Hello Christmas

Chapter 1

BIRDIE

Cohen and I walked away from the Christmas party at my parents’ mansion, holding hands. Even though we'd had a good time seeing Anthea and Doug and their two children, and my parents were friendly, there was still heaviness around us as we settled into the car.

Ollie would be spending Christmas with his partner's family this year, which meant we wouldn't get to see him until the new year. I knew Ollie’s absence was bringing Cohen’s mind back to all of the years when he had to spend special occasions away from his son, sharing him with his ex.

Once we were buckled in, I reached across the console and gripped his hand again. I hated to see him this down, even if he tried putting on a good show for me. “I'm so sorry that we won't get to see Ollie this year,” I said, “but I'll try and make it special for you. Okay?”

Some of the sadness left his features as he squeezed my hand back. “Everyday is special with you.”

My heart warmed. We had been together over ten years now, and he still treated me with all the love and respect he did when we were dating. He didn’t make me feel like a friend or a roommate but someone he truly cherished.

Cold air came from the vents as he put the car in drive and started away from the house.

Hopefully the car would warm up soon. It was just cold enough to be uncomfortable.

We lived on the opposite side of town from my parents.

While their mansion was in a gated neighborhood, our neighborhood had sprawling lawns, tons of color, and all different types of houses.

We had spent hours and days together decorating the house for the holidays, and he hadn't once complained when I wanted to rearrange the Christmas light message on the roof from “Ho Ho Ho” to “Merry Christmas” because it offended our neighbor across the street who could only see one “ho” through their her branches.

I wanted to get him a special present for being so wonderful, but I was still having trouble figuring out what would be good enough.

He had most everything he needed and didn’t want for much.

So, I planned to stop by the mall later on and do some browsing to see if anything sparked my imagination.

Time was running out to get him the perfect gift.

Out the car window, I saw he missed the exit to our house. “You got distracted again,” I said. Sometimes he would get so lost in his mind that he would miss our turns and we’d have to go back. A quirk of his, just like I had my quirks, too.

But smiled slightly as he said, “No, I didn't miss our turn.”

“Uh huh,” I said doubtfully.

“I mean it!” he replied.

I turned and gave him a surprised look. “Where are we going then? It’s too cold for ice cream.” That was our usual date night go-to. That or the aviary.

Before answering, he reached out and upped the heat. Warm air flowed over me, making my shoulders relax. “Your favorite ice cream shop is closed now,” he said. But he smiled a little bigger. “So that’s not it.”

“What is it then?” I asked, already trying to unravel the mystery.

“If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise, then would it?” He ran his fingers through his wavy salt and pepper hair, far too nonchalant for all the curiosity raging through me.

“It's a surprise right now,” I retorted. “I have no idea where you're going.”

But he squeezed my hand a little and said, “Let's just enjoy a little Christmas magic.” So I sat back in my seat thinking of all the places we could possibly go.

There was a light show in the nearby town that we'd been to once and really enjoyed. Maybe he was taking me back one more time before the season was over? There was some kind of puppet market I’d heard about.

Apparently every booth sold different types of puppets.

That’s when I remembered I had created a spreadsheet with every single Christmas activity within a fifty mile radius so we could make the most of this year. I’d titled it “Birdie and Cohen’s Christmas Adventure.”

I held up my phone to go through the spreadsheet. Lines with red we’d already done. Green ones were things we wanted to go to. And those in gold were our maybe items. I began looking through the list to see if I could guess based on the direction he was driving.

Glancing at my screen, he said, “It's not on the spreadsheet.”

I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest, making my Christmas sweater jingle.

He chuckled at the sound, and I rolled my eyes at him.

It was too hard to stay mad at him. So instead, I gave him a smile and searched out the window for hints to our destination.

I had grown up here, after all. But the further we drove, I began to realize we were not staying in town.

“Are you going to LA?” I asked.

He dipped his head side to side in a noncommittal answer.

I shoved his arm. “Cohen!”

“Ow,” he protested. “No hitting the driver.”

I rolled my eyes, remembering that time we were teaching Ollie to drive together. Cohen had flicked him because he forgot to signal. “You sound like Ollie.”

“If Ollie doesn’t divulge surprises before the time is right, then… yes, yes I do.”

“You're no help.” I said.

He smiled proudly.

Even though I was acting annoyed, I was actually really touched that he had planned something special for us.

I was practically bouncing in the seat by the time he pulled up to the airport.

“What's going on here?” I asked. “Are we picking someone up?” My heart raced excitedly.

Maybe Henrietta and Tyler were visiting?

He shook his head and held up his phone, swiping the screen to show two boarding passes. I tried to look closer and zoom in to see the city, but he pulled his phone away.

“The flights are for us,” he said.

My jaw dropped. “Where are we going?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out later.”

“But who’s watching Ralphie?” I asked. He wouldn’t be okay at home without someone to check on him and keep him company.

“Rory and Beckett are bird sitting,” he replied. I also learned that Cohen had somehow sneakily packed bags for us.

There were two suitcases about carry-on sized, so I knew it must not have been a long trip. My mind spun with possible destinations until we made our way through security and reached our gate and I stared up at the sign that said Dallas. “No way,” I squealed.

He nodded with a small smile. “I know you've been missing Henrietta.”

Completely shocked and more than excited, I shrieked and jumped into his arms, making more than a few people laugh and chuckle around us. “You are the best,” I said. “I thought we were just planning on having Christmas at home.”

He shook his head. “Home is where you are.”

I held his face in my hands and kissed him.“Have I mentioned you're the best?”

He chuckled. “Never hurts to hear… So you’re not mad about waiting for the surprise?”

“Not even a little.” I squeezed his hand. and then we started my next favorite activity, airport shopping.

I loved going through all of the little stores and seeing what trinkets and books they had inside.

Even though I was born and raised in California, I found myself looking at a tumbler that had the state of California with the Santa hat on top.

Cohen took it from my hands and said, “I'll get it for you.”

I pressed my hands over my heart, and said, “You're spoiling me. I'll go rotten if you keep this up.”

But he shook his head and said, “You know rotten fruit turns into wine.”

I chuckled at the joke. I certainly did not mind being indulged.

We went to a few more shops, grabbing a book for me to read on the plane and a magazine for him.

Soon they were calling our flight to board.

We got on board, sitting side by side. Before I even had to worry about it, Cohen flagged down a flight attendant and said, “Can we get a belt extender, please?”

It was easy, with no drama. No guilt or shame. I loved how good he was at taking care of me.

All buckled in, we sat back, talking about Cottonwood Falls and Henrietta and Tyler and the friends we couldn't wait to see.

I'd been able to visit Henrietta in Texas a few times over the years, and each trip felt special.

She had a really great community around her, and I loved seeing how happy she was to have such great friends and family around.

Even if I did miss her more than a little.

I was almost halfway through my book when we landed in Dallas, but I knew we still had a two-hour drive to get to Cottonwood Falls. Cohen led us to the rental car counter, and he surprised me with a rental car that had a Rudolph nose on the front and horns in the windows.

I squealed. “My family always makes fun of me for liking these!”

He shook his head. “I love this about you. Remember, never dull your sparkle.”

I nodded in agreement. “I can't wait to pull up to Cottonwood Falls in this.”

“Me neither.” He said, “Let's go.”