Chapter 7
Toby
Dee insists on driving my truck because apparently I’m ‘in a tizzy.’ Whatever that means…
The truth is, I think I screwed up, and it hasn’t even started yet.
I purposefully organized my date with Dee to be last. That’s because I wanted to see what they all did before cementing my plans.
Now that they’ve all had their dates, I now have to pull off the ultimate Christmas date for my One. That’s why we stole a page out of Colt and Leah’s book and traveled to Anchorage yesterday to spend the night before officially starting our date today.
The first stop on this Christmas tour is the annual markets held in the middle of downtown.
“I can’t believe you’re willingly wearin’ that,” she says, nodding down to my chest as we make our way to the markets.
The other reason for delaying our date was to wait for the delivery of our custom-designed ugly Christmas sweaters.
I grin down at myself. “I thought you’d like it.”
She laughs. “It’s a kangaroo wearin’ a Santa hat, and mine’s a koala dressed as an elf.”
“I wanted to pay homage to your Australian homeland while also makin’ sure no one else would be wearin’ the same thing,” I reply.
She shakes her head at me the same way she did when I pulled the sweaters out of my bag this morning. “I think we’re safe.”
“I’ve been to many places, but this whole ‘holidays in winter’ business is still new to me,” Dee says as we walk under a big wooden sign that says Christkindlmarkt.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her into me. “I’ll keep you warm. I take my job as your One very seriously, Skippy.”
She gazes up at me with a smile I’ve promised to strive every day to put on her beautiful face. “Good to know, Tobes. Now are we gettin’ this date started or not?”
My brow lifts. “Impatient much?”
“To spend the day doin’ festive things with you? Absolutely.”
If my wife wants festive things, then festive things she’s going to get. First stop, ice skating.
The makeshift ice rink in the center of the markets is buzzing with laughter and holiday music.
It’s filled with small groups of teenage friends giggling as they slip and slide on the slick surface.
There are couples just like us, holding hands and gazing at each other, sticking to the edge, and happily gliding slowly in a big arc around the edge.
Then there are the parents guiding their wobbly-legged children on small skate helpers, watching at the ready to swoop in and save them from falling over.
I can’t help but marvel at the atmosphere, from the twinkling lights of the surrounding markets and the contagious, joyful mood that nobody can resist.
The chilly air nips at my nose as we sit side by side on a bench and lace up our hired skates. Finishing before me, Dee waits for me to straighten before sliding her gloved hand into mine and shooting me a grin that lights up her whole face. “You ever been here before?”
“Not here, but I’ve skated before.” I stand and pull her up with me, my lips tugging up as she takes a moment to get used to blades. “You?”
She narrows her eyes. “Like you can’t tell,” she says. “I’ve tried before. I just always ended up skatin’ along the side and holdin’ on for dear life or worse, fallin’ over and endin’ up with a bruised ego and behind.”
I close the distance between us, gripping her hips and holding her steady before sliding my hands down to give her a cheeky squeeze. “Don’t you worry, Dee. I ain’t goin’ to let anythin’ bruise that beautiful butt of yours.”
“My husband is such a gentleman.”
There’s no stopping my knowing grin. “Always. Now, let’s go. I want to dance along the ice to Frosty the Snowman with my wife.”
Her face pales. “Dance? You said skate.”
I chuckle and lead her to the edge, stepping out before guiding her with me.
Dee takes a tentative step forward. Her bottom lip is trapped between her teeth, her grip on my hand tight as she focuses on finding her feet—or skates, in this case.
I shoot her a reassuring smile. “See, you’re doin’ it.”
“I’m just standin’ here, Tobes. I ain’t exactly twirlin’ round and doin’ jumps like they do at the Olympics.”
Just as she says that, a teenage girl rushes past us wearing a toque, a winter jacket, and leggings with leg warmers over the top. She sweeps her arms wide before doing a small spin and tapping her skates together as she jumps in the air.
Not thinking, I take my hand back from Dee and clap for her along with the rest of the crowd.
A squeak from my wife steals my attention, and when I turn to look her way, she’s wobbling like a newborn foal just finding her legs.
Except Dee’s knees have knocked one step too far, and she’s about to fall.
Dipping down, I slide forward just in time to catch her and pull her into my lap. “I said I’d save your butt.”
She breathes out a huge sigh of relief. “Literally,” she says before pressing a gloved hand to my cheek. “My hero.”
“Ready to try again, Skippy?” I ask. My muscles are burning, but I ignore them while her expression turns from wariness to stubborn determination. There’s my girl.
“Yep. I’m gonna master this if it’s the last thing I do.”
This time, I start out slowly. Dee’s movements are clumsy at first, but she soon finds her rhythm. In the end, it only takes one lap of the rink before we’re slowly skating side by side in perfect harmony.
The next time I steal a glance at her, she’s grinning from ear to ear, and the sight of her having fun fills me with warmth.
“Wanna race?” she teases as we speed up a little.
I stare at her wide-eyed. “Now she thinks she’s an expert,” I reply wryly.
“I was kiddin’. No way am I riskin’ letting you go.”
Flexing my fingers in hers, I give her a squeeze. “No risk of that, Skippy. You’re stuck with me.”
“Oh no. Whatever will I do?” she teases.
A few more laps around the rink later, we stop at the same bench and remove our skates, handing them back at the hire shed and retrieving our trusty boots.
“What’s next on this Christmas bonanza date?” Dee asks, linking her arm with mine.
I glance around at the bustling market, the smell of roasted nuts and hot cocoa mingling in the air as I run through my checklist of things to get through on our date. “Let’s walk through the markets. I want to find some handmade decorations we can take back home for the tree.”
Her gaze softens. “Mementos. I love it.”
“Thought you might.” If there’s one thing my wife loves, it’s buying little trinkets and souvenirs from wherever we go.
The last time we visited Woodward Valley near Moose Mountain, we went to the town library to not only meet Lucy Cooper, who is a real-life character in one of her favorite author’s books, but to grab a bookmark made of wood from the mountain itself.
It now sits pride of place in one of the many frames adorning our cabin walls.
After an hour of wandering the market stalls, chatting to the vendors, and eating too many samples of homemade candy and baked goods, we come to a fingerpost with a bunch of signs pointing in all directions.
There’s the farm animal section, a tree chopping event, the food area, an igloo exhibit where there are people actually building ice houses, a snowshoeing trail, and then Santa’s grotto.
All of those are things I want Dee to see by the end of today.
“Where next?”
I pull a list out of my pocket and tick off ice skating and markets. “Next on the schedule is the tree choppin’. Then I thought we’d swing by the food trucks and fill our bellies before makin’ our way to the igloos. Then–”
Dee moves to stand in front of me and slides her hands over my chest. “Tobes. Why do you have a list?”
I meet her eyes with a confused frown. “I didn’t want to forget anythin’.”
“You made a schedule for us?”
“Yep. Didn’t want you to miss out on the whole Christmas date experience. Not if we’re goin’ to win this contest. I want that night away with you in the cabin,” I explain.
She laughs and shakes her head. “Tobes, I want a night away with you too. But if you’re worryin’ about crammin’ everythin’ into our date, then you won’t be livin’ in the moment and enjoyin’ it right along with me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I love everythin’ about you.” That brings a smile to my face.
“I think that’s the whole deal with bein’ destined for one another, Dee. We were literally made for each other,” I reply.
Now she’s grinning. “I know. That’s not what I’m tryin’ to say.” She falls silent for a moment as if she’s thinking hard. “The thing is… you don’t have to win all the time, Tobes.”
A cocky grin curves my lips. “It sure helps though.”
“You know what helps me?” she says. “Bein’ here with you. That’s my prize. My trophy. You are my forever contest win.”
“Shit, Skippy. Why do you have to slay me like that?” I say, my voice thick as I pull her in close.
Her slow-growing smile is all the answer I need. In fact, she is all I’ll ever need.
“Does that mean no snowshoein’?” I ask.
She shakes her head.
“The Igloo exhibit?” I press on.
She tilts her head up. “Not this year.”
“Can we at least go cuddle the baby animals? I know we’ve got our own back at the ranch, but I read there were little reindeer this year.” I don’t hide the hope in my voice.
Her lips twitch. “Well, we can’t miss out on baby reindeer. That goes against the spirit of Christmas.”
I lean in close so she’s all I can see and drop my voice to a low whisper. “And Santa?”
“Not gonna say no to Santa.”
I take in her beautiful face. “Good, because I need to thank him for givin’ me my Christmas wish all those years ago.”
“Tob–” That’s all she gets out before my lips are on hers, and there’s nothing more to be said. Though that’s not to say I didn’t let my kiss do the talking.
She’s right. This is the gift I needed. It’s not a trophy. It’s not getting the chance to stand on the top of a podium. Not everything in life is about winning. It’s about enjoying what you’ve got.
My One is right. I’m already winning.
I have her, my health, and a good life. And at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.