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“I…I thought…” Tears formed in Sophie’s eyes. Happy tears. “I was afraid you weren’t ever going to let me in.”
“Let you?” He smirked, then shook his head. “There was no letting. From the moment I first laid eyes on you at that Fourth of July picnic, I never got you out of my head. And then you showed up at the firehall wearing that red reindeer sweater and Christmas-shined your way into my life.” He squeezed her hand. “Into my heart.”
He recalled what she’d been wearing when she’d come to the firehall?
Happiness blossomed in Sophie’s chest, spreading throughout her entire being.
“I can’t believe you’re really here, saying these things,” she mused, truly wondering if she’d fallen asleep at the sewing machine and was dreaming all of this. “Santa must have left me on his nice list this year.”
Cole’s smile was so endearing that it couldn’t possibly be real.
“You’re the only girl on this Santa’s list.”
She smiled up at him and sought words to tell him what was in her heart. “Reading your journal, feeling the emotions you felt, the struggle you went through,” she continued, trying not to choke up, “and traveling with you as you moved from deep despair to that last hopeful entry where you’d been accepted into the fire academy, pulled me in. I fell for you, Cole. When we met, I felt such a powerful connection that I was a bit devastated when you didn’t give any indication that you instantly felt it, too.”
“I felt it,” he assured. “I didn’t want to feel anything, but I knew you were different from any person I’d ever met.”
“But, for all that I felt from reading your journal, getting to know you, seeing your smile, hearing your laugh, witnessing your generous heart, looking into your warm eyes—all of that has made me love you more than I ever dreamed possible.”
“You love me?”
Heart pounding to the point she worried that her heart might burst, she nodded. “I’m so in love with you, I can barely think straight.”
“Christmas really is the most magical day of the year, because none of this feels real,” he admitted, his beautiful pale eyes sparkling like rare blue gems.
She glanced at her watch. It was still Christmas. Barely.
“Because you love me, too?”
“You know I do.” He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her fingertips. “I love you more than life itself.”
“That’s almost enough,” she teased softly, smiling up at him.
“Almost?” He laughed. “I’ll keep working on it, then,” he teased, then his face grew somber. “I admit, I worry that the darkness in me will surface from time to time. I hate the thought of you ever witnessing one of my nightmares.”
The raw concern in his voice hurt her heart for him.
“It’ll be okay, Cole. We’ll face whatever happens together.”
He cupped her face. “I never want to hurt you, Sophie.”
“Then don’t ever leave me.”
“That might be the easiest thing you’ve ever asked of me.”
Smiling, Sophie leaned over to where he’d set down the quilt she’d made him, a quilt of comfort and healing and love, and she wrapped it around his shoulders and pulled her very own Santa to her.
As their lips met, Sophie whispered, “Welcome home, Cole.”
Moments later, Cole’s forehead resting against hers, he smiled. “If home is where the heart is, then I am home. Merry Christmas, Sophie.”
The End
Dilly Duchess Potatoes
A Hallmark Original Recipe
In Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy, Cole experiences his first Thanksgiving in Pine Hill. While Sophie regrets not inviting Cole to dinner, Cole spends Thanksgiving with his fellow firefighters at the station…who ask him if he’s sweet on Sophie. It’s a little uncomfortable, to say the least, but the taste of Grandma Ruby’s renowned cooking makes up for it. You can make Grandma Ruby’s Dilly Duchess Potatoes for yourself—it’s the perfect dish to share with your friends, family, and loved ones, and it’s sure to have them coming back for seconds.
