Page 77 of A Holly Brown Christmas
Fortunately, the damage was limited to the dining room table. By the time the fire department arrived, Lucas and his brothers-in-law had gotten the fire out with the help of the small kitchen fire extinguisher. But, needless to say, it put a damper on the meal.
Literally.
“Thank goodness we were able to order Chinese food,” Lucas said with amusement. “No one went hungry.”
“It will be a Christmas everyone will remember, for sure! Personally, I thought it was a great day. The dining room is going to need a little TLC to recover, but eating the Chinese food in the kitchen with the kids sitting at the island and everyone a little crammed together around the table was fun! And dessert outside under the heat lamps was amazing.”
“The kids are in love with your dog.”
“Everyone’s in love with my dog. He’s very lovable.”
He chuckled. “Yes, he is. He’s also passed out cold, snoring loudly in his bed.”
“I don’t think anyone’s run around that much with him in years, but I loved watching him have so much fun. I didn’t even mind when someone kept sneaking him extra treats.”
“I felt bad! We were all eating so much and the poor guy only had his plain dog food! And besides, it’s Christmas. He deserved some treats.”
“You’re just lucky he didn’t throw up all over the place from eating so much.” She snuggled closer to him. “This was the best Christmas ever.”
“You think so?”
She nodded. “Definitely. I don’t know how we’ll outdo it next year.”
“Probably by not waiting until the last minute to plan the party, not having to pry you off a second-story ladder, definitely not spending an obscene amount of money on an oversized tree, and obviously not having sizzling pans of fajitas.”
“If only she would have used the trivets like I told her,” she said with a sigh.
“If we skip all of those things, next year’s Christmas will be perfect.
Holly pulled back and stared at him in wide-eyed shock.
“What? What did I say?”
“Didn’t you learn anything? It’s not about perfection, Lucas! Think about the memories we made! Will anyone forget what happened today?”
“I know I won’t.”
“So there. While I agree that maybe we could have lived without the fire, everything else was the best.”
“Even the ladder episode?” he teased.
“Yup. I’d get stuck all over again if it led to all the things it did this year.”
Resting his forehead against hers, he smiled. “You are quite a woman, and I am so thankful to have you in my life. You’re the best gift I could have ever received..”
Smiling, she brushed her lips against his. “Thank you.”
“Merry Christmas, Holly Brown.”
And they sealed it with a kiss.
Epilogue
Christmas Day, the following year…
“Well? Was this Christmas better than last?”
They were at Holly’s house—which was now their house for the time being—and had just gotten home from Lucas’s family’s house.
