Page 61 of Any Girl But You
“Tell me everything you want for Christmas,” I say, breathing in her warm scent. Out of respect for everyone in here, I ignore the deep urge to slide my hand on her ass.
“I already have everything I want,” Zoey says, then leans into my ear, “but if you’re not too tired tonight, let’s bring back that blindfold and I’ll give you one of your presents early.”
“I’m not too tired tonight.” I giggle and ignore the groans coming from Frankie. I tip my head up and meet Zoey’s lips.
This really is more than I could’ve ever dreamed. We snap a few pictures, and Frankie checks the exposure and setting. Morgan is in the kitchen area brewing the coffee next to the hot chocolate, and Zoey’s parents are in the corner adjusting their outfits.
And me? I’m holding my girlfriend and taking in the moments before—hopefully—chaos hits with a mad rush of customers. If I can squeeze one more Christmas miracle out of this year, my hope is that I have customers, and those customers leave here smiling.
Two hours later, the beautiful chaos hits.
The temporary crew waves in the cars like air traffic controllers, lining them up to park near the barn, and the overflow area—which I never dreamed we’d have to use. As Christmas music fills the shop, Frankie works the crowd, completely in her element, cheering on the kids to smile with Santa and snapping photos. Morgan is at the register, chatting with customers and wrapping up their merchandise in heavy paper and festive bags. Zoey is in the kitchen area, smiling widely, serving up cookies and hot chocolate to the guests. And me? Well, I’m running around everywhere like a baby goat who just realized they could actually run. I dash to one area, then to another, then to another. Every single one of the twenty temporary crew showed up on time, and if this keeps up, I’m definitely handing out holiday bonuses. They’re helpingcustomers drag wrapped trees to cars, adhering them Griswold-style to their cars, and directing traffic.
“More marshmallows?” Zoey asks as I wiggle behind her and dig in the cabinets.
“Yep. Here I thought I bought enough for the season, but I think we’re going to go through them by the end of the weekend,” I say, grabbing three bags and an extra box of graham crackers. This is thebestproblem to have. The bonfire and s’mores stand are a huge hit, and sticky-fingered children are running around wiping their hands in the snow. “Instead of date night later, I think we need to make a Costco run.”
“Oh, that’s still a date night. Who doesn’t love Costco?” Zoey grins and greets a guest.
At the bonfire behind the barn, I drop off the supplies and hand out water to the crew member who’s diligently making sure the fire stays hot and no one burns themselves. I run back inside, grab a tray of hot chocolate, and make my rounds to check on the rest of the crew and give them a little hot cocoa reprieve.
The crew member giving hayrides waves at me from the tractor as parents and kids climb on the trailer and settle on hay bales. As the huge tires crunch against the gravel, soft, gentle snowflakes begin to flutter to the ground. I stop where I’m at and give myself just a moment to watch them float against the white lights strung across a few of the trees. With the activity, and kids running, the fire, and the joy filling the air, I feel like I’m in a real-life snow globe. Joy fills me, starting in my soul and moving to my heart. A warmth that I’ve always wanted, that always seemed just a stretch out of reach, I’m finally touching.
This is happiness.
IloveChristmas time.
The day flies by. I’m outside more than inside, but don’t even have time to get cold. So many customers stop me and marvel at my place. They tell me stories of coming here when they werelittle, and how I tapped into something deeply nostalgic. Kids stop me and ask if they can come back and meet Santa again and have more cookies. Families have me take pictures of them with their cell phones, and more than one person has given me a hug.
We were supposed to close at four because it’s getting dark, but cars are still rolling in. Sadly, for their safety, I finally tell my crew that we cannot let anyone in past five. Day one, and I have to turn away customers.Turn. Away. Customers. I cannot believe this is real life.
When we finally, officially, close up shop, I thank everyone profusely and send them all home. After hugging Zoey’s parents, Morgan, and Frankie, I close the barn door and collapse into the large Santa chair.
Zoey wriggles in next to me and lays her head against my chest. “What a day, huh?”
What a day, a year, a life. Things I thought were impossible turned possible. Leaving New York and moving home. Starting and launching my own business. Revamping an entire tree farm into something beautiful and inspiring.
Finding love.
My chest fills and I hold Zoey tight against me. She tips up her head, her eyes searching mine, and a gentle grin passes her face. “Where’s that mistletoe you promised me earlier?”
I cup her cheeks and plant a kiss on her beautiful plump lips. “I don’t need mistletoe to give my love kisses.”
Her warm grin fills me. She snuggles back into my chest, and I take a deep, cleansing breath as everything around me settles. Against all odds, something I never thought would happen, happened.
I found my Christmas miracle.
THIRTY-THREE
QUINN
Six months later
Fresh, warm spring air just hits a little different than regular air. I step out onto the barn patio in my gown and take a deep breath.Wedding Day. My heart is racing so fast that any moment now I’m going to get dizzy. I can’t believe today is actually here.
I touch the side of my hair and then drop it. The hairstylist warned me to stop poking at it, but I hardly ever wear my hair up, and it feels a bit foreign. I have so many bobby pins holding my curls in place that I’m worried I won’t remove them all tonight and I’ll accidently stab Zoey in my sleep.
After a phenomenal Christmas season, I took several weeks off in January to decompress. My beautiful love even made a New Year’s resolution to cut her days down to four days a week by March, and she did it. Four days! She hired more staff and bumped up Luna and Caleb’s hours. Not that Zoey was ever worried about money, but when I officially moved in with her in February, cutting her costs by half, I think it gave her the extra breathing room she needed to not be at her place daily.
