“Holy shit.”
His rumbling laugh vibrated through me.
Towering trees framed the field as if to hold it all together. Fat Christmas ornaments hung in the heavy boughs, each of them glowing softly from the endless strings draped on the branches. There was a distinct path, but there was so much to see I couldn’t take it all in at once.
Massive candy canes hugged the path, leading Thunder forward.
“The road is large enough for the carriages or individual horse rides. I think next year I’ll make sure cars can drive through it, but for now I wanted to make sure it worked.”
“It’s beautiful.”
A massive Grinch waved to us as a lit, blow-up snowman swayed. A line of nutcrackers looked like they were marching as a sugar plum fairy gently glided along a never-ending jump.
Candy canes turned to a fleet of penguins guarding the path as we got deeper into the sea of lights.
Along the top of the hill there were places for photographs. A massive Christmas ornament sat in between a wreath of trees. There was an opening in front so you could go inside and take shots as well.
There was also a nutcracker that was easily ten feet tall. A Santa station with a sleigh outlined in lights. Packages in the back also blinked and flashed. A massive throne-like chair was perfect for photos as well as a visiting Santa in the daylight hours, as well as evening. In front of the sleigh were the reindeer in all their glory, including Rudolph.
As the Thunder moseyed along the trail, I picked up more details. The Twelve Days of Christmas made up a whole display on its own and there were characters I didn’t recognize that had to be from cartoons or video games. He thought of everything.
At the end of the road there was another tunnel leading to a food and drink station as well as a special ornament that would be something families collected for their tree every year.
Maybe one for our tree.
I turned and met his gaze. “This is amazing. Even better than I could have imagined.”
“I’ve been planning it for so long, seeing it come alive doesn’t seem real.”
“It is. And everyone will love it. I know I do.”
“I was nervous to show you. I wanted it all perfect before you saw it.”
“It was that and then some.” I touched his face. “I love it.”
I love you.
It was right there.
I just couldn’t say it. Instead, I leaned up to kiss him and let my body tell him.
Because that was safer.
24
tate
Thanksgiving Day was a rainy affair.
I gave all my people the day off. If there was anything else that needed to be fixed, it would have to wait. They’d killed themselves for me and at this point it was what it was.
I’d do another run through with Molly and Bill on Friday to make sure all the electrical was sound and the internet was working for the vendors. I’d taken every precaution I could. Now it was just time to enjoy some time with my girlfriend and her family.
Amber told me to forget about bringing food, so I went with flowers. I gathered the large bouquet from Sanctuary Floral I’d had delivered and out to the connecting path between our properties. When I got to the porch I heard music, laughter, and the happy barks of their dogs. I was about to knock when the door swung open.
“Well, we finally meet.” Jamison DuCaine was a visceral force of a woman, and her grin was a bit unsettling. She took the flowers from me. “Aww, you shouldn’t have.”
“Hi, I’m Tate.”
