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My heart pounds like a drum corps are inside of my chest. I swallow down the fears—he’ll leave, he’ll be taken away, that he doesn’t trust me.
“But can he truly trust me?”
Santa sighs. “He does. I know that you want me for me. I mean, that guy knows that you want him for him.” He winks and I feel the gesture in my gut, sizzling.
I still. “How can I know for sure?”
Santa nears the camera and whispers, “I’ve been burned before, but when I’m with you, I feel whole. I feel at ease. And I feel your honesty. I gave up on my baseball dream, but I’m not giving up on the dream of us. You make me feel like I’m the only one you want to be with.”
“Am I the one for you, Santa?” I start walking down the hallway.
“Theonlyone.”
I run to the door and unlock it, throwing open the screen door and jumping into Santa’s —Jasper’s— arms.
I stare into those beautiful eyes before pulling down his fake beard. “You had me at ‘Ho-Ho-Ho’.”
He laughs and holds me close. “Merry Christmas, Sonnet.”
“The happiest Christmas to you, Jasper.”
“God bless us, everyone,” we hear through the doorbell.
“Go to bed, Harmony!” Jasper and I call out.
We all laugh and I look into Jasper’s eyes.
He smiles, lines crinkling at the edges of his eyes. “I think I know why I do the Santa Sightings now.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because my heart knew there would be someone out there who was waiting to fill Santa’s wish for happiness, too.”
“Santa, you rescued my heart from sadness, and I don’t ever want to miss you like that again.”
“Is that an invitation to move in?”
Time spins quickly. My head and heart scream the answer at me. It’s time to believe. “Yes!”
My lips crush to his, excitement feeding through me and into him.
When he breaks the kiss, I breathe like I’ve run a marathon. “I love you, Sonnet.”
“I love you, Santa.”
EPILOGUE
JASPER
Six MonthsLater
“You seehow they back each other up on the field. That’s what baseball is about. It’s about teamwork that’s selfless.” I point to how the pitcher ran over to the first base to be backup for the first baseman chasing the pop fly.
“Do you think I could be a pitcher some day?” Nyck asks.
“You can be whatever you want to. With dedication and practice, you can be out there on the field.” I give him a wink and point with my head to the score board.
It’s time.
