Page 89 of The Bright Side of Christmas
“Sorry. I?—”
“I know,” he says. “Come on. Let’s do this thing.”
That’s when I realize he means together.
And at the end of the day, despite the hiccups, it’s the best holiday festival Holly Ridge has ever seen.
THIRTY-THREE
Hours later, my dad promises to drive my car back later, and Adam drives me home, his fingers entwined with mine the whole drive.
We move down Blue Bird Lane, and despite it all, when I see the one house nearly perfectly dark, disappointment fills me.
It’s the only house not lit.
It’s fine, I tell myself.It doesn’t matter. My dad is right. Grandma wouldn’t care. In fact, she would absolutely get a kick out of the man I fell for, not being a fan of Christmas and decorations, though she would encourage me to continue bugging him about it, if only because she loved drama.
When we park in his drive, he turns to me, leaning forward and pressing a hard kiss to my lips before beaming at me, seemingly giddy.
“What?” I ask with a grin of my own, a bit confused, but the look on his face is absolutely contagious.
He shakes his head, not answering before he tips his head to the side. “Come on.”
Then he steps out of his truck, the door slamming shut. I watch as he jogs around the front, comes to the passenger side, opens it, and pulls me out.
“Come on,” he repeats, then takes my hand and tugs me to the sidewalk outside his house. He stands behind me, hands going to my shoulders before turning me to face his house. Looking over my shoulder at him, I raise a confused eyebrow.
“Stay here,” he whispers before stepping away.
“What?” He's getting more and more confusing, and I can’t help but wonder if maybe he got as little sleep last night as I did.
“Stay here. I have to show you something.”
“Adam, it’s freezing,” I say with a laugh.
“I know, I know. But just stay here. It’ll be worth it.”
I roll my eyes, then watch as he jogs into his house. I stay where he left me, watching him unlock the door and then enter, leaving it open. Then he pokes his head out, the widest smile on his lips. He looks like an excited little boy, and my intrigue goes even higher. What is he doing?
“Oh, I can’t wait to see this,” a voice says, and when I turn, the Caufields and their two girls are staring up at Adam’s house.
“See what?”
“He was working on this all day yesterday with your brothers.”
I turn fully to her, confused. “Mybrothers?” They didn’t mention Adam at all today.
“It didn’t light up yesterday, so I figured there was a problem,” Mr. Caufield muses.
Light up?
“Ready, Birdie?” Adam calls, and when I look at him, I notice something I didn’t before.
A cloud must move, revealing moonlight that shifts, glows, and gleams, reflecting on tiny dots all over his house.
My heart skips a beat.
Is that….
