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“I can’t believe that Alicia and Sarah passed this all down to their kids.”
The two old ladies passed away three years ago, after many years of terrorizing our whole town with the matchmaking pool for Christmas.
But now it’s been taken over by their daughters and it’s even more terrifying. Because we have a daughter and a son that are over eighteen and although they didn’t get picked the last two years, I have a feeling our reprieve is about over.
We meet at the old diner that’s been changed into a hall and step inside, shaking off all the snow and putting our coats on the hooks on the wall.
“Do you see Cash and Jessie?”
“Yeah. They’re on the other side of the room talking to Monica and Stevie.”
“Great. That’s not good,” I growl and stalk across the room, hoping to catch them before it all starts. But before I can, the room divides up into laughing sides. This particular tradition plays out the same every year and somehow or other, every year many matches are actually long-term matches and the search brings them together more than anything else.
It’s an odd tradition but it seems to work for our small town.
Monica and Stevie play it exactly like their mothers and soon everyone is laughing as they’re paired off. But one of the first couples has me growling under my breath and Portia patting my hand. “Settle down.”
Jessie, our beautiful, red-haired daughter and the light of my life at nineteen is picked and then her best friend, James is picked for her. My head reels as I watch them walk off, chatting lightly.
I jerk around and stare at my wife. “Surely not.”
She smiles at me. “What would be better than her best friend?”
Cash’s name is called and I see that he’s been matched with the older daughter of a man who just moved to town and the two of them are standing awkwardly until Cash says something to her and she stalks off.
“Well, well,” Portia says, smiling. “Cash is definitely going to have to work for that one.” She grins and pats my cheek. “Like father like son.”
I don’t know what to do with these new things going on. My children are growing up and soon will have relationships of their own and we’ll be left here alone.
But Portia smiles at me and tucks herself up against my side and I can’t help but smile. Because no matter what, our kids will always be around. And my wife loves me.
I thought that I had to fight what I felt for her because of my parents but really, I’m nothing like them. My love for Portia has only grown over the years and yes…I’m a jealous idiot sometimes but never the way my Dad was.
I love with my heart and soul. I want her to be with me but I also want her to choose me, choose our life. I don’t want to tie her down. I don’t want to take away her choices, her autonomy.
I just want to love her with all of me and I’m a lucky guy because she loves me back.
Love is not a trap. It’s a silken bond between two souls who can’t help but be drawn to each other. Because they share something that can’t be forced, can’t be faked. Something real and lasting.
Real love is a gift to be given, not a thing to be taken. And that’s how my wife is. She gives me every part of herself and I would gladly give her every piece of me.
Because our love is everlasting and eternal. Just like the Christmas magic all around Mistletoe every year.
“May I have this dance, Mrs. Lowell?” I bow and smile at my lovely wife and she smiles back, giving me her hand.
“I would love that, Mr. Lowell.” And I pull her into my arms and she rests her head on my chest, smiling up at me.
And I know that all is right with my world because I have the most important part of it in my arms right now. The only woman always meant to be mine. My love.
