Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
And everything feels possible.
After Samuel parks Mortimer in front of his house, we go for a walk through the heart of downtown Spruce. With no vehicles in sight, we stroll lazily right down the middle of the streets without a care in the world, arm-in-arm. The conversation is natural and lighthearted. I learn about what led to him becoming a vet in the first place. He learns about my mom and how there may always be an incomplete story when it comes to her—and maybe that’s okay. When our conversation lulls, it’s comfortable, both of us enjoying the peace and quiet together, no anxiety at all.
Despite the city being shut down, the decorations still glitter in the light of the streetlamps, and some of the storefronts still have their lights on, twinkling and chasing each other around the perimeters of windows and doors. The most surprising decoration of all is the big Christmas tree at the park, which is fully lit, all of its colorful lights pouring over our eyes like electric gumdrops.
We lie on our backs beneath the tree and stare upwards. He takes my hand as we enjoy the moment, shoulder-to-shoulder. There isn’t a soul around us. Not a sound but the gentle breeze and a soft, electric buzzing from the tree. Stars are scattered across the sky like spilled glitter over a black canvas.
“Happy one-year anniversary,” I murmur into the silence.
Samuel chuckles next to me. He turns his head. “Happy one-year, sweetie.”
I turn my head to him and grimace. “Not sure I’m a ‘sweetie’ kind of guy.”
“Really? Hmm. How about ‘honey’?”
“Gross.”
“‘Baby’?”
“Not even after five years.”
He gives it a little thought. Then: “I guess you’re just gonna have to settle for bein’ my Malckie.”
His voice cracks in the cutest way when he says my nickname he made for me. The soft sound of his voice when he’s being sweet is something I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to. It’s a gift every time.
“Y’know …” Samuel clears his throat before he goes on. “I … I honestly wasn’t sure this was going to be possible.”
“Us going on a date?”
“Us seein’ each other again at all. This morning when I read that note, I just … sat there on my couch for the longest time.” He gazes back up at the night sky. “I was completely hopeless.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You were honest in that letter. That meant a lot to me, even if it hurt.” He shrugs. “I thought you’d head back home to Fairview after today. Maybe you and your dad got some kinda Christmas thing you do. I’d spend another Christmas right here, sittin’ in front of this tree, imagining what my life would be like if I wasn’t alone anymore. I do it every year. Isn’t that sad? Pathetic, even? The most pitiful thing you can imagine?”
“You don’t have to anymore.”
He turns his head back to me. “Hmm?”
“This Christmas, you won’t be alone.” I smile at him. “My dad and I are apparently staying a bit longer. Nadine wanted us to stay in town through Christmas. I’ll be here to keep you company as we sit in front of this big tree. Then instead of wondering what it’d be like not to be alone … you can know what it’d be like to have a guy by your side.”
Samuel’s eyes turn wet.
Oh, shit. Did I just make him cry?
“Uh, sorry,” I quickly say, panicking. “I didn’t mean—”
“That is the most beautiful fuckin’ thing anyone’s ever said to me in my whole life.”
“Please stop crying.”
A tear falls sideways from his eye. “Malckie, sweetie …”
“Mmm, no, the ‘sweetie’ thing still doesn’t work …”
“You just gave me the greatest Christmas gift.”
“I hate tears so much.”
He faces me completely, takes hold of my face, and plants a kiss right on my lips. I’m so taken by surprise, I hold my breath. If me telling him I’m staying in town was the greatest gift, then this kiss is the greatest reward for it—the touch of his soft, sweet, and perfect lips on mine.
It isn’t the community of Spruce that makes me feel at home.
It isn’t the sense of belonging, or the charm, or the people.
It’s Samuel Buckley’s kiss.
This, right here, right now.
He pulls away suddenly, eyes wide. “Malckie! I almost forgot!”
I blink, still recovering from our kiss. “Forgot what?”
“I have somethin’ for you! A gift! … well, sorta!”
“Gift? You … You got me a gift?” I’m confused at once. “How do you possibly have a gift for me? When the hell would you have gotten it? You hated me this morning. Stayed home all last night. Were with me the day before. And—”
“Shush your questioning, Sherlock, and just come with me!”
With that, he grabs my hand, and the pair of us are off of the ground. I laugh, completely taken by surprise as Samuel drags me along with him back up Main Street. We pass the T&S Shoppe, its dark interior reminding me of our night of errands. We pass the antiques store and a hardware store and the Spruce Cinema 5. We go past the front of the church, its windows glowing with warm yellow bulb lights in the shape of stars.