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She's standing on the cabin porch, her face red from the cold, her cousins' rental van parked in the driveway. I leap from my truck and run to her. "You must be freezing. Why didn't you wait in the car with the heat on?"
She smiles and points up. "I've never seen so many stars."
I wrap an arm around her shoulders and tilt my head back. As the headlights from my truck fade out, the stars come into view, millions of bright white dots in the night sky.
"Gorgeous," I say.
"Yeah, but I'm actually freezing now. So…"
"Let's go." With my arm still around her, I let us into the cabin and shut the door. "Want me to start a fire?"
"Nope. I want you to keep me warm."
I turn to see she's already dropped her coat and hat on the couch and is holding up a small bunch of mistletoe. "Are you looking for someone to kiss?" She repeats my words from our first meeting.
"Are you sure? I really messed up and I hurt you. It would make sense if you need more time before you trust me again."
She walks over and pops onto her tiptoes, holding the mistletoe over my head. "You went to jail for me, Xavier. I can't imagine a better grand gesture."
"Oh, yeah? Because I have more planned. I can give you a grand gesture every day for the rest of your life, if that's what it takes."
"I don't need more grand gestures," she says. "I just need you."
"I love you. More than anything."
"I love you too." Her smile is more beautiful than all the stars in the sky. "Now put that tongue to good use."
I laugh, happier than I can ever remember being, then I do everything she asks and more.
EPILOGUE
Xavier
Cherry grabs my hand and pulls me off the dance floor. I follow, hoping she's heading outside to cool off. The club is packed and so hot that a dip in an ice cold pool sounds amazing right now.
Instead, Cherry heads for the bar and waves at her throat. "Water," she shouts over the music. "I need water."
I grin and order two waters from Lara behind the bar. She hands them over and I grab Cherry's hand and lead her to the back of the club and out onto the patio. It's been cleared of snow and heat lamps are set up. A few people chat in small groups, but most everyone is inside. The countdown to midnight and the new year is going to start soon.
Cherry points to a table that's more shadowed than the rest and away from the heat of the lamps. "Sit. Please."
I sit in the nearest chair but pull it out from the table. We've only been real dating for a week, but I know Cherry's going to sit on my lap before she does it. We've woken up together every day this week, and she doesn't seem any more able to keep her hands off me than I am to keep mine off her.
She grabs the water from me and chugs half of it down.
"You okay?" I ask as she sets the bottle on the table and screws the cap on.
She kisses me and pulls away. The lights from the club sparkle in her eyes and her tiny dress is revealing a whole lot of leg I can't resist touching. I lay a palm on her thigh and she licks her lips.
That's all it takes for us to go from zero to let's get naked as quickly as possible.
"I'm amazing," she says, her voice going husky. "Have I told you today how much I love you?"
"I love you too." Dating Cherry is better than I ever imagined it could be. "And I love what you've done at Josephine's. The lights going up the drive look amazing."
Cherry's smile is radiant. Josephine invited the whole town to the farm tonight to see the Christmas lights and enjoy the hay rides. It's smart to let the town know what she's offering, because they'll tell tourists and send them her way.
"I can't believe how fast it's all come together. This town is amazing."
