Chapter 36
Ellyn
“Grandma, it snowed!” Randy runs up to me and Joel in the middle of the street, cheering before he throws up a handful of fake snow.
Joel and I both smile at his excitement.
It’s Christmas evening and our families have just had Christmas dinner at my house before we all came out to join the neighborhood’s annual Christmas gathering and judging of home decorating competition.
“That’s exciting, huh?” I ask Randy.
He nods cheerfully. “It’s snowing over there!” He points toward the area where the snow machine is spraying the air with snowflakes.
Then he grabs my hand, “Come on, Grandma and Mr. Townsend!”
“Let’s go, grandma,” Joel says, pulling my free hand while holding Amelia in the other arm.
All around us families, including our own, laugh and converse as they walk about, pointing out the beautiful displays of Christmas cheer throughout the neighborhood. There are a couple of food stands set up giving out hot chocolate, funnel cakes, and an assortment of candy canes.
“What do you think?” Joel asks, squeezing my hand.
“Of what?” I look around.
“Our Christmas celebration?” His eyes drop to the beautiful heart-shaped, diamond charm that he gifted me this morning as a Christmas present.
I run my hand, that Randy’s now freed since he ran off to stand by his mother, over the necklace.
“I think everything’s perfect.”
He leans in and brushes his lips across mine.
“Pret-tee.” Amelia claps.
“You’re the pretty one, pretty girl!” I tell her, shaking her arm and making her giggle loudly.
“I think you’re both beautiful. Where’s my kiss?” Joel complains as I’m fake chomping on Amelia’s hand.
I turn to him and lift on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. Amelia, seeing me, leans in and presses her mouth to his opposite cheek. Though her kiss is way more drool filled than mine, both bring Joel a joy that shines in his eyes brighter than all of the Christmas lights combined.
He wraps his arm around my shoulders.
“It’s almost time for the judges to decide on the winners.” His excited voice fills me with a child-like giddiness.
No, the truth is, that childlike happiness has been around ever since he came into my life. It’s an ever-present euphoria that I haven’t felt in a long, long time.
Like, never.
I don’t think I’ve had this level of love and admiration for another man.
“Are you nervous?” I ask.
He scrunches his eyebrows and forehead. “Nervous? I know who the winner’s gonna be,” he says proudly.
I roll my eyes.
Admittedly, Joel’s elaborate decorations outdo most of the homes on the block. Not to mention, his decor is elaborate without being outlandish or too over the top. It’s welcoming instead of coming across as ‘look at me, I’m better than you’ the way some extreme decorations can appear.
“Of course you already know,” I say. “I think they’re gathering around over there to announce the winners of the competition.”
Every year there are three winners. The house that wins the third place gets to pick a charity of their choice for their neighbors to donate to, if they choose.
The runner-up gets honorable mention in the neighborhood’s newsletter and on the social media group, and also has a small amount donated to their charity of choice.
And the home in the number one position gets all of the previously mentioned prizes, as well as a paid for dinner for two at the premiere five-star restaurant in town.
“Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for,” the announcer starts.
“The horse!” a little boy, about nine years old, calls out, making all of the adults laugh.
Joel turns to him and winks. Each year, Joel has a few of his ranch hands bring out a couple horses, dressed up as reindeer of course, for the kids to ride around the neighborhood on.
“Soon,” Joel assures the little boy.
“That’s coming up, but first we need to get to the winners of this year’s neighborhood Christmas decorating competition. Now as you all know, we’re using the word ‘competition’ in the friendliest of manners …” the neighborhood’s MC continues.
“Just get to announcing the winners.”
“Joel!” I whisper-yell, tugging on his arm.
He gives me the most adorable, innocent look. “What? He’s taking too long, and he knows it.”
Joel’s words encourage the crowd around us to start cheering for the winners to be announced as well.
The announcer goes on to tell us the winner of the third place. A lovely couple who moved into the neighborhood a couple of years ago.
“And for our runner-up …” The MC takes the time to open the second to last envelope that holds the name of the winning house.
I squeeze Joel’s hand at the same time the rest of our kids and grandkids come up, surrounding us. Ace takes Amelia out of Joel’s arms.
“Oh wow, this comes as a surprise,” the MC says, his face expressing shock at the name on the paper. “For the first time in a few years we have an upset.”
My stomach drops.
“This year's runner-up is none other than house number 222.”
I jut my head back and look at Joel.
“The home belongs to Joel Townsend,” the MC says.
“What?” I ask, aghast. How could this be? Joel’s won every year for the past three years. And his decor is amazing.
But when I expect him to lash out in outrage he looks over at me with an actual smile on his handsome face.
He shrugs. “You win some, you lose some.”
“What? But that’s absurd …”
I don’t have time to express my full outrage when the MC goes on to announce the winner of the competition.
“I’d like to see just who they thought was better than my man at decorating,” I gripe, folding my arms across my chest. “I plan to have a mean talking to someone about this,” I continue to mutter as Joel pulls me into him and kisses my temple.
It doesn’t even occur to me to ask why he’s not the least bit upset.
“House number 220,” the MC announces the first-place winner, but I’m too busy in my feelings of outrage for Joel to even recognize the number.
It’s Joel that stirs me out of rant.
“You won, darlin’,” he says in that sexy ass drawl of his.
“What?” I startle.
“House 220 is this year’s winner. Ms. Ellyn Chamberland.”
Applause from the crowd and family around us is what truly brings me back to reality.
“You won,” Joel says as he hands me the paper with my house and name on it. “Congratulations!”
The only thing I can see is his beaming smile as he peers down at me.
“I won? My house?”
I shriek in surprise and then laugh like crazy. I throw my arms around Joel’s neck, and he picks me up, spinning me around.
Months ago I was dead set against even participating in any Christmas celebrations let alone a home decorating contest and now I’m the winner.
I pull back and look Joel in the eye and I have my answer.
“Thank you,” I say to him with tears streaming down my face. It’s silly to get this emotional over a little, friendly competition between neighbors. I know, but I’m also aware these tears have nothing to do with the competition itself.
“I love you,” I tell him.
He dips his head, and when his gaze meets mine again, there are tears in his eyes. “There’s one more present I have to give you.”
He takes me by the hand, and we start for the huge trucks that’ve pulled up. I watch as Joel’s ranchers unload a couple of horses. Children and their parents line up to wait their turn to ride the horses.
“Mommy, look!” a little girl shouts. “There’s a baby horse.”
Joel and I round one of the trailers to find Ol’ Girl and her foal beside her.
“Isn’t she too small for anyone to ride her?” I ask Joel, concerned over the baby horse I watched be born not too long ago.
He nods. “Yes. No one’s riding her anytime soon. And especially if you don’t say they can even when she’s ready.”
“Me?” I question. Why would I have a say in who gets to ride her?
“Because she’s yours,” he answers, because I spoke my thoughts out loud.
I turn to look at the foal, barely able to see her through the tears swimming in my eyes. “Mine?”
“My second Christmas present to you,” Joel says. “For making this year’s holiday twice as special.”
I turn to him and cup his face, plastering kisses all over it which makes him grumble with laughter.
I love the sound of it so much I can’t stop doing it.
“Mommy, Grandma’s kissing Mr. Townsend again,” I hear Randy say somewhere in the background.
A few more chuckles from the rest of our family.
“I feel so guilty that I only bought you a new cowboy hat,” I tell him. I’d gotten a custom-made hat for Joel to replace his favorite hat that I now keep at my place.
He’s wearing it now.
“Only?” he asks. “You fill every day with a new light, a new sense of joy and excitement that was missing from my life. You’ve given me a new purpose, Ellyn. You’ve given me more than a hat this Christmas.”
I grin and then look back at the two horses when the little one starts to neigh.
“She still needs a name,” Joel tells me.
Raising my eyebrows, I think for a beat. “How about Spirit?”
“Spirit,” Joel murmurs.
“Short for Christmas Spirit because the same night that she was born is the same night I realized that I’m in love with you. You not only revived my spirit for the holidays, but you’ve brought a new excitement and purpose into my life, Joel Townsend.”
“I love you so much,” I tell him.
“I love you more, darlin’.”
He tightens the hold of his arm around my waist and removes his cowboy hat with the other.
He peers over at our kids. “This is a private moment.” Then he holds up the hat sideways, blocking their view while he leans in, lips hovering just above mine. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” I reply right before he kisses me senseless.
The kiss feels like eternity but also too short. A moment in time.
“Best Christmas ever,” I sigh out while looking into his eyes.
“If you think Christmas was awesome, stay tuned for New Year’s, darlin.”