Page 122 of Booked for the Holidays
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Love you, Bridge.”
“Love you too, Chan.”
I move to Lucas, who mimics Theo, picking me up and spinning me around. “Guess we’ll be seeing more of each other,” he says when I’m firmly back on the ground.
“I promise I won’t take your best friend away.”
“Nah. You’re not taking him away. He’s finally where he belongs.”
It’s only after another round of high-fives, pictures and waves to the audience before we finally move off the stage, forming a large circle in the grass.
“Y’all. I amsoproud of you. Thank you for sharing your photos and traditions. Thank you for all your hard work. Thank you for making this fun and an incredible experience. I wouldn’t have wanted to sand and paint nine reindeer, hang thousands of lights, or carol on a boat in the middle of the lake with anyone else.”
“We definitely need to celebrate,” Lucas interjects. “Does December 26thwork for everyone? We can meet at the stores, eat all the leftovers and bask in our winnings.”
There’s a chorus of agreements, some already planning what they’ll be using the money for.
“I feel like opening silly gifts after that announcement is kind of anticlimactic,” I admit. “We totally don’t have to–”
“Presents!” Bradley yells.
And that settles that.
Lucas got Chandler a sweatshirt fromThe Bachelorafter hearing how much she likes the show. Felicity got Malik a compass keychain. Jordan hands Brooke a bird feeder.
“Who’s your person?” Theo asks, bumping his hip against mine.
“You, actually.” I hand him the present. “I consulted with Mac, but if it’s inappropriate, let me know and I’ll take it back.”
He raises his eyebrows. His fingers slip under the piece of tape holding the wrapping paper in place, taking his time to peel it away. The plaid outer layer falls to the ground and he opens the packaging inside. Styrofoam pieces cling to the porcelain mug, and the look on Theo’s face shifts to anguish.
“Shit,” I curse. “I didn’t mean–”
He cuts me off with a searing kiss. “It’s fucking perfect. Thank you so much.” His voice is rough, on the verge of tears.
“I bought others, too. For Mac and your parents. I know you said it used to be a tradition of yours, and I thought, maybe, when you’re ready, you can start it up again.”
Theo shakes his head and drops his forehead against mine. “You are something else,” he murmurs.
“A good something else?”
“The best something else. You were my person, too.”
“I was?”
“Mhm.” He picks a bag up off the ground. “Open the big one first.”
“Two presents? You’re spoiling me.”
I undo the first box and pull out…
“A mug?” I ask. My name is written in loopy letters, stars accentuating the curve of each shape.
“Guess we were on the same wavelength. I want you in those traditions too, Bridget. I want hot chocolate out of matching mugs with you. No marshmallows, of course. Now open the second one.”
“Jeez.” I wipe my eyes. “It’s going to be hard to outdo the first gift.” Passing off my new mug to him, I open the smaller box. “A snow globe?”
“Yeah. The first night we all met at the start of the competition, you mentioned never seeing snow. This is close enough to the real thing for the time being.”
