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She nodded her head, and together we watched as Mindy lit up all the trees in the park. The last one was the large one that had come from her farm for this year’s Christmas. Everyone clapped and then sang “Silent Night,” just like they’d done every year since we were kids.
I pulled her in closer just as we heard a throat clear behind us. “Two events in a row,” we heard a familiar voice say and turned to see Thomas standing with Trinity.
“Hey, Thomas. Good to see you,” I said, holding my hand out to shake his.
“It’s good to see you out and about, Connor,” Trinity said, giving us both a soft smile.
“Good to be out,” I replied. It wasn’t a lie. It felt good to get out with people again. It felt good to have a woman in my arms again.
“We are glad to see you back out. Trinity and I were getting very worried about you,” Thomas said as he looked at me. “How’s Gabe?”
It was just then that another couple came up beside Thomas and Trinity, both smiling our way.
“Oh, this is Ethan and Peggy,” Trinity replied, introducing them to Cadence. “Peggy owns Peggy’s Petals, the flower shop.”
“Oh, yes, I drove by it when I came into town. And my brother is doing well. He’s hoping to come home for Christmas but wasn’t sure if he’d be able to the last I spoke to him.”
“Ethan used to be in the military,” I added. “You have him to thank for Gabe leaving,” I said, closer to her ear.
“Nice to meet you,” Cadence said, nodding toward Ethan.
“You guys gonna take a spin on the pond together? The four of us are heading over there now,” Ethan said, taking hold of Peggy’s hand. “I haven’t skated in ages, so this might be worth the view.” He laughed.
Cadence looked up at me, but I shook my head. “Nah, we were gonna go over and grab a coffee, do a little shopping, and then make our way back to the farm.”
“Well, enjoy.”
We watched as the four of them made their way over to the small pond that was now safely frozen for skating thanks to the cold snap we’d had the last two weeks. I looked down at Cadence, who pulled her hands inside her jacket sleeves and shivered again.
“Did you want to head back?”
She looked up at me, her eyes full of innocence, and nodded. “I’m sorry, I’m freezing.”
“No sorry needed.” I winked. “Let’s go. We’ll stop and grab a hot drink before making the drive back.”
We stopped in at The Crispy Biscuit and placed an order for two cups of coffee to go. While we stood there waiting, Cadence leaned into me and asked if we could wait out front so we could continue talking quietly amongst ourselves. We had just stepped out the front door of the place when we noticed a bunch of young kids across the street. They started yelling something about kissing and mistletoe as they pointed in our direction.
I did my best to ignore them when I felt Cadence grip my coat and lift her gaze up. I looked up and noticed that we were standing right under the mistletoe that Brooke and Tristan hung outside to catch couples underneath.
“Hey, mister, aren’t you going to kiss her?” one of the young kids shouted.
I looked at Cadence, whose cheeks were red, probably more so from the kid calling us out in public than the cold.
“Yeah, mister…” another young kid added. “Kiss her, kiss her.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle as the boy’s mother grabbed the pair of them by the jackets and pulled them away. I pulled Cadence against me, warming her, when the door opened and Melinda stepped out just far enough to hand us our coffees.
“Have a good night,” she sang as she went back inside.
I’d just handed Cadence her coffee when Brooke came over carrying the thermos that had been filled with hot chocolate and smiled at us both. “You two realize you are standing right under that mistletoe there…” She winked before she opened the door to the diner.
“Oh my god, I’m ready to die,” Cadence mumbled as more townsfolk looked our way with smiles on their faces, waiting for us to kiss.
I was about to grab her and meet her lips when we heard the cackle of a laugh I’d know anywhere. I turned to see Ella’s Aunt LuAnn approaching us. LuAnn and I never got along. She barely got along with Ella. Most people in Willow Valley were afraid of her, and she loved to torment the children at events like Halloween.
Cadence leaned into me. “She’s always hated me, Connor. We should just go.” She whispered as she tugged gently on my hand.
Instead of listening, I ignored her and turned to face LuAnn. I wasn’t afraid of her. We’d done nothing, but I knew LuAnn loved to stir the pot.
