“Do I look as pretty as you?” her niece asked.
“You’re beautiful without makeup,” January told her, noticing her brother-in-law's sigh of relief at her response..
The doorbell rang and her mother went to answer the door for another one of their many neighbors that stopped by on Christmas Day. They had already had three couples drop off plates of goodies since January arrived.
She was busy explaining to her niece the use of each different makeup brush and how to handle them that she didn’t see her mother reenter the room.
“January, you have a guest,” her mother called out as she stood next to January’s father’s vacated chair.
She looked up in surprise and almost dropped the brush she was holding “Deckard?” she asked as she stood up.
Sheepishly he shrugged his shoulders, but his gaze never strayed from her. “Merry Christmas.”
On autopilot, January replied, “Merry Christmas.”
He pulled his stare away and looked at the room filled with her family that had all grown quiet as they took turns looking between both of them. “Can, we. . .uh. . .talk? Privately.”
“Yeah, sure.” January handed the makeup brush back to her niece and nervously wiped her hands on her jeans. Her steps felt as if they were weighed down by blocks of concrete. Each tread took longer than the previous.
“Mom, can we use the sunroom?” she asked her mother, but she never pulled her eyes away from Deckard, afraid he would vanish into thin air.
“Sure, sweetie.”
He followed her down the hallway and through the kitchen, which had a door leading to the sunroom. It was decorated from top to bottom in Christmas décor. A room that January refused to step foot in during the holidays now made her smile as she stepped inside.
In the middle of the room, January turned around and looked at Deckard, wondering what he was still doing in Pineville with a stare of awe and adoration in his eyes as he drank her in.
“Deckard, what are you doing here? Why aren’t you in Atlanta?” she questioned.
“I remember, January. I remember everything.”
She furrowed her brows in bewilderment. “I don’t un -” she began but Deckard placed his hand on the back of her head and kissed her.
“Last night, I wished that you could have everything that you loved. The ornament was the snowflake you had told me about.”
Her eyes widened in shock as she recited the poem that had been attached to the ornament when she received it. “Make a wish, say it twice.”
“I remember everything, just like you had with Christmas.”
“You helped me realize that I actually loved Christmas all along, and it came back,” she whispered in surprise. “But why are you here?”
He smiled down at her indulgently. “Because I love you, January.”
Automatically she replied, “I love you too.” Then he paused, waiting for the revelation to come to her. “Oh! I love you! You’re here because I love you,” she said bouncing on her toes enthusiastically.
“I’m guessing that’s how it works.”
“So does that mean you’re staying? What about the loan and your practice?”
He held up the gold bag between them for her to take. January gripped the string handle and pulled out the folder tucked between the tissue paper. She flipped over the pages and then looked up at Deckard, silently begging him to explain as she placed the folder of loan papers back into the bag
“It seems as if the loan I had been approved for is here in Pineville, for a practice of my own. The tickets for my flight were canceled, and the large practice I was working at in Atlanta already brought on a new partner.
“Believe me, I have no idea how any of this works, but I woke up at my grandparents this morning and remembered everything from last week. Cutting down the Christmas tree, making our own ornaments, the sleigh ride, and how much I love you.”
He was staying, for her. He loved her enough to give her everything she desired.
“This is. . .the best Christmas ever.”
“I don’t know, I’m hoping that I can top this one day,” he explained as he drew her into his arms. Deckard’s lips met hers and she melted against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“How are you going to do that?” she asked, brushing her lips against his.
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
“Hm. . .”
“January.” The words were a whisper against her mouth and she pulled away to look up at the man she loved with all of her heart.
“Are you ready to start a new tradition?”
It didn’t take her long to ponder his question. She nodded as she said, “Yeah. Yeah, I am. Merry Christmas, Deckard.”
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”
Epilogue
January placed the tote on the floor and then stood back to gaze at the freshly cut tree she had arranged in the corner of her home. Her mother had chosen the same spot the year before.
She wondered if this excitement flooding through her veins was what everyone else had felt when Christmas approached. It had been one year since she had experienced the fear that she had wished away everyone’s favorite holiday. The guilt had been suffocating, but everything had righted itself.
Stepping over to the tote, she reached inside and grabbed the string lights knotted inside. It took an entire half an hour to unwind the mess, January wondered the whole time how something she neatly stored the year before had become such a mess, but assumed it was one of the many unanswered questions of the world.
Using a dining chair to stand on, January started draping the lights around the tree, beginning at the top and working her way down. It was harder working on her own, but she felt accomplished when she was finished.
The rest of the box contained the garland for her mantle and the Christmas village her mother gifted to her. She made quick work of setting up the figurines and swathing the mantle in the lushness of the pine.
It was only a few days until Christmas and January knew that she was decorating much later than most. But her new traditions were hers to start.
Flicking the switch for the lights, she found her smile growing as the twinkles sparkled against the branches. The sound of the front door opening drew her attention over her shoulder. Deckard walked into the living room carrying a brown cardboard box.
“Sorry, Grandma wanted to chat when I picked up the ornaments,” he explained as he crossed over to where she stood, dropping the box on the couch.
“That’s okay.” She smiled at him as he drew her close for a kiss. “Ready for two weeks of vacation?”
“You have no idea,” he whispered against her mouth.
They had grown in spades since he moved his practice to Pineville. The transition hadn’t been as seamless as they had hoped. He had to sell his home in Atlanta and then help to transition his patients to new dentists. He didn’t officially move in with her for three months.
His practice was flourishing in Pineville and January couldn’t be happier for him.
“You got started without me,” he pouted as he took in the tree.
“Just the lights. They were a tangled mess.”
“Fine. That means I get to hang the first ornament.”
Deckard’s hand slid down to hers, intertwining their fingers together. His thumb flicked the three-carat ring he had placed on her finger over the summer.
“I love you,” she said, looking up at him with all the adoration she felt.
He looked down at her with the smirk she adored so much. “I love you too, sweetheart.”
Together they opened up the box of ornaments Deckard had brought with him as well as the ones January had saved from last year. Christmas music filtered through the speakers as they sang along to the classic tunes.
There was one ornament left – the one that changed everything. January hesitated as it dangled from her fingers. The note she initially found with it was long gone despite the hours she and Deckar
d had spent searching for it the year before. January could barely recollect the saying herself. But the thought that this silly piece of glass held a particular form of magic still frightened her.
“What’s wrong, babe?” he asked her from behind the tree. Her lack of singing must have alerted him.
“I’m almost afraid to hang it.”
Deckard came from around the tree, and when he saw the ornament she was holding, he gave her a knowing nod.
“It deserves to hang on the tree. After all, it brought me you.”
She pondered for a moment before she delicately placed the glass snowflake high up in the center of the tree.
“There, now it’s perfect,” Deckard claimed as he wrapped an arm around her waist. January did the same, resting her head against his chest.
They stood together admiring their work before he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Are you ready for tomorrow?”
“Of course. Are you?”
“You know that I am. We have that dinner tonight. We should probably go get ready.”
“Probably,” she repeated as she turned and leaned against Deckard. “Should I wear the red or blue dress?”
“The red. Definitely red.”
“A favorite of yours?”
“If it’s the red dress you wore on Christmas Eve last year, then yes, it is definitely a favorite. And the star of many of my fantasies.”
She giggled then asked, “Am I at least staring in these fantasies?”
He gave her a smirk that silently answered for him before he reached down and lifted her onto his shoulder, carrying January fireman-style
“I think we have enough time that we can live out one of my fantasies right now.”
And to January, that option didn’t seem like a bad idea at all, especially when they forgot about the red dress all together as he dropped her on the bed.
They lost track of time as Deckard took pleasure in worshipping her body, arriving at the dinner an hour late.
~
It was colder than January expected, but the light snow fell around her, and she was lost in its beauty. The pathway was lined with red and silver ribbon swirled together. As the sleigh trudged through the snow, she pulled her ivory blanket tighter.
They were nearing the clearing that she and Deckard had watched the stars, and it was one of their favorite spots to come all year long.
“Almost there.”
“Yep,” she replied, her adrenaline starting to swirl through her body, instantly warming her.
“I love you, sweet pea.”
January turned her attention away from the swirling ribbon and looked at her dad with his pink cheeks from the bite of the cold.
“I love you too, Dad.”
The sleigh stopped just outside the clearing and a group of people rushed forward to assist January in getting out of the sled. It was hard with the layers of delicate lace adorning her wedding dress.
Her father quickly joined her, and as she slipped her hand around his arm, he patted her hand.
“Cold?” he asked now that she had left her blanket and coat in the sleigh, but January shook her head. Her excitement was all the heat she needed. It also helped that the farm rented small heaters to keep the guests warm as they waited.
When Deckard had proposed at this same spot over the summer during a midnight picnic they had taken, they both knew this was where they wanted to say their vows. They also agreed unanimously on the date without a second thought. The winter solstice was the perfect day for them. Her sister didn’t even mind sharing her anniversary date.
And though it was a weekday, many of their friends and family made it out for the occasion – even Deckard’s family from Atlanta were decked out in their elegant wear for the event.
The farm was allowing them to rent the back part of the barn for the reception and she couldn’t wait to see what Samantha had come up with. Her best friend had been one of many laid off from the newspaper, but she had a knack at planning events. Her friend opened her own business and hadn’t looked back.
One of Samantha’s crew handed her a bouquet of red Poinsettias as her best friend approached wearing her burgundy maid of honor gown. She carried a small bouquet of the same flower, but in white.
Samantha kissed her cheek then nodded for the music to begin and she made her way toward the makeshift aisle.
They were masked by a gathering of trees and bushes, keeping them from being visible to the guests.
January was next and she bounced on her toes ready to get to Deckard. She bet he looked so handsome in the tuxedo. And as she made her entrance toward the aisle, she could just make out Deckard over the bushes. January wasn’t disappointed.
Deckard stood proudly under the garland wrapped wooden arch with the officiant. The black tuxedo fit his body like a glove and she wondered if they could get an extension on the rental, because she had a lot of fantasies of her own she wanted to try out that involved that suit.
Her father paused before they turned the corner, and when the music changed, they turned the corner. The aisle was long, but it was close enough that she could see Deckard’s mouth drop and murmur, “Holy shit,” as he got his first glimpse of her. Her father must have noticed as well because he chuckled beside her.
At the end of the aisle, her father placed January’s hand into Deckard’s and kissed her gently on the cheek before taking his seat next to her mother.
“You look, wow,” Deckard whispered as they moved under the arch. “This may beat the red dress.”
January laughed as they turned to face each other. “You look handsome, doctor. I have ideas for that tux.”
The officiant in front of them coughed and they both turned toward him and quietly apologized.
“Ready?” he asked them both as Deckard squeezed her hand.
In unison, they replied, “Very.”
~
January spun around the wood slate floor with her hand held tightly by Deckard’s. Since they arrived at the reception, they hadn’t left each other’s side.
They were both amazed at the transformation of the barn by Samantha’s handiwork. It was a rustic dream of lace and lights. And perfect for them.
“Are you having a good time, Mrs. Spruce?” Deckard asked as he spun her back into his arms.
“I am. How about you, husband of mine?”
He tilted her back in a low dip then kissed her thoroughly. Her hand came up to rest on his cheek during the kiss, and as he raised her back onto her feet, she left her hand in its place. She loved the feel of his skin under her palm.
“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been,” he replied.
If it was possible for her body to glow in happiness, she imagined it would light up the entire space.
The music changed to a slower song and Deckard wrapped one arm around her waist using his opposite hand to gather hers from his cheek. He settled their clasped hands against his chest. They swayed back and forth, kissing when they couldn’t hold back.
“Do you think we’d be here if you hadn’t made that wish on the snowflake?” he asked her as they moved close to where their parents danced.
January didn’t need time to contemplate, she already knew her answer.
The swaying stopped as she leaned on her toes to kiss Deckard once more on his lips – something of which she would never tire.
“I think we were meant to be together, regardless of the wish. Everything happened as it should and I think we would have fallen in love and found a way to be together regardless. It would have been hard, but we would have found a way. You were meant to be mine, Deckard.”
“Yes, I was. But I do have one more wish.”
“Really? What’s that?” January was worried. She had assumed everything was perfect for them and that there was nothing that he would change.
“That you know you will always be my wish.”
Tears threatened to form and January did the best she could to blink them away – she had cried enough today
.
She tried to smile. It wobbled, but she grinned none-the-less. He had made the best kind of wish, it’s the same one that he made a year ago.
“You’ll always be my wish too, Deckard. Always.”
THE END
If you enjoyed this book sign up for reminder’s of Renee’s future works.
www.reneeharless.com/newsletter
More Books by Renee Harless
The Welcome to Carson Box Set
Coming Alive
Coming Together
Coming Consumed
Coming Altered
Coming Innocent
Coming Unraveled
Coming Unplugged
Coming Home
The Stolen Series
Stolen Nights
Stolen Kisses
Stolen Hearts
Standalones
Screw You
Between the Lines
The Stone Trilogy
Make Me Yours
Make You Mine
Make Us More
Home in Carson
Coming Soon
Acknowledgements
This one is for all of the readers and friends that have stuck by me through the years. I wouldn’t have been able to take this journey if it wasn’t for you all.
To my family, your love and support means everything. I love you all so much.
Coming Alive
Welcome to Carson Book One
BY RENEE HARLESS
Sneak Peek
Coming Alive
Renee Harless
Avery never expected to take another chance at love. Until she's thrown a curveball she isn't anticipating – a man that causes her pulse to race and also happens to be one of her bosses. Finding herself drawn to him, Avery does her best to push him away, but she in no way predicts her heart pulling him in.
Logan doesn't trust women. Period. But a one-night stand cut short exposes him to a mysterious woman that flips his world upside down. He didn’t predict meeting her - the one that would make him question everything. Undeterred by her need to keep him at arm's length, he goes against everything he believes in the quest to prove that they're worth fighting for.
A Snowflake Wish Page 16