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Hunter chuckled. “Looks like someone’s making a bid for Santa’s naughty list.”
I laughed. “Or trying to assert dominance.”
“I wouldn’t want to see that fight.” He grinned as I rolled my eyes.
We sipped our cocoa as Christmas carols echoed softly through the house. The rich chocolate was a perfect antidote to the winter chill, not to mention the days spent worrying about things I didn’t even want to believe. The roiling fire and the twinkling Christmas lights cast a warm, intimate glow around us.
I turned to look at Hunter and smiled. “At least you’ve had practice with Purrlock.”
He shrugged, a grin tugging at his lips. “And it’s been a mostly paws-itive experience.”
“Seriously?” I smirked.
“Would you expect anything less from a guy who names his cat Purrlock?”
“Good point.”
“It’s all part of my charm,” he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Unfortunately, you’re right.” I bopped his nose as Purrlock licked her paws four feet up from the ground.
I pulled a festive blanket covered in gingerbread houses onto our laps.
“And think, this time last week, I thought it was just you, me, and a furball,” he mused, his tone a mix of humor and earnestness.
“Life is full of adventure.” I nodded. “What’s that thing people say? You plan, and God laughs?”
“Truer words.” He nodded, pulling my hand into his as Purrlock kept tabs on us.
“I like what I see for our future,” Hunter said as my heart skipped a beat.
“Me too,” I confessed.
Suddenly, a clatter from the fireplace drew our attention. The cat, in a display of feline acrobatics, had leaped from the mantel, but her tail got stuck, and she wound up hanging upside down in front of the fire, yowling as if the world had set her up for this.
A stocking fell, catching on her claw as Hunter shot up from the couch.
“I’m sorry. Can you just?” I shouted between laughter, grabbing my phone.
Hunter laughed as I took a couple of photos of Purrlock.
“Get in there.”
Hunter knelt next to his cat and turned around with a grimace just as I took the perfect holiday shot.
“Operation Santa Paws is a go.” He laughed, shaking his head as he lifted poor Purrlock back onto the mantel before untangling her tail from the fireplace vent.
I watched the way Hunter interacted with the cat. Gentle and patient. It was in these small moments that I saw our potential, not just as a couple but as something more—a family in the making.
And I knew he was going to make a dynamite dad to Tate.
Hunter returned, his eyes meeting mine. “Where were we?” he asked, a playful note in his voice. “Wasn’t I about to kiss you?”
The familiar pull of electricity shot through me.
“I think so,” I said more breathlessly than I thought as he closed the gap between us. Our lips met in a gentle kiss, but it was charged with all the unspoken words and shared laughter of the evening. And I knew Hunter really was my home.
In my cozy living room, the glow of the Christmas tree lights cast a soft, warm hue over us.
