Page 103 of A Love Like Christmas Time
“A new cap?” he asks amusedly, the corner of his mouth twitching as he takes it out and turns it in his hands.
“Yep,” I grin. I’m glad he loves it. “And because I’m corny, I had both of our initials stitched into the inside.”
I take it from his hands to show him. It’s subtle, small stitching right above the visor. You can’t see it when he’s wearing the cap, but that was never the point.
“I noticed your old one is pretty much dissolving. Of course, you don’t have to wear it, but I thought maybe you might want a backup. And- “ It’s my turn to ramble, but he leans in and swallows the rest of my sentence with a kiss.
“I love it,” he mumbles with a nod.
“Good,” I grin. “Now, let’s have our coffee in peace before we go over to Nic’s for another round of overeating. And I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wear that sweatshirt.”
It’s surprisingly exhausting to wade through snow that reaches halfway up my calves, especially while trying to hold a tray with Speculoos dessert level. By the time we make it to Nic’s, I’m sweating and exhausted.
“On a scale from one to ten,” I huff out, half laughing, “how high do you think the chances are we can convince Henry to get nine more huskies, so we can have them pull us on sleighs?”
“I’d say a three,” Caleb says, sounding exhausted. “He’s got his hands full with Jensen already.”
“Boo,” I reply with a pout, lifting my hand to ring the bell.
“Merry Christmas!” Nic says cheerily, beaming as she opens the door.
“Merry Christmas,” I reply just as enthusiastically and pull her into a quick hug. Of course, Henry is already here. I hear him rustling as he sets the table in Nic’s living room. My eyes dart behind her and widen. “And oh my god, who is this cutie?”
A new dog pops his head around the corner to the living room. It’s a black Labrador, its nose sprinkled with specks of gray fur.
“Seriously?” Caleb chuckles. “Let me guess, is this your ghost cat’s doing again?”
“No, this one is on Brooke,” Henry calls from the living room. “His name is Shadow.” I lean down to let the dog sniff my hands and scratch his ears once he deems me acceptable company. Then he trudges off to Caleb.
“Brooke is the girl who’s running the shelter one town over,” Caleb explains and lets the dog sniff him too.
“This old man was surrendered three days ago,” Henry explains as he enters the hallway. “His previous owner had to move into an assisted living facility on the other side of the country to be closer to his children. They couldn’t take his dog along and had to surrender him.” His eyes soften. “Call me sappy, but I couldn’t bear to leave him in the shelter over Christmas.”
“Hi, Shadow,” I say sweetly and crouch down. The dog comes closer with slow, careful steps. As soon as I start petting him, he wags his tail, nudging his head against my hands.
“Aw, aren’t you cute?” I coo and run my hand over his back. Caleb and Henry walk into the living room, and Shadow immediately decides that’s more interesting, so I get up.
“Come on, Lauren, let’s tackle the potatoes.” Nic pulls me with her to the kitchen.
“What? Do you need me to hold your hand while you mash them?” I ask, amused. Nic shakes her head.
“That’s okay. But I need you to keep Pumpkin away from them.”
She nods towards the kitchen counter. Somehow, her orange cat has managed to get onto it.
“Has she learned to jump that high?” I ask and scoop her up. “Hello, you cutie.”
“I honestly don’t know,” Nic shakes her head and pulls a potato masher from one of her drawers. “Either she’s learned how to fly, a damned good jumper, or she’s an incredible climber.” She shrugs, then begins to mash up the vegetables. “Either way, a little adorable menace.”
“Yes, you are,” I coo, and press a kiss to her little head. “So, Shadow,” I continue, narrowing my eyes at her. “Poor little thing. Are you keeping him?”
Nic shakes her head. “I’d adopt him in a heartbeat if I could, but I’m already swamped with all the mayhem the cats cause. And I’m sure Chaos has more in store. It has only been a few months, after all.”
The doorbell rings, and Henry shouts, “Got it!”
By the time Kieran enters the kitchen, the beef Wellington is done, as are the mashed potatoes and all the other side dishes.
“Before you say anything,” I say when I see his eyes darting from Nic’s to my sweatshirts, a pained expression washing over his face. “I got you this.” I throw a green sweatshirt at him.
