“Did you have something else in mind?”
“It’s a cold morning. I think we need to warm up.”
Noah rolled on top of him, pinning Eli to the mattress.
“AndIthink that’s a wonderful idea.”
Two hours later, lights covered the tree and ornaments hung from its boughs.
“Do you have stuff back in Boston that would go on the tree?”
Eli stilled. “Not really. I didn’t do Christmas. It lost a lot of its magic when I was a kid.” Now he was discovering a new kind of Christmas magic, one that came in a Noah-shaped package.
A package he knew he would still be unwrapping when Christmas was over and New Year’s beckoned.
His phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen.
Aileen: Breakfast, at the bakery. Bring the fiancé. [grin emoji] I love typing that. [heart emoji]
Eventually, they stepped outside into the cold Christmas Eve morning. The snow was light, a gentle dusting that made Mapleford sparkle. Eli and Noah walked hand in hand, their boots crunching in unison.
“Mark and Liam seemed like nice guys.”
Noah chuckled. “Okay, full disclosure. I dated Mark for about two weeks.”
“He’s an ex?”
Noah snorted. “Hardly. We had dinner a couple times, we caught a movie, and by then it was clear to both of us that while romance definitely wasn’t in our future, we had the makings of a damn good friendship. Then he met Liam, and the rest is history.” Noah tightened his hand around Eli’s. “He wasn’t right for me. You know why?” He came to a halt, put his arms around Eli, and kissed him. “He wasn’t you.”
“Promise me you’ll keep kissing me all day.”
Noah smiled and kissed him again. “I’ll keep kissing you for the rest of our lives.”
Eli liked the sound of that.
They resumed their walk, and when they reached the bakery, Aileen already had the door half-open.
“There you are!” She grabbed Eli by the shoulders and pulled him inside. “Did you two sleep at all, or were you too busy being nauseatingly adorable?”
Eli was sure his cheeks were crimson. Noah choked on a laugh.
Aileen pulled them both into a hug. “I amsohappy for you.”
Eli returned her hug. “Thank you.” The delicious aromas of coffee, cinnamon, sugar, and chocolate assaulted his nostrils.
Noah kissed Aileen’s cheek, gentler than Eli had ever seen him. “I wouldn’t have done it without your blessing.”
“You didn’t ask for my blessing,” she said, swatting him with a dish towel. “You just did it in the middle of Main Street where I had to pretend I wasn’t crying in front of customers.”
Noah grinned. “Then I owe you tissues for Christmas.”
Aileen rolled her eyes, but her smile softened. “I love you both. Now go sit at the table by the window. I made muffins, but you won’t have much time to eat them before the entire town shows up.”
“Shows up?” Eli echoed.
As if on cue, the bakery bell chimed.
Mrs. Donnelly burst in, her pug nestled in the crook of her arm, her voice booming. “There they are, our newly engaged boys!” The pug barked, wearing a tiny sweater that read TEAM NOELI in glitter paint.
