Page 18 of A Not So Merry Kiss-mas
“You’re a really good person, Mike,” she says hoarsely, and my stomach clenches.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you for months now!” Mrs. Fletcher says, causing us both to jump, which only makes her cackle. “Come in. The tree stand’s all ready!”
It takes me all of five minutes to get the tree in the stand and filled with water. The balsam fir is the perfect choice for Mrs. F’s tree. If you want a tree for the perfect Christmas tree shape, this fir is it.
“Oh, Michael!” Mrs. Fletcher clasps her hands, grinning from ear to ear. “This is beautiful.”
“Mel was the one who picked it; I just carried it.”
“That’s not true,” Melanie says, glancing over at me. “We both did.”
“Thank you, both of you. You’ll come over tomorrow to help me decorate it, yes?”
“I won’t be able to make it, I have a shift at the hospital.”
“You know I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Tiny prickles of heat are moving around my face, and I glance over to find Melanie watching me, a soft smile lining her lips—warmth blossoms from my chest, and the corner of my lip lifts.
“Oh, would you look at that!” Mrs. Fletcher points above Melanie’s head. “Someone is standing under mistletoe.”
Bright pink spreads throughout Melanie’s face, and I chuckle. That is, until Mrs. F fixes me with a pointed glare.
“Get over there, Michael.” Heat the strength of a thousand suns spreads across my face. “I’m serious. You two are acting like you’ve never kissed anyone before.”
Glancing up to meet Melanie’s eyes, she shrugs a shoulder and appears amused. I shrug and make my way over to her. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
Her gaze falls to my mouth, and my heart pounds just as she nods.
“Of course she’s okay with it,” Mrs. Fletcher taunts, causing me and Melanie to chuckle. “You’re losing daylight here, son.”
Peering over my shoulder, I scowl, but she just laughs at me. Raising my hand, I gently cup Melanie’s cheek.
This isn’t how I imagined our first kiss would be, but I am not going to miss a golden opportunity—especially one where Melanie is willing.
Clapping reaches my ears, just as my lips come in contact with Melanie’s. I feel her smile against my mouth, and we both laugh softly. When she raises her hand to the back of my neckand gently runs her fingers through my hair, the smile falls from my mouth, and I capture her lips with mine.
Melanie melts into the kiss and draws me closer. My heart races, and a warmth surges through me, shooting goosebumps down my spine.
Mrs. F clears her throat, and I remember we’re standing in her apartment. I pull away from Melanie and feel my cheeks heating.
When I turn toward Mrs. Fletcher, it’s to find her standing at her open door. “You two have been wonderful, but I think you still have Melanie’s tree to get up?”
“How did you—” Melanie sputters.
“The walls are thin,” Mrs. F and I say together, laughing at our previous conversation. I shake my head and grin, wondering how long she was listening at her door before we knocked.
Chapter Ten
Mel
Once again, it takes Michael all of five minutes to settle the tree in its stand. When he asks me where I want to position it, I study the living room and shrug. He suggests placing it nearthe window so that once it’s decorated, all the people walking on the street could enjoy its beauty too.
Staring at it now, I have to agree it’s the perfect place.
The noble fir is not as symmetrical as Mrs. Fletcher’s, but it has an elegance to it that I absolutely adore. In fact, it reminds me of the kind of tree that would be featured in a Jane Austen novel at Christmastime.
Shifting back against the armrest of the couch, my feet resting on Mike’s lap, I take a sip of hot chocolate and glance over at the TV, where a YouTube virtual fireplace is on. I didn’t even know these were a thing, and I am completely obsessed.
“They’re great, aren’t they? Sometimes when I struggle to fall asleep after a rough shift, I throw one of these up and let it work its magic.” We’ve been talking for hours about our work, how we met Cole and Noelle, and things that we enjoy, which is how the virtual fireplace came to be on my TV. “Some of them even play music.”
