I let her choose between another meal here in town or going on a small adventure to one of the other nearby towns if she needs a break from all the holiday merriment.
“I’d actually love to stay in town, if that’s okay?” she requests with a shy smile.
A swell of warmth rises within me at her words. “Is my girl starting to love my little Christmas town?” I tease to hide my desperate need for her answer to be yes.
I don’t expect her eyes to fill with tears as she nods, gives me a watery “yes” and leaps into my arms. I lift her so she can rest her cheek against my heart like I’ve learned calms her. “Hey, now. What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Racking my brain for a way she could have hurt herself, or if I said or did something wrong, I come up blank and wait for her to answer me. Her emotions have been a bit all over the place since we arrived.
When she finally raises her head, I’m still holding her. We’re face to face with her legs wrapped around my waist. “What happened there?” I ask calmly, pushing all the love and support I have in me through our bond to keep her from breaking down again.
She shakes her head and offers a self-deprecating huff with her hands planted on my shoulders. “I honestly don’t know. I’m so happy, but I can’t stop crying at the things that make me happy ever since I met you. I’ve never happy-cried so much in all my life.” Her words trail away in a giggle. “I love you, Bear. I already love this little town. I think I might even love Christmas, as long as it’s with you.”
She gets all choked up again, but let’s be honest, I do too this time. “I love you so fucking much it’s kind of scary sometimes. I don’t care if you love it here or love Christmas, but I can’t lieand say it doesn’t make me love you even more for you loving the things that make me, me.”
Without words, she answers by wrapping her arms around my neck and holding me for a solid minute or so. I hold her through the hug, making sure she gets all she needs, and when she pulls away, I give her my megawatt smile that I know drives her crazy.
“So, what are we gonna eat? I’m getting hungry.” Right on cue, her stomach growls.
She picks a new place that’s popped up since I’ve been gone, Tasty Tidings Tavern. It’s a brand-new, red brick building with white windows, black shutters on the many windows, and a simple entrance with two columns holding up an arched eave, leading you to a black door. There aren’t a ton of decorations outside, but the building is meticulously lined with white Christmas lights that are also wrapped around the landscaping a bit more haphazardly. It looks so familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it.
Walking through the doors, the low, warm lighting and slow, soothing renditions of classic holiday songs playing over the speakers give the place a comfortable ambiance. There’s a long bar stretched across the back of the large space, and it looks to be the only wall not lined with windows. Most of the inside is either wooden or red. Hard surfaces wood, soft surfaces red. Booths upholstered with thick red leather fill the floor.
When we’re seated, I’m pleasantly surprised at how comfortable they are, unlike booths at an old roadside diner. Most of the menu is relatively normal with fun, punny nameslike Kringle-cut fries and Not-So-Silent-Night chili. I thought they were great, but I love them even more when they make Anya snort beside me.
I decide on The Three Wise Men which is a massive plate with a steak, ribs, and half a roasted chicken, along with mashed potatoes and buttered corn for my sides. Anya surprises me when she decides to try the Christmas Club Sandwich. I haven’t even tried one of those. It’s the classic holiday foods, piled onto a sandwich. It has fresh carved turkey, stuffing, even the cranberry sauce, and it’s served with a bowl of gravy for dipping.
Unable to dig into my plate until I watch her try it, I am once again surprised to see her eyes light up as she bites into it, moaning in a way that had me jealous of a freaking sandwich. I mean I know she loved the classic Christmas foods when she ate them, but eating a meal on a plate is one thing. Eating a Christmas dinner piled all together as a sandwich, is another.
The sun has gone down and we’re walking off our delicious dinner, on our way to the next item on the agenda. “Have you ever been ice skating for fun?” I gently prod.
She holds onto my arm tighter with both hands where she’s curled around it. “No. Just for hockey. Even when I first started to learn, the instructors my parents hired were very strict that there wasn’t to be any lollygagging. If I wasn’t going to take it seriously, then they wouldn’t take me seriously.”
I nod and smile on the outside, but on the inside, I hate them all over again. No wonder she’s wound tighter than a clock, on top of not ever being treated like a child by her parents, they seemed to make sure that everyone she encountered shared their same vision. She was basically taught that having fun is a waste of time, and that if she did so there would be consequences.
“Well, it’s time to change that. We’re going ice-skating.” Just as we turn onto the street, she can see the skating rink set up with a giant, decorated Christmas tree in the middle.
A smile breaks across her face as she pulls me behind her, rushing toward the little rink.
I pay for our very worn skates and some hot cocoa. Anya makes me laugh when she takes a sip and her face twists into a pout and whispers, “It’s not nearly as good as your mom’s.”
As we step onto the ice, tension in her body that I didn’t realize she was holding just melts away. Her muscle memory takes over, but in a more leisurely manner than she’s used too.
She stares up at the massive tree, her eyes flitting between the varying ornaments as we continue to skate around it. There aren’t many people out tonight, so we have most of the rink to ourselves, with the exception of a few stragglers. Everyone is kind and smiling as we whip around the rink, Anya’s head thrown back in laughter, the sound lighting up the night along with the twinkling lights hung above us.
4 Days Until Christmas
38
Anya
“Bundle up, buttercup!” Kodi bursts into the kitchen with an arm full of what I think are clothes, but they kind of look like sleeping bags.
Stepping over to the sink to rinse my now empty coffee mug, I offer him a sideways glance. “Whatcha got there, Bear?”
“I’m so glad you asked.” He looks far too proud of himself while I’m still just so sleepy. The holiday shenanigans—and maybe the evening cardio with my man—are really taking it out of me.
“You see, today’s adventure requires us to spend an extended amount of time outside, and I can’t just hold you the whole time to keep you warm or we won’t get anything done. Therefore,” he enunciates with his pointer finger held in the air with his arms still full of the thick garments, “I took the liberty of collecting some snow clothes for you, so you don’t get cold.”
