“What’s one more round?” I kissed his jaw, wanting more.
“I promised your uncle we’d be there on time, and I have the truck, remember?”
“Remember?” I gave him a wicked smile. “How can I forget our snowstorm sex?” Last year, Blake and I were trapped on the side of the road, caught in one of the worst snowstorms New York had ever seen. Instead of being upset or cold, we found other ways to keep each other warm.
“We should really try that again sometime.” He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth and laughed in his throat as he kissed me senseless.
Somehow, we untangled our bodies in time to get dressed and run out the door to the snow-covered beast that was his truck.
“Back inside, Lloyd.” I shooed my brat-of-a-kitty back inside and blew my hound a kiss. Shutting the front door again, I heard a sound and walked around the other side of my patio to see my crazy neighbor, Shannan, knee deep in snow, pulling a tree across her lawn.
“Shannan?” I called and did my best to cover my laughter at the scene. My tiny bulldog of a neighbor, who was maybe four foot nine inches tall, give or take, was trying to move a tree about three times her size.
“Hey, babe,” she huffed and fell backward, sending a puff of powered snow into the air like a bomb.
“Do you need help?”
“No,” she popped up, “I’m making a point with Kim, that I can do this on my own.”
I laughed lightly. She and her wife were like two little spitfires, always trying to be the one on top.
“Okay, well, good luck with that. We’re heading to the tree lot, so be careful, okay?”
“Yes, go do it the easy way,” she muttered, but I knew her mood was not directed at me.
I really wished I had a camera because it would make a pretty funny Christmas card.
I slipped into the truck and sighed happily.
“What was that all about?” Blake looked over at me, curious about what I witnessed.
“Shannan.” I pulled my seatbelt across my chest and clicked it in place.
“Oh,” he chuckled, “what is our sassy little neighbor up to today?”
“Seems she and Kim are in their annual argument on what tree to get. Kim hates going out into the woods, and Shannan hates the tree lots. So now she’s trying to give herself a hernia dragging a ‘real’ tree up across their property to prove her point that she can do it all.”
“Have I ever mentioned how much I love that couple?”
“They truly are entertaining, aren’t they?”
“Indeed.” He reached for my hand and kissed the diamond he had given me just under a year ago. I wanted a summer wedding, and he wanted to wait until his brother Henry returned home from his year-long trip to Italy. I understood where he was coming from, but I wanted to be his, like, yesterday. I pushed that thought from my head and focused on the fact that we were together, here, healthy, and the rest could wait.
The roads weren’t the best today, but it was only two days until Christmas, and we still didn’t have a tree. We were, after all, hosting Christmas Eve dinner for my aunt and uncle—and, of course, our beloved crazy neighbors Kim and Shannan—so a tree, a big tree, was definitely needed.
“Looks like there’s still some good ones left.” Blake nodded at that and pulled into the tree lot where we quickly spotted my Uncle G, who also happened to be Blake’s sergeant at the police department here in town.
“Hey.” He pulled me into one of his famous bear hugs that always made me feel like I was six again. They were my favorite, and no matter what age I was, I would always treasure those hugs.
“Sorry we’re late,” I whispered over his shoulder.
“Don’t be. Lisa is still at the market getting something for the pies.” He rolled his eyes. My Aunt Lisa loved to be late for everything. “But she promised she’d join us as soon as she was finished.” He turned his attention to my fiancé. “Blake.” G shook his hand like they always did. I didn’t know if it was because they worked so closely together or what, but the handshake seemed to serve as their version of a hug.
Rows and rows of trees stood tall and proud, each one hoping to be chosen to be in a window, beautifully decorated for all to see. A couple of young boys were constantly giving each one a shake to remove the softly falling snow from their branches so the customers could see their shape. I had to smile at their efforts. It was a losing battle, and I loved the way the snow looked on them, anyway.
“You’re writing in your head again, aren’t you?” Blake teased, and I smiled with a shrug.
“That obvious?”
