43. Colton
forty-three
Colton
I was not prepared for the number of details that need tended to for Laskin, but here we are three weeks later and everything is in place.
Cassandra oversees the timing of the various events, Nathaniel is directing people to where they need to be, and Owen reviewed all the participants’ insurance and permits. That’s thirty-five groups for the horse parade alone, forty-some merchants on the Christmas market, two a cappella groups, and three theater groups.
The King brothers helped the fire department hang the lights all around The Green and on the streets under the supervision of a decorator in town, and all the shops are decked out in their holiday best.
But best of all? Kiara is off hot chocolate stand duty, and we get to stroll around and mingle without a care.
“How did you manage to get Willow to take your place?” I ask her as we leave the waffle and hot chocolate hut, decorated like a gingerbread house.
Kiara shrugs. “Good ol’fashion way. I paid her.” Then she sniffs nervously. “She’s going through stuff right now, and she needs the money. It made me sad to see how happy she was to have that extra little coming in.”
I frown, wondering what’s up with Willow, but right now I just want to enjoy some carefree fun with my woman.
“Autumn!” she says, gushing over one of our friends. “The decor is awesome. That gingerbread house? And the tunnel of lights all around The Green? It’s so dreamy. You’re a real artist.”
“Wait until you see the tree!” Autumn says as she takes her phone out. “Oops! Gotta go fix an angel’s wing at the church. Have fun!”
The Christmas market occupies one side of The Green, with the other side being the ice-skating rink, the gingerbread house sitting in the middle.
“Where d’you want to go?”
“Let’s walk through the market,” Kiara answers. “The parade is starting soon, I don’t want to miss it.”
Kiara buys stuff at several booths, and it’s amazing to me how that makes her happy. Then she gets restless and we haul it to Chris’s bakery. “They have the best view on The Green,” Kiara informs me as if I didn’t already know. She pulls my hand up their steps. “See?” she says, turning around on their porch.
“Sweets, I’m not freezing my ass out here. We’re gonna go inside.”
“No we’re not. I want to hear the bells and the ‘ Merry Christmases’ and even smell the poop. It’s part of the experience.”
“Alright, well, lemme go back and get us some hot chocolate. I’ll be just a minute.”
When I come back with a whole tray of steaming mugs, Kiara is surrounded by Alex, Chris, Skye, Isaac—an apprentice whose mom works at my sister’s spa—and a couple of other people who work at the bakery. I hand out the hot chocolates, noticing that Kiara looks uneasy. “What’s wrong?” I ask her.
“I’ll tell you later,” she answers right as Cassandra announces on the loudspeaker that the King Knoll Farm is opening the parade. We all turn our heads to the left, Chris hoists Skye on his shoulders, and we clap and holler as Craig and Lynn appear all decked in red and black plaid, Sunshine and three other horses pulling a long carriage full of people.
“Graaaaace!” Skye shrieks, making us all jump. My sister waves frantically at us from the carriage, her happiness so contagious my heart swells. Seeing her on her fiancé’s family’s carriage makes me so fucking happy for her. Next to her, Chloe grasps her husband’s hand. Justin and Ethan are the first two of the five King siblings to be engaged or married. Hunter, Logan, and Haley are on the carriage as well, huddled among the farm employees.
“How long do you think until that carriage is full of spouses and kids?” Chris asks to no one in particular.
“Daddy, we should get our own carriage!” Skye exclaims.
“Sure, sweetheart. Soon as you can take care of the horses.”
“Watch out, she might take you up on that,” Alex says.
“How will you see the parade if you’re in it?” Kiara asks.
Skye stays silent, then says, “I think I’d rather watch the parade.”
Chris pokes me. “She’s got the kid thing all figured out, in case you were wondering.”
“Oh my god,” Kiara says with true horror laced with laughter in her voice right as Louise appears in the horse line up, mounting a black horse, and wearing a long black dress. She looks straight ahead, her mouth a thin line.
“Daddy, she’s scary.”
“I think she got the wrong holiday,” Kiara says.
“We should totally do a Halloween parade,” Chris says.
“Just her would be enough. Walking around town all night,” Alex adds.
Thankfully, the Hendersons come next. Their ponies are all decked in glittering red and white with a bunch of bells, and the Henderson family is dressed as elves, waving and cheering to the crowd. Right after them comes the high school band playing Christmas music, then several other equally festive groups.
Our hot chocolates are long finished by the time the parade wraps up. Chris and Alex invite us inside to warm up with some wassail until night sets in and it’s time for the Christmas tree lighting, then hearthsong in front of the church.
It seems the whole town is gathered there. Kiara nudges herself against me, and I wrap her under my arm as we start singing under the guidance of Luke, holding up little lanterns and swaying softly to the familiar tunes. Sophie hands out lyric sheets, and Kiara holds one for the two of us.
Between “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells,” my gaze is pulled toward two people I did not expect to see here, and don’t want ruining the day.
Kiara is reading the lyrics, and she doesn’t budge when I kiss her temple. “Be right back,” I say.
I intercept Maya and David right as they spot Kiara and are making a beeline for her. “What’s up?” I say, positioning myself squarely in front of them.
“I need to talk to my sister,” Maya snaps, trying to circle around me.
The crowd makes it easy for me to block her. “’Bout what?”
“None of your business.”
“Kiara’s business is my business,” I say, looking between Maya and David.
“Something happened,” David says. “She should know about it.”
I shrug. “Why don’t you call her?”
“She won’t pick up.”
I grunt and look back where Kiara is, catching glimpses of her in between the other carolers. Happiness radiates from her as she joins in “Holy Night.”
It’s traditionally one of the last carols, if I remember correctly. After that, we’ll light the massive bonfire and drink spiked wassail. It’s my first time being with Kiara like this for Laskin, and I want her by my side when I look through the dancing flames and reflect on the past year. Heck, will she even be here next year? While she’ll always be in my heart, I’m lucid enough to know she might be living across the globe next December, if that’s what she wants. This moment is for us, and I won’t let anything ruin it.
“Meet us at Lazy’s in an hour. It’s the pub right there,” I say, pointing down and across the Green.