“Here you go,” she says, handing me something soft, wrapped in paper with sleighs on it, including one with a couple making out in said sleigh.
“Where did you find this?”
“If you look hard enough you can find anything,” she says.
I rip it open and crack up. Inside there are three pairs of boxer briefs—one with a reindeer nose on the dick, one with a pair of red and green ornaments on the front, and one with a stocking in the front.
“Well, the stockingswerehung,” she says, and I pull her onto the bed, and kiss her once for me.
The next morning, all our bags are packed, including Wanda’s, who’s wearing the new fake leather jacket that Dog Santa left for her under the tree. We drive back to the city and drop the little cutie off at Dog Tails, then take my parents and Mia to the port for their cruise.
Then, it’s a race to pack and catch a flight out of the city. But we manage, hustling onto a late flight out of San Francisco.
“Sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight to Kauai,” the captain says.
After we take off and the lights of the city grow fainter, I turn to Isla. “Hope you like your Christmas present.”
“I do, Rowan. I do.”
I reach for her hand. “So do I.”
We stay the next few nights and days at a locally owned hotel that has the best authentic dishes. And wespend our time in the sea and sand and the bed. Once we return to the city, I make good on another bet.
I join her at her matchmaking showcase at The Resort hotel. I head to the stage, take a mic, and say, “I want to thank Isla Marlowe of Cupid’s Confidante for introducing me to the woman of my dreams.”
A year later, before the Christmas Eve gala in Evergreen Falls, I gather the two women I love most for a photo. Isla’s on one side, Mia’s on the other, and we smile for the camera, creating a whole new memory.
In the morning, Isla and I unwrap a gift from Mia—the picture of the three of us, framed. It fills my heart with so much love—love that feels safe. That feels certain. That feels a little bit like holiday magic.
And I know, as much as I hate pears, that we’ll recreate this picture every year.
