Sofia clinked her glass against ours and said, "To Sofia," and we all laughed.
"And to Eve, who's made our lives infinitely better." I met her gaze, which shone with emotion.
"To Eve," Sofia cried, oblivious to the emotional exchange happening between us.
Eve clinked her glass with mine once more, and I couldn’t resist leaning over to kiss her.
When we broke away, Sofia glared at us. "I said no kissing."
I sighed. "You might have to get used to it."
"Tell me everything about what happened at school today," Eve said to Sofia to distract her.
Sofia took a deep breath and started with her first period of physical education. I ate, watching Sofia and Eve interact. This is what I'd been missing.
It was nice to have someone here in the evening to do something as mundane as talking about our days. I enjoyed doing this with Sofia, but it wasn't the same.
It was a good change to spend the evening with another adult, one I was starting to care about deeply.
When we finished eating, I put the remaining slices in one box and set it in the fridge for later. It would make a nice breakfast on Saturday morning.
"Are you ready to open our light trail?" Eve asked Sofia.
She ran toward the door to pull on her jacket, hat, and gloves. When she was out of sight, I pulled Eve into my arms. "Thank you for staying for dinner."
She laughed against me. "You drove me here. I was kind of stuck."
I raised a brow. "You could have hired a driver."
She nodded. "I wanted to stay. It was fun."
I tipped my head slightly. "I bet it's not how you imagined you'd spend your evening."
Eve winced. "Honestly? I probably would have spent the day at the office until the trail opened, forgetting to eat dinner."
"So you're saying we're good for you too? We remind you to take a breath and eat."
She nodded. "Yes."
"Are you coming?" Sofia called from the foyer.
"Be right there," I said as I lowered my lips to Eve's, kissing her, hoping I'd have some time with her later.
Sofia's feet sounded in the hallway, and we broke apart just in time, laughing about how close it was. She'd asked me not to kiss Eve in front of her, and I'd attempt to comply with that request for now. But I wouldn’t be able to hold out forever. I'd already messed up and kissed her at dinner.
We grabbed our things and climbed into the truck. We were excited to see the trail and welcome visitors. I had a feeling it was going to be busy once everyone heard about it.
I parked at the inn's parking lot, instantly feeling more relaxed to be in Christmas Town. It was a magical place, and it was becoming harder to remember the grumpy guy I was when Eve walked into my firehouse. So much had changed, and I wanted it to last.
The thought of losing what we had made my chest constrict. I pushed away the familiar panic and got out. Sofia scrambled out without help.
We headed toward the beginning of the trail, just off the town square.
Eve drew to a stop. "What's this?"
There was a woodshed painted red with two windows to collect money from visitors. I'd had Steve decorate it with twinkling lights, and the sign for the entrance fee was already affixed to the red siding. "I thought you could use a ticket booth."
Eve blew out a breath. "I thought I'd have to throw up a table, but this is amazing. I can't believe you did this."
