Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
I nod, popping my hat on my head before he slows and lets us out. Dasher looks adorable in his Christmas gear, and of course, the leash looks like it’s a line of lit tree lights.
As he sniffs around the sidewalk and snow, random people stop and tell me how cute he is. He’s such an attention seeker and gets pets from every person who compliments him.
I stand at the giant archway, trying to take in the ambience of the crowd and the smells of the food that float through the air. Moments later, strong arms wrap around my waist from behind, and I turn, wanting to greet him with a kiss.
As if he reads my hesitation, he leans in and whispers in my ear. “I don’t give a fuck who sees us together, babe. I know what I said yesterday, wanting you to be my date, but I’m letting you call the shots in public.”
I swallow, nodding with a smile and softly press my lips against his. He moans against my mouth, running his fingers through my hair.
“You’re mine, too, Levi,” I say, wanting him to understand that I want all these women to know he’s with me. At least for now.
When we pull apart, I smirk, then grab his hand.
“I’ll take him,” Levi offers, so I give him the leash.
A few kids dressed as Santa’s elves greet us as we enter, and a photographer captures everyone’s pictures. Levi puts his arm around me and pulls me close as Dasher sits in front of us. Once the photo is taken, I’m handed a ticket and told that we can pick it up at the Chamber of Commerce booth.
As we walk through the crowd, every local greets us both by name. Some notice our hands interlocked, and others don’t. No one makes a big deal out of it. The pathways are wide, but a lot of people are already here, and it’s early.
“What time is the tree lighting?” I ask Levi when we find the food truck with the gluten-free goodies. I’m tempted to order one of each.
“Six on the dot. My mom is supposed to give a speech, and she said she expected me to support her from the front row,” he explains.
“So we’ll need to find seats early?” I ask, and he nods.
When we finally make it to the window, I order several pastries. Levi gets a few too.
“Not bad,” he tells me, biting into a miniature pumpkin pie. “If I didn’t know it wasn’t made with flour, I’m not sure I’d notice.”
“Right!” I agree around a mouthful, gobbling it up like I haven’t eaten in days.
As we walk past some of the craft tables, I spot Oakley with her paints and canvas. Levi sees her at the same time, so we make our way over to her.
“Oh my God!” She squeals, then hugs me. “You’re the first distraction I’ve welcomed all day. How are you two?” She looks back and forth between us, and I’m almost embarrassed about what happened last night. They both knew we fooled around in the bathroom, and after we returned, we basically called it a night. Finn was ready to get home anyway, though.
Levi and I meet each other’s eyes. “Great,” we say in unison.
“Ahh, saying the same things at the same time. That’s a good sign,” she teases.
Levi sees Finn across the way and excuses us.
“I forgot to chat about you staying longer yesterday. That’s exciting.”
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to spending New Year’s here. I just rescheduled my flights, and it’s official.”
She gives me a small smile and hesitates. “Now, I don’t want to get in your business or anything, and I don’t need any details whatsoever, but when you get home, and if things don’t feel right…listen to your heart.”
I search her face, trying to read her expression.
“I almost didn’t and it would’ve turned out to be the worst mistake of my life,” she admits, and I see the engagement ring sparkle by the reflection of the sun.
“I will,” I say. “I promise.”
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Oakley says, pulling a small package from her oversized purse. She hands it to me.
“What this?” I ask.
“Just a small Christmas gift.”
“Thanks, but I didn’t–.”
“Just open it already,” she says. “It’s nothing big.”
I rip off the bright colored paper and open a box that’s the size of my palm. Inside is a snow globe. I hold it up to get a better look, then gasps. “It’s the Christmas tree farm.”
Oakley grins. “So you can take the farm back with you to Seattle.”
As hard as it is, I push my emotions back and give her a hug. “Thank you.”
She squeezes me tight and I slide it into my oversized coat pocket.
Before I can say anything else, Oakley pulls me around to show me what she’s painted so far. My eyes widen in shock as I look at a night scene of the gigantic tree that she has a perfect view of.