Page 24 of Gingerbread Hearts

He gives me a quick kiss on the lips. It’s light, and as much as I want to draw him in for a deeper, much more passionate kiss, we have places to be and people to see.

“I went with gingerbread cookies.” I grab the cookie tin from the counter and open it to show him. I had spent quite some time today decorating them, hopeful they would be the perfect addition to an already well-planned out Christmas Eve dinner.

The gingerbread people had white icing smiles and either green or blue candies for eyes. Each and every cookie had a little red frosting heart in the middle of the body. No funny little sweaters or ties, just a simple heart.

“It’s us,” I whisper as I close the cookie tin, hand it over to Jake, and go to put my coat on. It’s supposed to snow a few inches tonight so I definitely need all of my layers today. I pull out my gloves, scarf, and hat from various coat pockets. I want to be as warm as possible during the short walks from building to car and back.

***

Jake

I watch Violet as she closes the cookie tin and starts to layer up for our brief walk outside. I’m whole, just being here with Violet. Now we’re moving in together and while it’s all happening so fast, everything seems right.

Sally has been helping me with getting my apartment ready to be packed up and then on the market. My firm was surprisingly supportive in my decision. They didn’t want to lose me as a partner and apparently, the owners have been discussing opening smaller offices in a few key places. Kastle Harbor, while not on their initial list, was close enough to one of the areas they’ve had their eyes on. I’m staying on with them instead of starting from scratch completely.

While I was hesitant to uproot Sally, she seemed all too eager to take me up on the offer to assist her in relocating to Kastle Harbor if she still wanted to be my assistant. I’ll manage a small office here in town and make trips to the city for key cases and important meetings. The trips will be short, and I’ll stay at hotels there.

Violet’s ready to go. Her coat buttoned and her full winter gear on. She’s adorable and all mine. I cannot wait to be moved in, to further intertwine our lives together.

“You carry my heart Violet Platt, forever.” I take one of her hands, mindful of the cookie tin in my other. I squeeze, before we go to leave the bakery.

“Forever,” she whispers, looking into my eyes. We both smile, knowing this is only the beginning of the time we have together.

As long as Violet is in my future, I’m happy.

And to think this happiness and love all started just a couple of weeks ago with me asking for plain black coffee.

Coffee and gingerbread sounds like a great combination for forever.

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