Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
KATHERINE
Lance isn’t in the bed when I wake up and my heart rate skyrockets. Fuck, did he really slip out in the middle of the night? I look around the room for any notes he might have left, but there aren’t any. There’s a thump and the kitten is crawling toward me.
“Hi, Snowy,” I say, grabbing her and placing her on top of my stomach. She begins to make biscuits on the blanket on top of me and I scratch behind her ears.
I feel almost deflated, like someone picked up a needle and popped me like a balloon. The only thing right now keeping me from breaking down is Snowflake once she starts meowing and hopping off me. She must be hungry and I don’t have any cat food. I do vaguely remember having some canned tuna in my pantry.
As I get up and ready, I make sure to double check the room, even the bathroom, for any notes.
I wasn’t about to ignore this. If he was going to leave after amazing sex, then he needs to be an adult about it and tell me. I huff out a breath and Snowflake meows, defending me.
“Let’s get you some food.” I beckon Snowflake and she runs as quickly as she can, slipping on the hardwood. Once I have her a plate prepared, she’s happily munching and I go to check the living room and sigh. No sign of Lance.
That’s when the front door opens and I whip around, ready to fight whoever is breaking in. I pick up the nearest object, a red ornament, and hold it up high.
Lance walks through the front door, grunting and sliding something big.
“Lance?” I call out. He’s buried underneath the damn tree that he got me last night. I drop the ornament and run to help him.
“Fuck, this is heavier than I thought. Old man wasn’t joking at the tree stand that it’s a two person job.”
“You should’ve knocked or said something! I honestly thought—” He groans and I push away my concern for the time being to help drag it inside. The floor is starting to fill with loose pine needles with each movement, but we finally make it to the corner where I planned to put the tree.
“Is there a stand or something for it?” I ask, looking around.
“On your porch. I can hold this upright if you’re quick.” Lance grunts and I run to the porch, grab the stand, and return to him; the air outside is brisk and I’m shivering from it. I place it on the floor and then we both hoist the tree a few inches before placing it in the holder. I’ll have to get a tree skirt later.
We brush our hands off before standing back and observing our work.
“Thanks, again, for the tree,” I tell him, smiling and feeling giddy like a kid again. I can’t wait to put up ornaments and lights. Even though it’s Christmas Eve, I’m still excited to have a tree and decorated house. I’m definitely one of those people that keep decorations up until the end of February. If it’s still snowing in Tennessee by that time, then my decorations will stay, thank you very much.
Since a lot of us tend to celebrate Christmas events in Alpine on this day, and then spend our actual Christmas Day relaxing, watching movies, and being with loved ones, it makes me even more excited to have everything put up for tomorrow. Maybe Morgan and Peyton can visit and we can watch How The Grinch Stole Christmas while baking cookies.
With the brisk weather this morning, it’s making me wonder if we’ll start to get snow soon. I haven’t had a white Christmas in ages.
“Sorry about this morning, I wanted to slip out to bring this inside,” he confessed.
I wrap my hands around my arms, still trying to warm up and he gets close to me before wrapping his arms around me in a bear hug. He’s toasty and I lean into him, breathing him in. I stare down at his cowboy boots before looking up at him.
“I thought you wouldn’t come back.”
His lips press tightly before he leans in and kisses me. “I think you know me better than that, Katherine.”
It’s true, it’s just the little voice inside my head that was trying to take over this morning. “I know, it’s a learning process for me to understand that not everyone will leave me behind.”
“Well, I’m here now,” is all he says, and I nod, reveling in that.
“I think this is starting to be my favorite Christmas yet.”
He laughs. “Just you wait, I have something for you. It’s in my car.”
“Perfect,” I tell him. “You go get that and I’ll make us some coffee before we hunker down to decorate this tree.”
“Deal,” he responds before we break off and he runs outside.
The coffee is poured into two Christmas mugs and I leave out some sugar and cream for him to make his own and by the time he’s back, he’s holding a green bag. He thrusts it forward before he settles on a chair and starts making his coffee the way he likes it.
I’m excited and start digging into the bag, tossing the tissue paper in every direction. That’s when I pull out the softest knitted sweater.
“What?” I exclaim, holding it up and seeing a cute little cat with various mistletoes around it. It’s a little oversized, but it’s so warm. I look at Lance and he’s smiling bright before taking a sip of his coffee. “You made this?”
“No!” He shakes his head. “My mom did. I hope that’s okay.”
“Wait, your mom?” I scrunch my brows in confusion.
“Yeah. I mentioned how I found Snowflake and she was already knitting a sweater. She just didn’t know who it might be for. Once she showed me the finished product, I asked her if I could take it and give it to someone special.”
My heart warms at the thought. He’s so selfless and he wanted me to have his mother’s knitted talent.
“Lance, I don’t know what to say.”
“Well, you can wear it to the vineyard party.”
I smile, cheeks burning. “I’m so going to wear this to the party. I think it’ll be cute with a skirt and some tights. I can already picture the outfit!”
“Atta girl,” he says before beckoning me over and I gladly close the distance. He sweeps me up so easily onto his lap and I wrap one hand around his neck while the other still clutches onto the sweater. I can see Snowflake running around the kitchen from the corner of my eye.
“So,” I breathe, and Lance looks at me, his blue eyes seemingly even bluer than I remember, “are we going to the party together then?”
He sucks in a breath. “Oh, I don’t know. That seems like it would draw a lot of attention. Especially with you in that sweater? You know the gossip in this town spreads like wildfire and they’re going to talk about this.” He points to the sweater.
“Oh, hush!” I swat at his chest, the sweater almost falling with the movement but he catches it in time.
“I’d like to go to the party with you, Katherine,” he finally states, and now my whole body feels hot.
“Perfect.” He pulls me in close and kisses my forehead before kissing me. It’s not long before Snowflake’s meows break our kissing and we both laugh.
“Time to decorate the tree!” I say, hopping off his lap.
Lance grabs our coffee mugs and follows me to the living room, even making sure to turn on the TV and play some Christmas music with a fake fire going on the screen.
Lance parks his truck at the Vineyard parking lot and turns toward me, unbuckling his seatbelt.
“I have one more present for you, do you want it now or tomorrow?”
I turn my body toward him. “Another present? This sweater was enough! That damn tree was enough, Lance.”
I’m wearing the cute Christmas sweater with a brown suede skirt, black tights, and brown Uggs. There's been a shift in the weather ever since we started heading out toward the vineyard, and the sky is starting to encase the town with more clouds than normal.
He leans over my side of the truck and opens the glove compartment, pulling out an envelope. “I know, but those weren’t really your presents. This is.”
The envelope drops in my lap and I take it, opening it. There are two pieces of paper folded inside and I pull the first out, unfolding it. It’s a receipt to a cabin.
“What’s this?”
“A weekend getaway to the mountains, if you’d like.”
My eyes widen. “Really?”
He nods. “I reached out to Izzy, I hope that’s fine. She told me about a cabin to rent that gives one of the most incredible views of the Smoky Mountains from its balcony. I looked up some cool hiking spots and then fun things to do in the small town there for us.”
He’s about to go on, but I interrupt him by leaning over and kissing him. “This is perfect. You didn’t have to, yet you did. It’s really the best Christmas ever, Lance.”
There’s a slight blush creeping up his neck and face. “You really like it? I was terrified that you’d think it was too soon. But I know I just want to spend more time with you and since we both want to start adventuring out of Alpine, this seemed like the best idea. I told you how I wanted to start my list after Christmas, so this would be the perfect first trip.”
“And it is. You are,” I declare.
“You are too,” he remarks. “Now, look at the other piece of paper.”
I put the receipt back in the envelope to make sure I don’t lose it and then pull out the other. Unfolding it, I read its contents briefly and then look at Lance. “It’s the bucket list.”
“ Our bucket list. I added a few things you’d like to maybe do and then some I’d like to do.”
I look at the list again and see what he means.
Smoky Mountains weekend trip
New York to visit Peyton and Morgan
Colorado to visit Lance’s brother
Nashville to visit Lainey
The list goes on for a few more locations and my eyes go misty, but I try my best to not let the tears fall. I’ve never had anyone be this intentional with a gift. But here’s Lance with several that have so much meaning.
That’s when it happens, so fast that we almost miss it. Until it happens again.
We both whip our heads to the windshield and more and more come.
Snowflakes. Matter of fact, snow . On Christmas Eve, of all days.
Like a Christmas miracle.
Lance grabs my hand and squeezes it before I squeeze it back.
“You ready?” he asks, gesturing toward the vineyard. There are more people starting to enter the lot to park while snow is falling everywhere now; I really hope it stays and sticks to the ground. And judging by the way the sky starts to darken, I know we’re in for a very white Christmas this year.
I nod, ready to take on anything with him even if it’s this holiday party.
“Let’s go,” I tell him.
THE END