Page 127 of The Spiced Cocoa Café
The season had been more profitable than he could’ve hoped, and even after donating all the prize money to the children’s hospital, he had enough to start the llama sanctuary expansion.It felt like a miracle. And for the first time in a long time, Liam believed in those again.
He looked down at his red socks. They were bright with reindeer and candy canes. Cassidy had bought them for him, more as a joke, said he didn’t have to wear them, but Liam had wanted to. The smile on her face when he took off his shoes was worth it.
After dinner, Liam’s mom called them all into the living room. “Present time!” she shouted, clapping her hands like a preschool teacher as everyone piled into the living room, plates of pie in hand.
He settled beside Cassidy on the floor, his shoulder brushing hers, and passed her a slice of pecan pie. “Just how you like it, with extra whipped cream,” he murmured.
Her eyes sparkled as she took the plate, leaning in so only he could hear. “Careful, or I’ll start thinking of other uses for that whipped cream.”
Liam choked on a laugh, his ears going pink, but the smirk he shot her was pure trouble. “Don’t start something you can’t finish, Sugarplum.”
Then his mom clapped her hands, commanding their attention, and the moment slipped into something softer, sweeter.
He watched Cassidy open her gifts: the handmade apron from his mom embroidered with “Cocoa Queen,” a set of vintage chocolate molds that Liam had found on eBay, a book of Christmas cookie recipes from Jackson, who never bought gifts for people.
Cassidy laughed through her tears, touched by every gesture. She slipped the apron on right then and there, tied it around herwaist, then headed over and gave Beth a hug, both of their eyes shining.
The gift-giving continued until there was only one more.
“Hey,” Liam said, pulling the box out from behind the tree. “I have one more.”
She looked up.
His whole family seemed to stop what they were doing to watch her open the gift.
Cassidy carefully tore back the paper and opened the small box. Inside lay a hand-painted silver bulb with her name in white script.
She looked up at him. “It’s the same as the rest of yours.”
“You’re part of us now.”
Her laugh broke through a teary breath. “You’re going to make me cry in front of your whole family.”
She slipped the ornament out of the box and stood. “Will you hang it with me?”
Liam rose, taking her hand as she led him to the tree. He gently helped her loop the red ribbon over a waiting branch near his own bulb.
There it was.
Proof she was his.
Proof of his love.
Proof that this cozy, love-wrapped moment next to the Christmas tree was only the beginning of their story in Maple Falls.
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