Page 152 of The Golden Hour

“Phil, Bruce is on, get your ass in here and dance with your wife!” Melissa yells.

“Give me a damn minute,” Phil grumbles, stomping into the room with two big plastic boxes of decorations in his hands. “I’m hauling your damn decorations up!”

“And what a mighty fine job you’re doing, but the Boss is playing,” Melissa smiles, crooking her finger. “So get over here. Now, husband.”

Phil tries to keep the grumpy look on his face, and fails because as soon as he’s in front of Melissa, he’s smiling.

“Someone oughta do something about that mouth on you.”

“You love it,” Melissa says, letting Phil twirl her under his arm.

He grunts. “That I do.”

“Can I have this dance, little flower?” Mason asks Daisy, who giggles as Honey hands her to him.

He doesn’t let her go far, though.

Slowly, he slides an arm around Honey’s waist, and her surprised gasp melts into a giggle as he twirls them.

The Boss croons about feeling like a man living in paradise, and Mason glances around the warm home. Melissa and Phil are slowly dancing together. He can see through the walkway to the kitchen that his own father has pulled his mother into a dance of their own.

Daisy makes soft little noises in one of Mason’s arms, and in the other, Honey is softly singing along and gently waving Daisy’s little hand around in a dance.

“I’m so happy,” Mason murmurs unbidden. He looks at Honey, who’s smiling at his words. “Are you happy, Honey?”

Honey nods fervently, making his heart soar. “I’m very happy, Mason.”

Her words, delivered in such a genuine tone, make him smile widely.

“Good. That’s all I ever want, Honey. You safe and happy.” He grins down at Daisy. “Both of you.”

Honey then surprises the hell out of him.

She rises onto her toes and presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

He gasps lightly at the sensation of her soft lips on his. The same lips he’s been kissing since he was a teenager. The only lips he’s ever and would ever kiss.

It sends a shiver down his spine, euphoric and painful all at once, because the feeling is both familiar and brand new.

Honey lingers there for a long moment before pulling back only slightly enough to meet his eyes. Mason wants to chase her lips, wants to crash his own against her, and kiss and kiss and kiss until they can’t breathe. But he doesn’t. It’s her choice, her lead, always.

In the warm golden light from the fire, the glow giving her the illusion of a halo, Honey looks like the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.

And he must say it out loud, or she just reads his mind, because her smile turns shy and bashful.

“Merry Christmas, Mason,” Honey smiles, laying her head on his chest, wrapping one arm around his waist and the other around Daisy.

The three breathe and exist as one.

Mason presses a kiss to Daisy’s head and then Honey’s, burying his nose in her sweet-smelling hair and letting gratitude wash over him.

“Merry Christmas, baby.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

HONEY

Her entire body relaxes as soon as she parks in the driveway. Like always, she made the entire drive home in blessed silence, the toddlers' inability to control their volume still leaving a ringing in her ear.