There’s no snow, but that’s typical for here. It’s just cold and wet most days. Even Milo doesn’t love going out for walks — that is, he didn’t until I bought him a jacket to wear. Yeah, I bought my girlfriend’s dog a jacket.
When Mila told me there would be a live nativity, I laughed at her. Then she said she was serious. Apparently, the Martin family farm has a petting zoo, along with Christmas trees that you can cut down yourself, and each year they bring some animals to participate in a live nativity scene. I honestly can’t comprehend what that even means, but Phil reassured me the animals are all happy to participate. Seeing as he has almost completely taken over as the large animal vet for the area, he would know best.
We’re meeting Ethan, Summer, Paige, Serena, Reid, and Ethan’s friend, Finn, who just moved to town, at the bakery tonight, then walking over to the nativity together.
When Finn walks through the door, he looks…disheveled, to say the least. I don’t know the guy well, but even I can see he’s not himself.
“Hey man, what the hell happened to you?” Ethan asks.
“Don’t. Ask.” Finn clips out. “Mila, tell me you’ve got that bottle of peppermint schnapps we stashed here last year. If I can’t have boozy hot chocolate tonight, I’m going home.”
She gives him a look but goes into the back and comes out with a bottle. He reaches out for it, but she holds it back.
“Are you getting drunk to avoid something, forget something, or accept something?”
“How about all three?” he replies grimly, and Mila hands it over before coming back to my side. My arm automatically wraps around her.
I tune out the conversation around us, Ethan grilling Finn, trying to get details out of him. As I have so many times over the last several months, my thoughts are filled with the woman in my arms. She turns to face me, and her hands slide into my back pockets and squeeze gently. My eyes darken as I look down at her impish smile.
“What are you doing, woman?”
She lifts up on her toes and whispers in my ear. “Just warming my hands up.”
“I’ll warm you up plenty, later,” I rumble back, kissing her neck.
“Hey, you two, save the lovey-dovey stuff for when we’re not around, would you?” Serena’s sarcastic voice makes me smile against Mila’s skin but I don’t move, nuzzling her until she pushes me away laughing.
“Sorry, Serena,” she tries to say, but my hand comes up to cover her mouth. When I lift it away, I replace it with my mouth.
“Nope, not sorry. Won’t apologize for loving you.”
“Ah, fuck. Now you’re being all swoony and romantic,” Serena moans. “Finn, hand over the schnapps.”
I chuckle and step around Mila so I’m behind her, and pull her against my chest. “Better?”
Serena nods vigorously. “Yep. Better. I can handle that level of PDA. Any more and I’m out. It was bad enough when it was just Ethan and Summer, but having two smoochy couples around is too much.”
“Serena, be happy for our friends,” Paige chides as she walks up with a cup of hot chocolate in her hand. “But I’ll take some schnapps as well, please. Perhaps a slight buzz will alleviate the loneliness we single people are inclined to feel around the holiday season.”
“That doesn’t exactly make me feel better,” Serena mutters, but she hands over the bottle.
Ethan raises his voice as the girls debate how much schnapps to add. “Okay, I have to go and give a speech, then this crazy thing can get started.”
We all troop outside as a group, laughing and joking together. It hits me that I not only found love here. I’ve found a home, friends, and a life that makes me happy. And it’s all thanks to Mila. My heart grows even more full of love for her, and I tip her chin up so I can kiss her.
“What’s that for?”
I smile down at her. “Nothing. Just needed to kiss you.” She smiles back, and leans into my arms.
“I love you.”
And I will never get tired of hearing that.
The live nativity surprises me, in that I actually really enjoy it. I have to admit, seeing live animals interacting with the people pretending to be angels and shepherds makes me laugh. Kids are petting the cows, and there is a random goat running around gently headbutting everyone. It’s quaint, funny, and something you could only pull off in a place like Dogwood Cove. Seeing Mila’s eyes light up as she loves on all of the animals is pretty amazing. Just when I think she can’t get any more perfect for me, she does.
And if anyone else notices how Reid keeps staring over at Abigail Martin, who is handling the animals tonight, they don’t say a word. If he thinks he’s being subtle, he’s wrong. The guy needs some lessons in how to not be obvious about your attraction to a woman. Hell, I hid my true feelings about Mila long enough, maybe I could help him.
It feels like an eternity before the evening’s events are over and Mila and I are walking home. There’s a peaceful stillness tonight. It’s the kind of evening where you just know nothing bad can happen to you. And when we get home, to our house, we walk in the door to see our pets cuddled up together on Milo’s giant dog bed.
