Page 19 of Merrily Ever After
“I ran out of tinsel,” I remind her. “And I didn’t have time to—”
“It’s beautiful,” she interrupts. “Oliver, thank you. I …” She trails off, shaking her head as she steps further into the room. I grow even more alarmed when I hear a sniff.
Oh no. “Don’t cry.”
“I’m not.”
“You literally are.”
But before I can panic fully, she spins around and throws her arms around me, hugging me tighter than she ever has before.
“This is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me,” she says into my chest.
“It is?”
“Yes. I love it,” she says firmly. “I love you. Thank you. For everything.”
“Always,” I tell her. And this time, finally, I think she believes me.
She pulls back, wiping a hand under her eyes before she turns to the tree. “Help me do this?”
“How about there?” I point to a bit of space in the middle, right between a candy cane and a glittering gold star. She loops the bauble carefully over the branch as I snake an arm around her waist and as we admire her handiwork I wonder if anyone has ever been as happy as I am right now. And then I think no, probably not.
“Merry Christmas, Lara,” I say, pressing a kiss to her temple.
She sighs, melting into me, and together we watch the lights twinkle and dance. “Merry Christmas, Oliver.”
