“That’s Maple Ridge,” I said. “You think you know what you are getting, and then someone shows up with mistletoe on a stick.”
He laughed. “I’m still recovering from that.”
“Dex is still traumatized,” I said, warmth spreading through me from his laughter.
Braxton’s smile widened. “I noticed.”
The sleigh passed the café again, and the door opened. The wedding party spilled out in a cheerful wave of noise, scarves half-fastened, cheeks flushed from cold and excitement. Someone spotted us immediately.
“Jane,” a bridesmaid called. “Is this a date?”
I froze for half a second. My instinct was to duck my head and pretend I had not heard.
Braxton answered calmly, voice steady. “Yes.”
A beat of silence, then the bridesmaids cheered softly, trying not to disrupt the sleigh. One of the groomsmen lifted his cup in salute. Another shouted, “About time,” which made me laugh despite myself.
Braxton glanced at me. “Was that okay?”
“Yes,” I said, and it surprised me how true it felt. “It was.”
The sleigh ride ended too soon. We stepped down, lingering just a little before the driver moved on. My cheeks felt warm despite the cold, my thoughts pleasantly scattered.
We started walking again, the night quieter now, the town lights softer.
Braxton looked at me. “Do you want to keep walking or go back?”
“I want to keep walking,” I said. “I don’t want to go back just yet.”
He nodded, like he understood exactly what I meant.
We turned down a street lined with smaller houses, porch lights glowing, wreaths hung on doors. Snow fell lightly again, catching in my hair and on Braxton’s shoulders.
Dad and Mom appeared around the corner, bundled in coats, walking at a comfortable pace, arm in arm.
When she saw us, her face lit up immediately. “There you are.”
Dad smiled, the quiet, approving kind. “Evening.”
“Hello,” I said, warmth spreading in my chest. Being seen like this should have made me nervous, yet I wasn’t.
Mom studied me with the expression of a mother assessing whether her child was eating enough and sleeping enough and also whether their heart was intact. “You look happy,” she said.
“I am,” I replied, surprised by how easily the word came.
“He is very nice,” she told me as if Braxton were not standing right there.
Braxton blinked. “Thank you.”
Mom sighed, dramatic in the way only Mom could be when she was both sincere and slightly theatrical. “Of course, it would have been exciting to have a television star in the family.”
I felt my stomach drop..
Dad gave her a look of warning. “Helen.”
She waved a hand quickly. “I’m not saying I wanted that. I’m saying it would have been exciting.”
Dad’s voice was gentle but firm. “It’s better to have Jane happy.”
