nearly so long. As we drove past the mall I huffed and shook my head.

“I still can’t believe I was an elf.”

“You’re still an elf until tomorrow,” Garrett said.

“Yes, I am, and Tinsel will ride again next year,” I said making him laugh.

“Okay, Mr. Elf, let’s go home.”

The next day was full of craziness and anticipation but even so, I was going to miss it, and when my day was done, I turned in my elf costume for the last time and told Terry I’d see him next year. He made sure he had my information and noted that I’d returned my costume. “It’s been a pleasure,” he said and held his hand out.

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