Page 103 of Playful Kris

“I love you,” I shout to her over the crowd.

Her arms tighten around my neck, her green eyes are fixed on mine. “I love you, too.”

“Forever,” I promise her, ignoring the money being thrown onto the stage still, the guys walking back on stage for our bow, and the crowd stomping their feet for her.

Nothing else in this world matters. Nothing else in this moment exists.

Just her.

Always her.

EPILOGUE: KAMERON

Three Years Later

It’s my actual favorite holiday of the year.

Thanksgiving is up there, and I’m thankful for everything in my life, and if I had to compare the food from Thanksgiving to Christmas to determine which holiday was better, Thanksgiving would win every single time.

But Christmas is my absolute favorite.

Having the house decorated with all the reds and greens, shopping for those you love and spending hours with your back aching as you wrap them, the coziness the lights from the tree illuminate, it’s just all my favorite.

Kris walks into the living room, carrying two large cups of steaming coffee as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer plays on low in the background. Titan lays next to the tree with his Christmas collar and a Santa hat with his ears sticking through the top on his head.

He’s chewing his bone, his very favorite toy that he’s gotten today.

I sit next to the tree by the fire, we’ve opened all of our gifts, but I have one more surprise for Kris.

Kris hands me a cup, and takes a seat next to me as he reaches over and pets Titan on the head. I take a sip, smiling to myself because it’s exactly how I like my coffee.

He never gets it wrong.

In the last three years, he’s never gotten it wrong. He surprises me with little things, all part of my love language. It’s true what they say, it’s the little things that matter.

“Man, I love the old Rudoph,” he tells me, lifting his eyes to the television.

I used to watch it all the time as a kid, and I still watch it quite often at Christmas time. Along with The Santa Clause, Jingle All The Way, and The Grinch. All staples in our home at Christmas.

“Me, too.” I sigh, glancing up at the screen.

“What time is Cora coming over?” he asks.

Normally, she goes to visit her parents for the holidays but since they retired she’s joining us this year instead. We normally have a big family dinner, but this year I wanted to do a family breakfast.

Everyone is coming. Cora, my parents, Kris’ mom and dad, their significant others, whoever it may be this time. Ruby and Kaleb are coming, with their sweet little girl, Emory.

“She should be here in about an hour, I told her the same time as everyone else.”

He nods, glancing back at the tree. “What’s that?” he asks.

I smile to myself as I watch him stretch out to grab the small box.

“It’s one last gift for you,” I tell him, urging him to open it.

“For me?” He smiles, lifting the lid off the box.

He pulls out a baseball, with a clear case and frowns, looking at me for an explanation, but I say nothing, only urging him to look more in the box. He pulls out a coffee mug, a onesie, and the pregnancy test.

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