Page 118 of That Time We Kissed Under the Mistletoe
But Three and Ididbuild our own snowman in his front yard this week. Make that a snow-woman. Her name is Henrietta.She’s got Oreo eyes and a carrot nose too. She and her boyfriend, Henry, are currently negotiating a long-distance relationship.
“Bestweekever.” I drop a kiss on Three’s nose, then I snuggle even closer to him, my cheek burrowing into his chest.
“I won’t argue with that.” His arms wrap around me, and I’ve never felt so warm and safe and secure. Like a hibernating bear.
“You want to watch a movie?” I peek up at the clock to check the time. The TV below it is still playing Christmas music. I’d begged to keep the holiday station on for one more day, and Three happily agreed.
He shakes his head now, placing his fingers under my chin. Then he gently tips my face up to meet his. “I have a better idea.”
As his lips find mine, I shut my eyes surrendering to the sweetness. His kiss is tender at first and completely perfect—after all, we’ve been practicing for days—but I want more. Wiggling free from his embrace, I flip around and climb onto his lap. Then I position myself so my head hovers over his, and I’m gazing down into his eyes. “Hi, there.”
“Hi.” A low moan rumbles in the back of his throat, and he sits up too, while keeping one arm around my back, strong and steady. Like it’s meant to be there forever. With his free hand, he reaches up to brush my hair from my face. Then he slides his palm to the nape of my neck, drawing my face down slowly.
The anticipation is agony.
When our mouths finally meet, just the barest of grazes, he breathes into me. “I love this.”
Another brush of our lips. “Me too.”
“Wait. I’d like to rephrase,” he says. “I loveyou, Sara Hathaway.” As his lips slide to my throat, emotions surge up from deep inside me, crowding my ribs. “I’ve always loved you,” he murmurs against my skin. “And I always will.”
“I love you, too,” I whisper. “So much.” When my voice catches, he pulls away, and we lock eyes.
“If you’ll let me,” he says, “I’ll keep loving you a little bit more every single day for the rest ofour lives.”
Tears well in my eyes, and I nod and sniffle, raining kisses all over his forehead. I only pause when I reach the point of impact with the fire extinguisher. The spot’s still bruised, but it’s definitely healing. I press my lips there, gently, to honor the moment that brought us together again.
As the song changes to“I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” we both break into smiles. Minutes later, we’re still holding each other when footsteps and voices sound outside.
“Huh.” Three glances at the entryway. “It’s a week late for carolers.”
I climb off his lap just in time for the handle to rattle. Then Mr. and Mrs. Fuller throw open the door. They both bustle inside, with Nella close on their heels. For several seconds, Three’s completely silent, frozen and gaping at his family.
“Surprise!” I squeal. After another stunned beat, Three leaps up from the couch. Then the Fullers converge in the middle of the room. A massive group hug of maximum love. Eventually, Three’s mom peers over her shoulder at me.
“Don’t just stand there acting like you didn’t know this was coming, Sara.” She grins. “Get on over here and join the Original Fuller House hug.”
“Yes, ma’am!” I come to Three’s side and he wraps an arm around me, pulling me close.
His father bobs his head. “Nice to see you again, Sara.”
“Welcome back!” Nella hoots.
Three sweeps his gaze around the room, taking in the cluster of Fullers and me. “I have no idea what’s happening,” he chokes. His eyes are wet, and his voice goes gravelly.
“The cruise was wonderful on the way to Hawaii,” his mom says. “And we all loved being on the island. But we missed the holidays with you, dear. We’d seen enough of the ocean already, and the rest of the family understood why we wanted to fly back early.”
His father clears his throat. “Plus I wasn’t sure you’dremember to check my pipes, son. No offense.”
“None taken.” Three shakes his head, a bewildered chuckle slipping out. “So did you all justHome Aloneme?”
Nella chirps, “We sure did.”
I break into a laugh of pure joy. “And you make a pretty cute Kevin McCallister.”
Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
