Page 34 of Decked By The Grumpy Golem
"Ready to go inside?" he asks, nodding toward the house where my family waits.
I look at our joined hands, at the way his skin glows faintly in the darkness, at the man who's loved me longer than I've known what love means. For the first time maybe ever, I know exactly where I belong.
"Ready," I tell him, meaning it with every fiber of my being.
Epilogue
Gideon
ThisisourfirstChristmas with the Reyes and Flintman families combined together. I still can’t believe Lucia moved in with me for good six months ago.
But I can easily believe that the manuscript she delivered to her publisher is her best to date. The release of her new novel is planned for this spring and already, her agent is fielding calls for film rights. I’m not surprised. My mate is anamazing writer.
The moment I step inside with Lucia and Martha, the house feels alive. The heat from the fireplace, the sound of laughter, the clatter of dishes, the smell of pine and cinnamon.
Lucia looks up at me, her eyes bright with happiness that makes my chest tight with emotion. She rises on her toes and kisses me softly, then rests her forehead against my chest. The simple gesture grounds me in the impossible reality that she's mine again, that we're finally, truly together.
I wrap an arm around her, pulling her closer. Her warmth seeps through my shirt, and I feel that familiar heat radiating from my skin in response to her touch.
"We made it," she murmurs against my chest, her voice soft with relief.
"An army of snowmen couldn’t have kept us away," I tell her, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.
A burst of giggles from behind the couch makes us both look up. Isla and Arwen peek over the cushions, their eyes wide with fascination at the adults being mushy.
"Ewwww, they're kissing again!" Arwen shrieks, her voice pitched to carry across three counties.
"Gross!" Isla adds, but she's grinning as she says it, clearly delighted by the drama.
Both girls dissolve into giggles and scamper off toward the kitchen, their footsteps thundering across the hardwood floors.
Everyone in the room chuckles at their antics. Candy beams at us from her position by the tree, where she's arranging presents with the precision of a military operation. Mateo grins and shakes his head, while Mara covers her mouth to hide her laughter.
I brush another kiss across Lucia's temple, protective and tender, while she laces her fingers with mine. The simple contact sends warmth spiraling through my chest, and I have to resist the urge to pin her against the nearest wall and kiss her senseless.
Later, I promise myself. When we're alone.
Across the room, Candy and Martha chat like old friends, their voices overlapping with warmth and laughter. I know they must be talking about Cinnamon and how chubby the orange cat has been getting likely. Martha is spoiling the feline to death and we’re all cheering for it. She deserves to have something to love on and spoil. I watch my mother animated in a way I haven't seen in years, gesturing enthusiastically as she describes some community project or another. Mara moves between them, passing out steaming mugs of cocoa topped with marshmallows and whipped cream.
The whole scene feels surreal. After so many years of isolation, here we all are, two families blending together like we were always meant to be one.
"Gideon!" Ernesto's voice booms from the living room, making me look up. He's settled in his recliner with a deck of cards in his hands, while Mateo lounges on the sofa nearby. "Get over here. These girls are beating us at Go Fish, and my reputation as a card shark is in serious jeopardy."
Mateo grins and waves me over. "Come on, we need backup. Seven-year-olds are ruthless."
I glance down at Lucia, who smiles and gives my hand a squeeze. "Go," she says, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Show them how it's done."
"You sure?" I ask, suddenly uncertain. Being welcomed into the family circle feels too good to be true, like something that might disappear if I move too fast.
"Positive," she says, tugging me toward the living room. "Besides, I want to see if you're as competitive at cards as you are at everything else."
I let her lead me to the coffee table where the twins have set up their card game with military precision. They look up at me with identical expressions of determination, clearly viewing me as fresh prey.
"Uncle Gideon's gonna play?" Isla asks with a smirk that says she clearly thinks I’m not up to the task.
The title hits me with a warm, bubbly feeling. Uncle Gideon. even a year later, I’m still touched at how easily those girls accepted me into their circle.
"Oh, you girls are finished" I say, settling onto the floor with my back against the couch. “I happen to be an expert at Go Fish.”
