My joke set her at ease.
“So how does it work?” she asked as her entire posture relaxed.
“When the song comes on, all the couples kiss. Anyone who stops kissing before the song’s over is disqualified. So, we have to keep going for a few minutes. Sound good?”
A flush of pink landed on her cheeks. It made her look like a chubby Christmas elf with that candy-cane striped hat on her head.
“It sounds great,” she squeaked out. “Only one thing. I’ve never kissed anyone before, so you might need to lead.”
My mouth dropped open in surprise right as the music started. “You’ve never been kissed in your wholelife? But you must be almost thirty!”
Meet Me Under The Mistletoeby Randy Travis played through the speakers.
She looked sheepish. “I know. That’s weird, isn’t it? I’m a bit of a mess, Levi. You just don’t know that yet. I get a lot of first dates, but not many second dates.”
I could hardly comprehend what she was saying. Robin was one-thousand percent kissable. Who could have gone on a date with her and not kissed her at the end?
Hell, I wasn’t even on a date with the woman and I was desperate to get my mouth on hers. I wanted to do a lot more than kiss her, too. I wanted to give her a Christmas bang she’d never forget.
“And you’ve never kissedanyoneon those dates?”
“I never felt compelled to kiss any of those men.”
Something warm and soft gathered in my chest. “And you feel compelled to kiss me?”
She gave me a tiny head nod, hope and wishes shining out from her pretty eyes.
Right then, Martha Ellis got on the loudspeaker. “Levi, you’re about to be disqualified. Kiss that girl already!”
I glanced in her direction with a harried expression.
And then the chanting started.
“Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!”
The whole town was cheering us on.
And how could I do anything other than kiss her on a stage in the middle of the town square with snowflakes gently falling down on us, and a Christmas tune playing in the background?
I was still stunned by her revelation.
Never been kissed?
But I wouldn’t let that stop me. Not when the most beautiful woman in the world was looking up at me expectantly.
I gently slipped my hand to the back of her neck and dipped down towards her. My lips brushed hers, and that’s when all time stood still.
The chanting got louder as I showed Robin what a Christmas miracle could look like.
She moaned and wrapped her arms around my waist as our lips said hello, and our heartbeats aligned.
This is the woman I’m going to marry.
It was a crazy thought. But it had been a crazy day.
And here I was kissing her under the mistletoe in front of the entire town. But I couldn’t think about them. Not when I was getting lost in the softness of her lips, the warmth of her mouth, and the faint taste of peppermint on her tongue.
I was losing myself in this woman, and Iwantedto be lost. I never wanted this dream to end.
