Chapter Twenty-Two #2
Once everyone was quiet again, I took over the microphone.
“As Mayor Tottle mentioned, my business, Little Bird on the Moon, has had wonderful support from Bells Pass, and I can’t thank you enough for all your early orders.
My Yaya Riba was from Spain, and although I was born in Michigan, we lived with her, so I grew up learning about Spanish culture and enjoying some excellent cuisine.
It was a surprise when I went to school and discovered that many of my classmates knew little to nothing about their own culture or traditions.
Those memories are the reason I started Little Bird on the Moon.
I wanted to teach kids about people from around the world, and by making the main character in the book look like your child, they’re invested in the story.
Not only do they learn to read and develop a love of literature, but engaging content also makes them lifelong readers.
You can visit my website of the same name to learn more.
Don’t worry, I’ll still have plenty of time for the food truck.
We’re already planning our spring menu, so keep your eyes peeled for more information to come. What do you say we light that tree?”
A cheer went up as I grabbed Major’s hand and walked to the honorary switch. We had to hit the mark exactly as Shep hit the real switch below. “Start the countdown, Dr. Warren!” I yelled, since I no longer had the microphone.
“Ten, nine,” he yelled until the crowd joined in. Then he leaned down into my ear. “Have I mentioned lately that you’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met?”
“A time or five,” I whispered, trying not to let him distract me with his whispered sweet nothings. “Get ready.”
The crowd hit three, and we hovered our fingers near the switch until they yelled one, and together, we flipped it.
The tree lit up from bottom to top in a spiral of blue lights.
Everyone was silent until it reached the top, where the Bells Pass replica bell lit up in blue.
The collective gasp of awe rippled through the crowd as Gabe led the madrigals into the first bar of Silent Night.
There was still so much more to come tonight, but when Major wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rocked me back and forth to the music, as far as I was concerned, nothing would top it.
The park had finally emptied, but not before I had to shake hands with no less than the entire town, thanks to Jaelyn’s little stunt.
I couldn’t be mad at her, though. She was too cute.
Once everyone had finally left, I helped Dawson break down the livestreaming equipment and sent him on his way, then texted Jaelyn to meet me at the gazebo.
If I’d learned one thing, it was that trying to find someone in this park was a lesson in futility and walking in circles.
We’d have to head back to my place soon so I could charge my leg.
The loaner had a solid battery, but the cold sucked power, and I was on call all weekend, so I couldn’t risk it getting too low.
“Major!” Jaelyn called as she ran up the gazebo stairs and launched herself into my arms. Thankfully, I was braced against the railing, or we might have both gone down. I’d have to remind her later to approach with caution, but first, I wanted to know what had her so excited. “It’s a girl!”
“Hazel and Irving?” I asked, swinging her gently for a minute before lowering her to the ground and holding her out with her shoulders. Her excited nod was adorable as she clapped her hands.
“Yes! She was seven pounds with the cutest patch of red hair right at the top of her head.” Jaelyn tapped the top of her head and danced around the gazebo. “Irving’s a girl dad!”
When she danced back over to me, I grasped her arms to hold her in place. “Mom and baby are good?” I asked, and she nodded, her smile growing. “Yes! Guess what they named her? Guess!”
My laughter rang out through the park. “Angel, I couldn’t guess if I tried. I don’t know them that well.”
“You just guessed it! Angel Grace Wallace! It’s perfect because they both love Christmas.
” Her phone beeped and she squeaked, pulling it from her pocket.
“Ivy was going to text me the picture,” she explained, opening the phone and turning the screen toward me.
There was the most beautiful newborn baby I’d ever seen, and I’d seen a lot of babies in my life.
“What a little cherub. Now they have their own Christmas angel,” I said with a smile, hugging her to me. “Looks like I need to find a new term of endearment for you.”
When she lifted her head, she wore a smile. “I bet you can think of something,” she whispered, her face radiant in the light from the tree.
I traced her lips with my finger and sighed. “Right now, the only thought in my head is how incredibly beautiful you are, looking at me like I deserve even a minute of your attention.”
“You deserve everything good in the world, Major,” she whispered, her hand cupping my cheek. “You’ve had enough of the bad.”
“I’m staring at the good in the world,” I whispered, lowering my lips to hers to steal a kiss.
It started soft and gentle, but quickly heated, my tongue sweeping across hers while she pressed closer, angling her head to give me better access for my every whim.
Her soft moans went straight to my groin, and I was thankful my winter coat would hide my growing appreciation of the woman in my arms.
Someone cleared their throat, and we broke apart as though we’d just been caught making out in the backseat. Then again, maybe we had, since it was Gabe standing at the base of the stairs.
“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, but he was trying to hide his smile, which told me he wasn’t sorry in the least. “But in light of what happened the other night, we’re clearing the park to ensure everyone gets home safely. We noticed Jaelyn’s car in the lot.”
“We were just leaving, officer,” Jaelyn said, turning to march down the stairs.
At the bottom, I smiled at Gabe. “Yeah, we were just leaving, officer. Thanks for checking on us. We appreciate you looking out for us.”
Jaelyn turned back and hugged Gabe. “We do, even if you’re a joy kill.”
We headed down the path with Gabe’s laughter following us. I opened her door and helped her into the car before climbing in myself. She started the car and flipped the heater on high, only to fill the car with colder air.
“We have a problem,” I said, turning to grab her hand.
“I’m sure we can fix it,” she said, calm as a clam as she twined her fingers in mine. “Tell me the problem.”
“We can’t fix it,” I said, my head shaking as I tried to rub some warmth back into her cold hand. “There’s no going back now.”
“I’m not following,” she admitted, locked in on me now as the car started to warm.
My gaze darted toward the beautifully lit tree for a moment before it drifted back to hers. “I kissed you in the gazebo when the tree was lit.”
“You’re right. We can’t walk that back,” she agreed, her lips tipping up on one side.
“I didn’t say I wanted to.”
“Maybe it won’t matter,” she said logically. “The legend says the gazebo picks the couple, but for all we know, ten more couples will kiss under the gazebo before Christmas, right?”
“Right.” I nodded dramatically as though the very idea of being the Christmas couple was downright terrifying. “I just have one question.”
“Sure. Ask away.”
“How do we know?” I asked, tipping my head.
“Know what?”
“If we’re the Christmas couple,” I clarified. “Will we get an email? Letter? Text? Carrier pigeon? Like, how does it work exactly?”
She stared at me for a full thirty seconds before she burst out laughing, resting her forehead against my chest. “You had me there for a second. Trust me, if we had the answer to that question, we could sell tickets to couples who would want to kiss under the gazebo’s roof.
It’s a legend, Major. Don’t question its authority. ”
Her wink was playful when she hit me with it.
Then she put the car into drive and headed toward my house.
I couldn’t help but wonder how she would feel if we were the Christmas couple.
Would she accept that we were meant to be?
As difficult as it has been to convince her to let me take her on a date, it might be easier to convince her that the legend was real.