AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m surprised you lasted this long before making it happen,” she said.
As our bodies swayed back and forth, I confessed, “It hasn’t been easy. I mean, have you seen yourself in this apron?”
“It’s not like I’m naked underneath it,” she noted.
My lips twitched. “You don’t have to be naked for me to keep envisioning you that way. Why do you think my sugar cookies turned out the way they did?”
“Fair enough.”
For several long moments, the two of us moved together in that spot in our kitchen as the music played. But eventually, I found myself needing to speak.
“I’m glad this is where we are,” I shared.
“The kitchen?”
Shaking my head, I clarified, “Here with one another. There’s no question in my mind that if this year had ended the way it started, I’d never be the same.”
Kiera slid her hands into my hair. “Make that two of us. I think about it sometimes, and for some reason, I just can’t picture any part of my life where you aren’t there.”
“Because this is where I’m supposed to be,” I explained. “We can’t change what’s meant to be.”
“I feel like this is going to be our best Christmas ever,” Kiera declared.
Sliding one of my hands down from her waist to her ass, I returned, “I have to agree with you.”
“Does it scare you?”
“What?”
“That last year we experienced our worst Christmas and this year we’re experiencing our best. What happens from here?”
I took a moment to consider her words. I guess I understood where she was coming from. We’d experienced what felt like the lowest of the lows for us, and we were now in the midst of one of the highs. It only made sense that she’d be worried about us crashing and burning again.
“Did you enjoy our time at the villa the week after Zac and Talia’s wedding?” I asked.
She was clearly surprised by the question, but she didn’t hesitate to respond. “Yes. I loved it.”
“How was it coming home from there? What was it like being back here in Dogwood?” I questioned her.
Still unsure where I was heading with this, Kiera replied, “Honestly, it was even better than being away with you. I don’t know. I felt like it was our chance to really start over. We were home. To be honest, every day we’ve been here has felt better than the day before.”
“Why do you think that is?” I pressed.
Kiera shook her head. “I don’t know. Do you think it is?”
I nodded. “Of course, I do. Because it is better. Every day just keeps getting better and better, baby. That’s not by chance. It’s because of us. We’re making that happen, and I’m determined to make it continue. So you don’t need to be afraid. You should wake up every day knowing it’s going to be the best day of your life.”
“Don’t you think that’s unrealistic? I mean, people are bound to have bad days,” she pointed out.
“Yes, they are. And we will, too. But that doesn’t change the fact that at the end of the day, you and I are still going to be together. And I know that as long as I have you in my life, that alone will turn the day around for me.”
Her eyes roamed over my face as she took in my words and processed them. “I think you might be right.”
Grinning, I replied, “I am. Now, we probably should get these cookies in the oven, so we can start cleaning off these counters. I really want to see if the vision I’ve had in my head all day about you wearing nothing but this apron is accurate.”
A shiver ran down her spine before she pressed up on her toes and kissed me. “You get out the trays while I put the cookies in the oven.”
I kissed her once more before I did as she asked.
