“You ready?” he said.
She clung to his arm to keep from sliding on the icy ground on their way to the double doors. A young man and woman lingered outside, standing close enough to touch. They couldn’t be older than twenty, and it was clear from their secret glances, these were no siblings waiting for a ride.
Who said it still needed to be Christmas for there to be magic in the air?
Saylor pulled Cole to a stop and tiptoed up to whisper, “I have an idea.”
Without another word, she led Cole to the couple and handed the woman the box in her pocket.
“For luck,” Saylor told her, making a mental note to send some mistletoe to her brother as well.
The young woman’s mouth gaped before a smile formed. The young man wrapped an arm over her shoulder before he returned the smile.
With Saylor’s hand in Cole’s, the two of them walked through the doors and into the warmth of the stores.
Epilogue
Norah bowed over the casserole dish, spoon in hand, and scowled right at Saylor. “That can’t be all you’re going to eat.”
Saylor patted her stomach. She was grateful for the new pants she’d started to wear. Her belly was already starting to bulge, and she’d gotten tired of using a rubber band to keep her pants from falling off.
“I’m fine, really,” she insisted. Norah’s creamy tortellini casserole had been hearty and thick, and oh, so comforting. The perfect soul-food. Saylor wouldn’t mind taking a helping home to have later, but for the time being, she was pleasantly stuffed.
“You can’t fool me,” Norah said in her maternal way. Saylor had become used to how endearingly meddlesome the woman could be. “You’re eating for two now. It won’t do you a bit of good to skimp out on a meal like this. I made pasta.”
“It’s no use resisting.” Cole placed his napkin beside his own empty plate and draped his arm around Saylor’s chair. “I’ve learned that the hard way.”
Christmas music wafted from the old-fashioned radio on a doily near the window. Heat spread from their glass fireplace, similar to the one that had been in Cole’s apartment when Saylor had first met him. A sprightly but thin tree was lit and spangled with strings of popcorn and twinkling lights.
“I’ll have more,” Parker said, holding up his plate. He was sporting a full-fledged gap where his two front teeth should be, a feat that usually made Cole sing the token Christmas song every time he helped Parker get ready for school in the mornings. Parker often joined in, making Saylor smile to hear it.
Expecting her first baby with Cole had rendered her quite sick for the last few months. This was the first time she’d felt well enough since they’d discovered the good news—not more than two months after their own marriage. Though it was exciting, Saylor had been sick. Sicker than she’d been with Parker, even.
It raised her hopes for a girl. She could just imagine Cole with a beautiful baby girl to wrap him around her finger.
Cole had insisted Saylor quit her job after they’d married last October, which was fine with her. They both wanted a family, and she wanted nothing more than to be home with their children and raise them the best she could.
Jack and Norah had been insisting on their monthly dinners, dinners which had been taking place since Cole and Saylor had officially been engaged earlier that fall, but this was the first time Saylor had been feeling up to it. Even opening the fridge at their new home across town was enough to send her to the toilet, though Cole claimed not to smell a thing.
“Must be a pregnant lady thing,” Parker would say. Cole would rumple his hair and agree.
“Leave her be,” Jack said, waving Norah down. “If the girl said she’s full, she’s full.”
“It really was delicious,” Saylor insisted, needing to let Norah know how much she enjoyed it.
This seemed to appease the older woman. She lowered the spoon and cleared her throat. “Alrighty then. Who’s ready for some carols?”
“Me!”
Parker’s enthusiasm would never get old. Saylor exchanged a smile with Cole, whose glance said he agreed with her. She loved that about him. It didn’t matter to Cole that Parker wasn’t his son by blood. An outsider would never be able to tell the difference.
“Come on, then,” Norah said, bustling from the table to the keyboard on the sidewall. Saylor got the impression the woman very rarely just sat. She seemed the busy type, always needing to be doing. Saylor liked that about her. She liked Norah’s energy.
Norah perched herself on the bench and began plunking out a merry tune. Parker squished his way onto the bench beside her, while Jack, Cole, and Saylor stood behind, peering at the music in front of Norah.
They sang song after song together. Traditional songs, peppy songs for Parker, wholesome songs about Christ’s birth, and Saylor couldn’t help the tears that sprang to her eyes. Last Christmas, she never would have imagined herself here. Married again, to a man like Cole, a man who loved her son as much as she did and was as excited as she was for their newcoming addition.
As though sensing her thoughts, Cole slipped his arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder, drifting in his soothing, deep bass voice, swirling inside with Parker’s higher, youthful soprano, basking in Jack and Norah’s perfect duet that seemed to reflect the life they’d shared, all shimmering in the colored lights from their tree.
She was looking forward to a life like theirs. Filled with love, with gratitude, and everything the season of Christmas represented, everything mistletoe represented, all year through. This was what life was all about, and she was grateful to have another chance to enjoy it as much as she possibly could.
The End
What Do You Think?
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Thank you!
More by Catelyn Meadows
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This is a clever, modern-day reimagining of Goldilocks that doubles as a fun, sweet romance. You can’t help but fall in love with these characters.
Read Goldie and the Billionaire Bear here!
Acknowledgments
Many thanks go to Danette Hansen, Rachel Gordon, and Anne Pfeffer for reading at the last minute and for their wonderful insights. Thanks also to Leona Bushman for her editing and helpful tips.
Thanks to my husband, Duane, who always finds his way into the love interests in my stories. He is no knight in armor, he is no poet, he is real. A handyman, a hard worker, a loving father, and a great man. I'm so blessed to have him.
To my sons and daughter, you bring light and sparkles into my life. To my mom, my best friend and support and for being my copy editor. Seriously, I have the coolest mom ever.
To my amazing readers, you guys make writing all that much more fun!
And lastly, to my Heavenly Father, the source of light and truth. I thank Him every day for the talents He's blessed me with.
About the Author
Catelyn Meadows is a romantic at heart. A mom of four munchkins, Catelyn married a true blue farm boy who still makes her heart pitter-pat, and she wanted to create stories that do the same. She also writes clean, young adult fantasy romance as USA Today bestselling author, Cortney Pearson.
You can find out more about Catelyn on her website, www.catelynmeadows.blogspot.com.
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All I Want For Christmas: Holiday Romance Page 16