I lower my head, resting my forehead against hers. All I want to do is pull her closer and comfort her.
Hell, that’s what I’ll do.
Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her into me. To my surprise, she just melts. Her shoulders shake as she lets silent tears seep into the fabric of my shirt.
I squeeze her tight, moving my head so that my chin rests on top of her soft curls. She always seems so put together, so strong. This is a completely different side to her.
This is the emotion that Iknewwas in there. I hate seeing her this way, but I knew she had it in her.
“Make my Christmas wish come true, Holly, and be with me. Not just for the holidays, but for the rest of time,” I say softly, swaying slightly where we stand intertwined.
She shakes her head against me. “Even if I wanted to… Felix, I’m older than you. If I want kids, it has to be, like,now.”
“And do you want kids?” I ask, my mind racing.
While I didn’t have intentions of having a baby anytime soon, for Holly, I would do just about anything. The question now is, is that what she wants?
With a shrug, she lets out a tiny laugh. “I don’t know. I don’t think so…but I don’t know.”
I dare to tease her, pulling back slightly and making eye contact. “Well, I thought you always knew everything, so this is a shock.”
She gives me a playful shove, but it’s weak with my arms still wrapped tightly around her. “Felix, I’m serious. Are you sure this is what you want?”
“A life with you?” I clarify, pretending to think for a moment. “Absolutely.”
Her voice wavers as she asks, “Really?”
My heart pounds in my chest, so loud I wonder if she can hear it being this close. It’s now or never. I have to tell her how I feel, or risk losing the woman I love forever.
“Holly, there is only you. No one else evenexistsin my mind. You consume my every thought. Everything I do, I do it thinking about you.” I need to cut to the chase. “I am so madly in love with you that it hurts. The thought of losing you, of never seeing you again…it’s terrifying.”
As her eyes dart all over my face, I hope she can see that I truly mean every word that has left my mouth. My snakes are the most silent and still they have ever been.
Waiting for her to sayanythinghas turned us to stone, in essence. Her gaze has always pierced into my soul, but in this moment, it has the power to tear right through it.
“I’m scared,” she says weakly, but a gentle smile graces her lips.
That smile alone is enough to flood me with a wave of relief. I move my hands from her arms, scooping her ass and lifting her.
She wraps her arms around the back of my neck, her legs gripping my waist as she presses her lips to mine. This kiss is different than any of the ones we’ve shared before.
It’s the first one that signifies our forever.
When she pulls away, her fingers make their way up into my snakes, who let out the strangest hiss. It’s almost as if…they’re trying to purr? They’ve never done this before.
“Does that mean you’re willing toreallygive me a chance?” I tease, holding myself back from just smushing my lips to hers again.
Her head tips back, a laugh floating through the smile she dawns. “It means I love you too.”
The words go straight to my heart, replaying on a loop in my mind. A track that I could listen to for the rest of eternity.
One I hope to keep playing for the rest of my life.
“Even my Christmas puns?” I wink, giving her a devilish grin.
She tilts her head, those eyes sparkling as she says, “Even your Christmas puns.”
CHAPTER 15
