4. Chapter Four
CHAPTER FOUR
COLTON
T he scent of pine trees hit me like a freight train as Hope and I stepped onto the tree lot. Families bustled about, their laughter mixing with the Christmas music crackling through the tent’s speakers, and I grinned. “You ready to find the perfect tree?”
She rolled her eyes, but I caught the hint of a smile. “The perfect tree, huh? Aren’t they all kinda… the same?”
I gasped in mock offense. “Uh, no. Bite your tongue. But don’t worry, I have an eye for the most majestic of pines. It’s a gift, really.”
“I trust you.”
“Good. You should.” It was meant as a teasing comment… and yet, I wasn’t kidding. She should trust me. Not just with the tree—though it would be perfect, I’d see to that—but with this whole Christmas experience.
And with her heart, too, if I played my cards right.
It was no secret I had it bad for Hope. It’d been that way since the day we met, and it’d only gotten worse in the time since. And when she’d called me over to help her with whatever was in the fireplace, never in a million years had I expected it to turn into a reason to spend this much time with her.
I couldn’t be more grateful.
As we wandered through the rows of trees, I waved to familiar faces. Shifty tipped his hat, and Mrs. McClusky—who had become a regular customer with her wacky needs for a PI that I still couldn’t wrap my head around—called out a cheery hello. It struck me how quickly this town had wormed its way into my heart.
Apparently, Hope was just as surprised as I was. “You’re really gettin’ to know people around here, aren’t you?”
“Told you I wanted to stick around. Seems only natural, right?”
She grinned, and then, as we walked, I found myself watching Hope more than the trees. The way her eyes lit up when she spotted a particularly quirky branch, how she’d reach out to touch the needles, lost in thought.
“Penny for your thoughts?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.
She hesitated, then said softly, “I remember the tree at my grandparents’ house being huge when I was little. I don’t know if it was the ‘perfect tree,’ but definitely the biggest.”
I saw the flicker of sadness in her eyes and felt an overwhelming urge to chase it away. “ Well then,” I said, striking a heroic pose in the cheesiest way possible, “that’s our mission for the day: the biggest tree.”
I was so caught up in watching her, the way her eyes lit up as she inspected each tree, that I almost missed it. There, hanging from a branch just above our heads, was a small sprig of mistletoe.
It was a sign.
This was my moment.
“Hey, Hope,” I said, my voice coming out a bit rougher than I intended. “Look up.”
She tilted her head back, her eyes widening as she spotted the mistletoe. Time seemed to slow as her gaze met mine, a mix of surprise and something else—anticipation, maybe?—flickering across her face.
Or wait… was that confusion?
Surely, she knew the point of mistletoe was an excuse to kiss, right? It wasn’t like avoiding Christmas meant she could avoid that tidbit of well-known logic.
Before I could overthink it, I stepped closer, cupping her cheek gently with one hand. “This wasn’t on the list, but it probably should’ve been.”
Hope’s lips parted slightly, and I took that as my cue. I leaned in, pressing my lips to hers in a soft, tentative kiss.
The world around us vanished in a blink—the chattering families, the scent of pine, poof. Everything disappeared except for the feel of Hope’s soft lips against mine and the warmth of her body as she leaned into me. It was like coming home. There was no other way to describe it, and I knew without a doubt I’d never felt it before .
When we finally pulled apart, my heart was racing. I searched Hope’s face, trying to gauge her reaction. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes wide and sparkling. For a moment, neither of us spoke, the weight of what had just happened hanging between us.
“Wow,” I finally managed, a grin spreading across my face. “That was...”
“Unexpected,” Hope finished, but she was smiling too, a shy, pleased expression that made my heart soar.
Did she feel that? The spark, and the sense that something significant had just shifted between us? The kiss had been brief, sure, but it left me reeling, wanting more. And if she were willing, I’d make it happen again and again, preferably without the excuse of mistletoe.
“Good, unexpected?” I asked.
Hope nodded, her smile growing. “Definitely good.”
I leaned in and claimed her mouth again, savoring the feeling of her lips on mine.
But as she pulled away, her lips curved into a wry smile. “You know, Colton, for someone who claims to be an expert in all things Christmas, I’m a little disappointed.”
“Disappointed? After that kiss? I find that hard to believe,” I teased, unable to keep the grin off my face.
She laughed. “The kiss was nice, but...” She pointed above our heads. “That’s holly, not mistletoe.”
I glanced up, feeling a flush creep up my neck. “No way.”
“Way. Red berries? Holly. White berries? Mistletoe.”
She was right—I would have to Google it later for confirmation, of course, but I had no reason to doubt her. And as I looked up again, it was like the waxy green leaves and their bright red berries were mocking me. I ran my hand through my hair. “Huh. The more you know.”
Hope’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Sorry to disappoint.”
“Oh, I’m not disappointed at all,” I assured her, taking a step closer. “Holly, mistletoe, pine needles—I’d say any Christmas greenery is fair game.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure that’s in the official Christmas tradition rulebook.”
“It is. I’m on the committee. We had a meeting about it last week,” I said with mock seriousness.
Hope’s laughter rang out again, and I fought to memorize the sound so I could keep it forever. Just as I was about to suggest we conduct further “research” on kissing in the presence of various plants, Hope’s phone buzzed between us from the inside of her jacket pocket.
She stepped back and pulled it out, and I spotted Paisley’s name on the screen. As she answered it, I tried to focus on the beautiful scenery around us—the rows of trees, the winter air, the decorations around the tree lot. But my mind kept drifting back to the feel of Hope’s lips on mine, the way she’d melted into me like she was made to be mine.
“I see,” Hope was saying into the phone. “Actually, I’m here with Colton. Let me put you on speaker.” She glanced at me with a slightly devious smile as she spoke. “I’m sure he’d love to help, too.”
I perked up, curiosity piqued. Whatever Paisley needed help with, I was more than happy to lend a hand—especially if it meant spending more time with Hope.
Paisley’s excited voice crackled through the speaker. “Oh, perfect! The more, the merrier. We’re in a bit of a pickle with the Christmas Eve parade preparations. We’re short-handed for the police float, so we could really use some extra elves.”
I felt a grin spreading across my face. “I make an excellent elf. Just ask Santa—we go way back.”
Hope rolled her eyes at me, a smile tugging at her lips.
“And before you try to get out of this,” I said as I nudged her gently, “it’s not on the list, but it’ll still be fun. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Hope, please?” Paisley chimed in. “We really need the help.”
I held my breath, watching Hope’s face.
“Fine,” she conceded with a laugh. “I’m in. What do you need us to do?”
As Paisley rattled off the details, I studied Hope’s profile. The way her eyes crinkled when she smiled, the little furrow between her brows as she concentrated on Paisley’s instructions. My chest tightened with a feeling I wasn’t quite ready to name.
“Got it,” Hope said. “I guess we’ll be there bright and early.”
After they hung up, Hope turned to me with a mix of nervousness and anticipation. “I can’t believe I just agreed to that. Building a float is a way bigger deal than a gingerbread house.”
“Yeah, well, you knocked that outta the park, so it’ll be fine. Besides, I’ll be with you every step of the way. Now, let’s find a big tree and get it back to your place to decorate.”
We wandered through the rows, debating over the right tree. Hope wanted a tall, slender spruce, but I was drawn to a full, bushy fir.
“But this one’s so… majestic ,” I teased, gesturing dramatically. “It practically screams ‘Christmas spirit!’ Definitely the biggest one on the lot.”
Hope laughed. “It also screams ‘Won’t fit through the front door.’”
We compromised on a blue spruce, just the right height and fullness. As we worked together to secure it to the roof of my truck, I loved that it felt just like the other decorating we’d done, and even the gingerbread construction. We were so in sync. We anticipated each other’s movements. We worked as a team.
“We make a pretty good pair,” I said softly, catching Hope’s eye as we finished tying the last knot.
She held my gaze for a moment, a warmth in her expression that made my heart skip. “Yeah, I guess we do.”
“Now that the tree lot is checked off the list, what’s your wish?” I asked.
She hummed. “I wish… there was mistletoe right here.”
My mouth dropped open as she pointed skyward, and I faked to the right like I was going to run off and get some.
“Wait, wait,” she said, little puffs of her breath visible as she laughed at my antics.
“I know, I was just kidding. We don’t need it.” I punctuated my words by backing her up against the side of the truck, then delivered a quick kiss that was just as impactful as the first. I rested my forehead against hers and brushed a stray wisp of hair from her cheek. “I hope you’re not too tired after decorating the tree.”
“Why?”
“Another item on the list. But I can’t tell you more. It’s a surprise.”
“Really, Colt?” She said with a teasing groan, and the sound reverberating against my chest as I held her hit me in all the right ways.
I winked. “It’s a good one, I promise.”