Page 33 of Magically Generated
It would have been nice to have a white Christmas, rather than watching the rain stream down the windows.It would have been nice for those sculptures to last just a little longer.
But as Nora snuggled against Everett, she couldn’t complain.In a world of lies and misinformation, there was still hope.She couldn’t be certain that whatever they had would last, but she didn’t want to be someone who never tried anything new, who barely even talked to anyone new.She’d be careful and plan for the worst, but she’d also do her best to trust that things could get better.
She bit off the head of a gingerbread man.In her opinion, that was the best way to eat them: starting with the head.
“You’re a monster,” Everett muttered fondly.
Once she’d finished consuming her gingerbread man, his mouth swooped in before she could decapitate another one.He tasted of spice and evergreen, and his beard scraped against her skin in the most pleasing of ways.
She hadn’t expected to fall for someone like him: a man who wanted to bring Christmas cheer to people he didn’t even know.
Well, to be honest, she hadn’t expected to fall for anyone ever again, but certainly not for someone who’d bake gingerbread while whistling “Carol of the Bells.”
But he was simply amazing, and while most of the city engaged in wild speculation about the snow sculptures, she was one of the very few who knew the truth.
Though he might be able to work with snow much faster than a regular person, his sculptures were still done with care and intentionality.They were a way of connecting people, and they’d helped bring Nora and Everett together.
His hand slipped under her shirt, and she moaned softly against him.
“Hold that thought,” he murmured.“I think the food is ready.”
He started to get up, but she pulled him back down for a kiss.
“Merry Christmas,” she whispered against his lips.“Merry, merry Christmas.”
Epilogue
Five years later
WhenNoraBlackburnwokeup on Christmas morning, she turned to the sleeping man next to her.He was lying on his side, his lips parted slightly.There was a little gray in his beard now, which she rather liked.
The alarm would go off in five minutes, and she’d let him sleep until then.Though she wouldn’t normally set an alarm for Christmas morning, they had to get the large turkey in the oven at a decent hour.Another year, they’d do a ham, but Nora had wanted to try something different this holiday.She smiled wistfully as she thought of her mother putting a ham in the oven; she wished her mom could have met Everett.
While it was their sixth Christmas together, it would be their first year hosting Christmas for her family.It was also their first Christmas in their new house.They’d bought the small home in the summer, and Nora loved it.
When she and Everett had first started dating, she’d hoped that, one day, they’d be able to build a life together, but she hadn’t wanted to rush into anything, and he’d been patient.It would have been convenient—and cost-effective—for them to live together sooner, but they’d waited almost three years to move into a two-bedroom apartment in their old building.
And now, they owned this place with its garland-covered bannisters.They had a large Christmas tree downstairs, as well as red and green lights outside.There was also a small tree on one of the bedside tables.
The past couple of winters had been warm, so there hadn’t been many snow sculptures.Three years ago, Everett made a giant sea lion before Christmas, and the city debated whether it was the work of the same person as the previous sculptures, or someone new.He didn’t want too many people to know about his powers, but when his parents and brother had visited Toronto, he’d demonstrated his magic for them.
Previously, Nora had wondered if other members of his family had similar abilities that they’d never shared, but apparently not.Still, she suspected he wasn’t the only person in the world who could do something that ought to be impossible.
Everett opened his eyes.“Hey.What time is it?”
“The alarm will go off in two minutes.”
He pulled her close.“Mm.You feel amazing.”
Nora smiled.She no longer tensed when he said such things.
His hands drifted to her thighs.“Do you think two minutes is enough time?”
“For what?”
The next thing she knew—how had he managed it so quickly?—he’d shifted her so she was sitting on his face.He pushed her underwear to the side and set his tongue to her clit.
“You’re certainly feeling naughty this morning,” she said.“Maybe you’re too naughty to get a Christmas present.”
