Page 31 of Naughty Elf: Shimmersnap

I cupped his cheek in my hand, the permanent sparkly sheen on his face glistening under the lights. I knew now it wasn’t lotion—it was just the way Shimmersnap was.

“It was stupid of me,” I continued. “I’ve known you were special since the day I met you. I knew that figurine was special since the day I picked it up. Yet, when presented with the facts right in front of me, I panicked. Didn’t believe I could ever have anything that good. I—I want to make it up to you. I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

“This is a pretty good start,” he said, his voice soft.

“Come home with me. Please stay with me, for always. Or whenever you’re not working at the North Pole. Or can I go there? Do they need accountants in the North Pole?”

Shimmersnap chuckled. “We need to get you out of the cold.”

I expected that we’d get up and call an Uber to take us home, but as soon as he said the words, we were transported back to my home.

Shimmersnap landed on the couch, and I was kneeling in front of him. My knees were still wet from the snow.

“Whoa,” I said. My head spinning slightly from the instant change.

Shimmersnap winced. “Sorry. I should have warned you.”

“That’s okay. You’re amazing, Shimmersnap. I’m so sorry I didn’t listen or trust you when you told me you were an elf. I thought… I thought you were making fun of me for being attached to my elf figurine.”

“Never. That figurine is me.”

“I supposed that explains why I needed it. I need you, Shimmersnap. I want to be with you always.”

Shimmersnap’s chin quivered, and then he launched himself in my arms. The two of us lay splayed out on the floor.

“Oh, I love you, Walter! So much. And we’re going to live happily ever after. And we’re going to have a baby. I’m probably due in September. And I want to volunteer. Not just for Christmas, but for other things! Like a food bank! Or school! But mostly I want to be with you!”

A baby? Did he say baby? “Shimmersnap?”

He stilled. “Whoops. I didn’t mean to blurt all of that out.” His cheeks turned red, accentuating the sparkle that shimmered over his skin. “Are you mad?”

“Never,” I said, and I kissed his lips. “I love you. And I want nothing more than to do all those things with you. Especially being parents. I’ll never dull your sparkle again, Shimmersnap.”

“I love you too, Walter.”

Chapter 19

Shimmersnap

Never in my life did I imagine I would get free rein over decorating an entire house for Christmas. Granted, Walter had given me permission to decorate the living room and the outside, but of course, once the ideas started flowing, I suddenly needed a tree in every room with different themed ornaments and decor. Plus, there was the roof to decorate with lights and other things. The whole porch was a decoration on its own.

He drew the line at the mailbox. Apparently, there were laws against such things since the mailbox needed to be accessible.Still, I was holding out hope that we could put a full mural on the garage door. I was envisioning a moonlit scene of a cutesy cartoon version of Santa’s workshop with those cute elves! That was an idea I kept in my head and hadn’t yet said out loud.

At first, I worried about what it would all cost, but then Walter showed me the balance of my bank statement where my paycheck had been deposited for the past year. Six months, and I hadn’t had any bills for myself. I had acquired quite the sum! After donating a chunk to the local food bank to cover their holiday feast expenses, I got to work on decorating.

Walter showed me the value of secondhand stores, as well as estate sales. His friend, who usually went with him to these sales, had laughed the entire time as I filled up not only his vehicle but ours as well with vintage Christmas decorations. I had a vision, and it was going to become a reality.

“Is there anything I can help with, Shimmersnap?” Walter asked.

“No, I’m fine,” I replied, standing on a ladder pinning up the evergreen garland that lined the archway. “Once I’m done with this, we’ll put up the lights, and then I have some frosted glitter that sticks to the garland.”

“Of course you do,” he said with a smirk. “Couldn’t you just snap your fingers and have this all done?”

I looked at him incredulously. “Sure, but what’s the joy in that?”

“What indeed,” Walter said, shaking his head.

He stood next to me as I worked, probably to make sure I wouldn’t fall. With only two weeks until Christmas, I thought it best to have the place decorated to the nines.

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