Epilogue
COREY
One Year Later…
Can I come home yet? I shot the third text of the day to Noah.
Daddy was planning some sort of surprise, and while I loved that, I was itching to get home.
It was Christmas Eve, and I wanted nothing more than to be in our home, snuggling with Daddy and enjoying the season.
While I loved my work, it had been a hectic season and I was ready to start some well-deserved time off.
The bakery had been doing amazingly well for such a new business.
I was nervous when I went from just selling my custom cookies online to a brick and mortar specialty bakery.
But Frost and Found blew up after some of my Christmas cookies went viral last year so expanding out of my kitchen made the most sense.
Especially when my kitchen had turned into Noah’s kitchen after I moved in with him.
But it was hard work.
Creating custom orders that were commissioned by customers who paid in advance was one thing.
It was quite another to bake various items in anticipation of walk-in traffic.
The storefront had only been open for five months, and so far, it was an overwhelming success.
And with a small staff who was just as committed to our success as I was, my family and friend group in the area was now more than just me and Noah.
I knew Christmas Eve would be busy but we sold out earlier than I’d anticipated, so I gave my staff a nice cash bonus and sent them home early. And once everything was cleaned up, I wanted nothing more than to leave too and get home to my Daddy.
But Daddy wanted me to wait just a little longer. And the text I got in response to mine was not what I wanted to see. Not yet but I’m almost ready.
That had been three hours ago.
The anticipation was killing me. I knew he was planning something special but I didn’t know what it was. Daddy was great at a lot of things, but surprises…not so much. It wasn’t that I knew exactly what they were, but I always knew they were coming.
After another million hours, I finally got a text back with a picture of a car decorated like Santa’s sleigh and an elf sitting in the front seat. Your ride’s outside.
I was already on my way out the door as I texted back. I have my car.
His reply was nearly instant. It doesn’t matter. Get in the sleigh. It’ll be fun. Your car will be home tomorrow. Don’t worry. Love you.
When I reached the car, the elf was holding the door open for me. “Your sleigh is here to take you to the North Pole!”
“Thank you.” I looked at him, trying to find a name tag. There wasn’t one, but his hat had the name Sprinkles written in glitter on it. “I am a little tired, so your sleigh is way better than taking mine.”
He smiled and nodded his head so that the bell on the tip of his hat jingled. “In you go.”
After I climbed inside, he shut the door and we drove away.
The entire trip home, he kept talking about Santa being ready for Christmas and all his favorite parts of the Christmas season.
He listed six different kinds of hot cocoa and all the games he liked to play in the snow.
It was super adorable, and I was so excited to thank Daddy for finding such a fun way to start our Christmas celebration.
Last Christmas, we’d just gotten together and said our first “I love yous,” and just a year later, I had Santa’s sleigh taking me to the home that Noah and I had bought together over the summer.
It was surreal to be celebrating our very first Christmas as homeowners.
We were only a block from the house when Sprinkles reached behind him and pulled out a gift bag. “Santa says you are supposed to put this on.”
I reached inside and pulled out an eye mask, the kind you would use for sleeping. It was decorated like a reindeer. As far as blindfolds went, it was pretty adorable, so I slid it over my head and decided to just trust the process.
When we pulled to a stop, Sprinkles told me to stay put.
A moment later, the door opened and a hand reached across to help me unclick my seatbelt. That’s when I knew it wasn’t Sprinkles. That was my Daddy’s arm. His warmth. His scent.
“This is quite a surprise, Santa.”
“Ho, ho, ho.” He chuckled and then helped guide me out of the sleigh. “Welcome to the North Pole.”
I followed his lead and walked with him.
Then he stopped and stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “You may look now, Corey.” He pulled the mask off, and our little house was decorated to the hilt.
There were lights and little elf statues scattered around, all ready for Christmas.
There was even a wooden cut-out sleigh complete with reindeer on the roof.
The scene he’d set was absolutely stunning. “I love it, Daddy.”
“Wait till you see inside.” He took my hand in his, which was covered in a white glove. That was the first time I realized he was dressed head to toe like St. Nick.
“Santa.” I made my voice as serious as possible. “I should warn you, I have somebody in my life.”
He nodded. “I imagine he loves you very much.”
“He loves me the mostest.” I was already slipping out of my adult mask and getting into the game with Daddy. “And I love him more than the whole wide world.”
The outside decorations were nothing compared to what he’d created in our living room.
The tree that we decorated together was where we placed it, but now there was a Christmas train set running around it and a full Christmas Village set up in the bay window.
And the icing on the Christmas cookie was that he’d hung all twelve stockings that I gave him last year were hung up on the mantel.
Not to mention the Christmas lights, garland, and holiday stuffies that completed the look.
“Somebody was a very good boy this year.” Daddy hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and rocked back on his heels. “He got twelve stockings.”
I threw my arms around him. “This is like a Christmas wonderland. You’re the best. Can I put my jam-jams on?”
“Soon, my sweet boy. But first, we have a couple things to do before we get you Little and ready for presents.”
Before I could ask what we had to do, Daddy dropped to his knee and had a ring in his hand. I inwardly took back everything I’d thought about Noah and his ability to pull off surprises.
“Marry me, Corey. Be my always.” There were a bunch more things he said, but the second he asked me to marry him, my emotions took over, and tears of joy fell down my cheeks. The other words just floated right past me as I repeated those two words over and over again in my head.
“Yes, Daddy. Of course I will.” I tackle-hugged him to the ground.
He held me tight, kissing me as he told me how happy he was. “Are you ready for a Little Christmas?”
“Yes, Daddy!”
He carried me into our bedroom, where he’d laid out the most adorable Christmas outfit for me. I’d expected to be donning Christmas jam-jams and instead had an embroidered onesie with my name at the top of the nice list, Santa pants with white fuzzy ankles, and a stuffie that was dressed to match.
“Let’s have a Little Christmas tonight.” Daddy kissed the top of my head. “And then tomorrow, we can be big...or not. We’ll play it by ear.”
We’d been invited to a couple dinners, but had politely declined all of them. This was our first Christmas in our new home, and we planned to spend it here…just the two of us.
“Can I have some cookies and milkies when I get dressed?” I clasped my hands to convey how polite I was being.
“Absolutely, my sweet boy. You can have anything you want.”
“All I want is you, Daddy.”
“Good thing you have me,” he whispered. “You have me…forever.”