“You know it.” She grinned. “We design everything from planners to journals and doodle pages, study notebooks, and stickers.” She dropped her head back and moaned in pleasure. “Oh, the stickers. And the washi tape? It’s like a sticky dream on a roll.”
His eyes went to her long and graceful neck, and his pulse thrummed. “Washi tape?” he croaked.
If she noticed his interest in her skin, she didn’t respond. “I adore washi tape.”
“Wait–didn’t you get in trouble for covering your dresser with Friends stickers?” The memory was hazy. She got grounded and couldn’t go to the 7th-grade dance. Not that he’d cared about missing the dance all that much. He ended up sneaking in her window, and they played board games all afternoon.
She dropped her face in her hands. “Yes! I still can’t believe I did that.” She lifted one hand and wore a solemn expression. “I swear I have learned to keep stickers in their proper place.” Her expression turned wicked. “But washi tape is another story.”
He swiped his forehead. “As a woodworker, I’m on your parents’ side on this one. Had I known then what I know now, I wouldn’t have brought over Monopoly.”
She shoved his shoulder. “You’re just mad because I beat you.”
Jacob eased into the parking lot and turned off the truck. “I’m ready for a rematch at any time, Hall.”
She smirked. “You’re on. But first, we need to conquer this hill.” She slid out of the truck, and he did the same. They met at the back and lifted the sled. Being together felt like old times with a shot of sweet milk chocolate because he could kiss her.
They each took the rope between them and started up the hill. There were a few families with kids whooshing down on plastic disks or blown-up tubes. They had rosy cheeks from the cold nip of wind on the way down.
By the time they got to the top, they were both panting. “I don’t remember it being this high.” Lauren pressed on her side and bent over.
Jacob put both his hands on his knees and worked on drawing in deep breaths. “It wasn’t. They added fifty feet last year.”
She shoved his arm. “They did not.”
He chuckled. Situating himself on the back of the sled, he motioned for her to climb on in front of him. She did so with ease, and he relished the feeling of having her close. “Lauren?” he said quietly. “If I hadn’t been a dumb teenager and you hadn’t been so dramatic–oof!” Her elbow hit his stomach with just enough force to warn him off calling her a drama queen.
She turned, smiling widely to let him know she was joking with him. “Yes?” she batted her eyelashes.
He rubbed his gut. “Where would we be now?”
She thought for a minute. Below them, the two families piled into their minivans. The parents strapped their plastic sleds to the top, and the kids argued over who got to sit in what seat.
Lauren’s eyes suddenly dropped. “I don’t know. I might have resented not going off to school. Or if I did, I would have felt torn between you and the typical college experience.”
“Partied pretty hard, did ya?” He reached over and moved a piece of her hair off her cheek.
“I partied the normal amount while focusing on my studies,” she replied.
“Sure ya did.” He thought of her flirting with other guys at parties and making out in some guy’s dorm room and decided he didn’t like where this conversation was going. “Are you ready to sled?”
She dropped her heels into the snow and shook her head. “You can’t as a question like that and not tell me your version of where we’d be. Do you think you would have ever come around?” She leaned into his chest.
He nodded. “The minute I realized you weren’t teasing, I–” he cut off, the truth too raw to get past his vocal cords. He cleared his throat. “It was like the floodgates opened, and the feelings I’d been shoving down inside rushed out.” He glanced down at the snow. “It broke me that you wouldn’t talk to me.”
Lauren melted into him. “I didn’t know. Jacob–”
“Don’t. We both said things–or said nothing–and got hurt. Life went on.” He lifted his gaze to meet hers. “I’m grateful that you came home this Christmas, and we have a chance to try again.”
“Me too,” she whispered. Her forehead wrinkled. “Is there anything… strange to you about this? Does it feel weird that we picked up where we did after not seeing each other for so long?”
He considered the situation from her point of view. A new Christmas every day with no recollection of what had happened the day before. “I’ve been hoping for this for so long. All I feel is grateful that we’re here right now.”
“Jacob.” She pulled off her glove and cupped his cheek. Her hand was soft and warm against his skin, and her perfume flooded his senses. She pressed a kiss to his lips and then pulled back.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“I had to make sure you were real. That I wasn’t dreaming all this.”
