Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-four
It was time to open the last door on her crystal Advent calendar.
Hannah told herself that no matter what crystal it was, she’d already gotten everything she could possibly want.
The last crystal would only be icing on the cake of her life right now.
If someone had told her this was waiting for her a few years after she left Chad, she didn’t think she would have had the strength to believe it.
Hannah took a moment to center herself and thanked the goddess, the universe, the great unknown, and Santa Claus himself for the best Christmas season of her life.
She held her breath and opened the door.
Inside the final box, two crystals were nestled—the lapis lazuli she’d been hoping for all month and a malachite crystal.
The malachite was a brilliant green stone that made her gasp in the realization of how precisely it matched Kate’s green eyes. “Good things are coming,” she murmured.
There was nothing better than the anticipation of Christmas Eve.
Her suitcase was packed, and a second suitcase filled with presents was already in her car.
She picked up Smoky and gave him twenty-four kisses to tie him over until she came back.
Brandee and Chris would be coming over to feed, water, and play with Smoky.
“I wish you were going too, Smoky, but Kate says her family will have a house full of dogs, and I know you wouldn’t like that.
” She gave Smoky one last rub between his eyes.
Hannah pulled the door shut and dragged her suitcase down the stairs.
Hannah drove over to Kate’s building and parked her car behind it.
Kate had already left for the last morning at the Mistletoe Market so she could pack up as much as possible before the caroling began.
She didn’t know if she was more excited to see Kate, whose arms she’d left a few hours ago, or to sing with the crowd.
From the moment Kate had stopped Chad from grabbing her, Hannah had had a song in her heart.
This was going to be the best Christmas of her life, and she hoped this was only the start.
The days of waking up on Christmas morning alone or spending the day waiting for the shoe to drop and someone’s words to cut her to the quick were over.
Never again would she wake up sore after someone who claimed to love her had forced her to let him do whatever he wanted to her body—because it was Christmas, after all.
As she exited her car and locked it, a light breeze ruffled her hair, and she twisted her pink and white scarf around her neck.
The meteorologist on channel twelve had called for three to six inches of Christmas snow to start by one this afternoon.
A real snowfall on Christmas Eve was almost too perfect.
Hannah rushed over to Kate’s hut. She was so happy that Zaina had decided the New Age Stones and Witch Crafts hut wouldn’t be open on Christmas Eve.
Hannah and a high school intern had packed up their space yesterday, leaving everyone free to enjoy the holiday.
Even better, Zaina had given Hannah the week between Christmas and New Year’s off as a thank-you for all the hours Hannah had put in at the Mistletoe Market.
Hannah was sure that part of the reason Zaina was insisting she take time off was that Zaina wanted to give Hannah time to recover from Chad’s stalking.
Hannah’s chest warmed. She was so lucky to have such a compassionate boss.
Hannah made a beeline through the small crowd, grabbing last-minute gifts and gathering for the caroling.
She didn’t slow down until she was standing in front of Kate’s hut.
Even though Kate was still in her Grinch costume with full makeup, Hannah threw her arms around her and kissed Kate hard.
Kate relaxed into Hannah’s kiss, and that made Hannah tingle from head to toe.
She loved the power she had over this woman.
Just as her core began to ache, Kate pulled back. She held Hannah’s face by the chin in her long green-furred hand and laughed. “The tip of your nose is all green.”
Hannah gaped at her. “How is your Grinch face still perfect?” she asked.
Kate shrugged. “Magic, I guess. And speaking of magic, can you help me get this goop off my face?” Kate took off her furry paws and put them on the counter. Then she handed Hannah a makeup bag.
“Do you still have a stool?” Hannah asked.
Kate nodded and pulled one forward. She sat down and pushed back the hood of her costume.
Her short blonde hair was concealed under a silk cap.
Hannah’s hand itched to take off the cap and run her hands through Kate’s short, soft hair, but she restrained herself.
If she did that, she risked getting a bunch of green in Kate’s hair.
“Did I tell you what essential oils I mixed with shea butter and a little coconut oil to make this makeup remover?”
Kate shook her head no. Hannah told Kate each step of preparing the makeup remover as she cleansed Kate’s face. Soon, not even a ghost of the green was left. Hannah opened the camera on her phone and reversed it so Kate could see her face. “You’re a freaking miracle worker,” she said gruffly.
Hannah tilted her head. Kate sounded like she was about to cry. “It’s basically just a body butter,” she said. Her brow knit as she tried to understand Kate’s shift in mood.
Kate sniffed. “It sounds so silly, but when we were apart, I imagined this.”
“Me here with you?”
“You taking off this awful green makeup with a salve your crafty witchy self created.”
“Seriously?” Hannah was floored by this news.
“Seriously. After I totally screwed things up, Cathy came by my hut, and after she was done explaining what a fool I was, she told me to do a reverse It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Hannah scrunched up her face, “And that means what?”
“Instead of imagining my life without you. Cathy challenged me to imagine my life with you.”
Kate clutched Hannah’s hand. Hannah was stunned to see tears swimming in Kate’s brilliant green eyes. Hannah’s heart began to beat faster. “And you imagined this?”
“I did.” Kate wiped the corners of her eyes, catching the unshed tears.
“What else did you imagine?” She held her breath, waiting for Kate’s answer.
“You and Smoky living with me. You and me having a couple of cute kids. You and me getting old.”
Hannah gasped. “And that’s your wonderful life?”
“Only if you can put up with me,” Kate said, dropping her eyes from Hannah’s and wrapping her arms around Hannah’s waist. She kissed Hannah’s belly through her fleece jacket.
It was Hannah’s turn to tilt Kate’s face up to hers. “All I want for Christmas is for you to be my family.”
The corners of Kate’s mouth ticked up. “I’m your forever home?”
“Yes, you are.” Hannah felt her heart expand until it filled her chest. This was all she had wanted. A home of her own.
Kate stood and took Hannah in her arms. The last stragglers had long passed them, and they could hear the start of the Marley Creek Madrigals.
Kate pressed her thin lips to Hannah’s. Unable to restrain herself, Hannah took Kate’s bottom lip between hers.
A quiet moan left Kate’s mouth. Need thrummed through Hannah, and she slipped her tongue into Kate’s mouth.
She was eager to taste Kate, and from the way Kate was pressing against her, Hannah knew she felt the same.
Their tongues entwined, and Hannah decided breathing was overrated.
Then the wind shifted, and the melody of the carolers met their ears. Kate pulled away from their kiss and laughed into Hannah’s shoulder. Of all the Christmas songs, the carolers were singing “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.”
“God, I love our life,” Kate said. “I can’t wait for you to move in next week. I could never have imagined when I first arrived in Marley Creek that a couple of years later, I’d own my own building and share my life with someone like you.”
“The Three of Cups!” Hannah said suddenly.
Kate scrunched up her face. “Come again?”
“Happiness in relationships, celebrating connections with our loved ones, and a deep sense of belonging. That’s what this Christmas has brought me. I’m living the Three of Cups. And I’ve found my happily-ever-after. I love you so much.” Hannah caressed Kate’s cheek.
Understanding dawned in Kate’s green eyes. Hannah watched as the corners of her eyes crinkled with her smile. “I think I’m a big fan of the cups. Can we just keep living the cups life forever?”
“Well, life without some wands, swords, and pentacles would be boring, but we have each other.”
Kate wrapped her arm around Hannah’s waist and kissed her cheek. “Forever and ever, my love.”
The love she felt kept her toasty warm as they walked over to join the caroling. Big, fat flakes drifted down, blanketing the world with snow that sparkled as it landed.