As expected, they get excited with all the chocolate. Nicki gives me a look when she sees Victoria behind my stall, but I shake my head. We can catch up another time.
Stall after stall, the girls learn about all the produce and where it comes from. Cheese, maple syrup, dried fruit and nuts, and all the arts and crafts manufacturers.
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I take it out.
Xander:I've escaped. Where can I meet you?
Ash:Top end of the market. Do you want a hot cocoa?
Xander:Can I taste it off of you?
Damn,Xander and those drunk butterflies that tickle my belly and put a huge grin on my face.
"I love that smile," he whispers in my ear and nuzzles my neck. Fortunately, the girls are too interested in the woman with the German outfit making their hot cocoa from scratch.
I turn around in Xander's arms and kiss him. It takes everything in me not to let it get out of hand.
"Is that your boyfriend?" Izzy asks.
"Mommy says we're not allowed boyfriends yet. Are you allowed a boyfriend, Ash?" Annie asks.
Xander snorts and I kick him.
I crouch to the girls' level, which makes them taller than me. Damn, they're growing fast.
"Mommy is right. You'll know when you're ready for a boyfriend. It's a big responsibility, you know? This is Xander."
The girls nod and wave at Xander.
"These two ridiculously cute baby dolls are Izzy and Annie."
"Nice to meet you girls. So, what's happening here? Are we getting some hot cocoa?" he asks, turning to them but leaving his hand resting on my lower back.
There's a big chance my heart might just float away with the drunk butterflies.
By the time we wind back to the stall, the market is closing, and the girls are high on cocoa and cotton candy. I'm not even sorry.
Victoria gives me a breakdown of what she sold and even has half the stall packed up. I'm too confused to dissect her behavior, and I can tell Xander is on edge around her, so I work to close the stall and load up The Duchess as quickly as possible.
"Would you like to join us for the turning on of the lights?" I ask Victoria. I know this will make the girls happy, and she did help with the stall. Besides, she's going to drive the girls home in The Duchess so I can stay in the city with Xander. It makes sense.
"Thank you, Ashton, that would be nice."
Xander doesn't leave my side, and his support makes everything much easier. It's been over a week, and I know my parents’ things were just that, things. But grieving the loss, and the powerlessness of not having a say in what happened to it, will take a little longer to get over.
At the other end of the square, which even on market days is an open-plan area, there's a stage. Everything is dark apart from a podium, which I guess is where all the magic will happen.
"We can't see anything," Annie says.
"There isn't anything to see at the moment. It's all dark," I say. She's right, though. There are so many people around that it will be difficult for them to see the lights turn on.
"Xander, do you think there's a better place to watch this from?"
He looks around but shakes his head. "Don't think so, but I have an idea. Victoria, do you mind if I raise one of the girls up on my back?"
She looks surprised but agrees, and a moment later Xander crouches down and picks Annie up so she's sitting on his shoulders. I do the same with Izzy and the girls squeal with happiness.
I feel giddy and bite my lip so I don't end up inadvertently saying something that is far too early to say, but my heart is refusing to stop feeling.
