Page 70 of Hope and Hot Chocolate on Mistletoe Lane

‘I said I would,’ I reminded him.

‘I wasn’t sure…’ He trailed off. ‘I’ve never been one for PDA but God, I want to kiss you.’

‘By the Christmas tree? That’s pretty romantic,’ I teased him as my breath hitched in anticipation.

‘You seem to bring it out in me…’

‘Me too. I ran to the tree lighting like I was running through an airport to stop you getting on a plane.’

‘It would definitely be the other way round,’ he replied with a wry smile.

I rolled my eyes. ‘I deserved that but I’m here now, okay? I should have said yes to being your date tonight when you asked me. I’m sorry I didn’t.’

‘Will you be my date to the tree lighting, Hols?’

‘Definitely.’

We smiled at one another. I had lost all awareness of the people around us. The choir was muffled as Paul leaned in and kissed me. His lips felt like home. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest as I hooked mine around his shoulders, trying to get closer to him. Our kiss deepened in a way that was probably inappropriate for such a public setting.

Then the spell broke. I heard cheers and wolf whistles and applause, and we pulled apart quickly, giggling with red faces as we turned to see most of Birchbrook were watching us. The tree had lit us up like we were in a snow globe and it seemed as if the whole town had witnessed our reunion kiss.

Paul put his arm around my shoulders and leaned in. ‘Sure you don’t want to run away again?’ he teased as he held me close to his side like he never wanted to let me go.

I was more than happy to stay in his arms too. ‘Actually…’ I swivelled around, pretending I wanted to escape, but then I turned back. ‘I want to stay for Christmas. We can think about what we do after that but right now, I want to be here. With you.’ I hated being away from Paul. I wasn’t sure what would happen after Christmas, how we could make this work but right now, I didn’t care. I just wanted to enjoy spending Christmas together.

Paul’s eyes shone in the fairy lights. ‘Can we go back to my apartment, like now?’

‘Holly!’ my mum called out as she and Paul’s mum made their way towards us, and I saw Willow waving and also weaving through the crowd to get to me.

I leaned against Paul. ‘Soon,’ I promised in a low voice. He hummed and a shiver of anticipation ran down my spine.

‘You came back,’ my mum said as I let go of Paul to hug her. ‘I wasn’t sure you would…’

‘Karl told me what happened with your old boss!’ Willow cried when she reached me.

‘A lot has happened since I left,’ I said. ‘I didn’t only see Grant Rivers but my dad too…’

‘You did?’ Mum and Paul asked me in unison.

‘I have so much to tell you all. But why don’t we wait until tomorrow and just enjoy tonight?’ I suggested, knowing I’d rather tell Paul first when we were alone in his apartment. ‘We have plenty of time.’

‘It hasn’t been the same without you on the farm!’ Willow said excitedly. ‘When the snow came and the generator stopped working, I freaked out. Without Paul, I don’t know what we would have done.’

‘How long are you staying for? Will you be here Christmas?’ my mum asked before I could respond to Willow, her voice high-pitched with hope.

I thought back to talking to Georgia yesterday. As we’d driven back to the city, I had filled her in on what had happened with my dad. ‘I realised that he had made me scared that people would leave me so I’d been the one to leave instead, but I know now that the people who mean the most to me won’t do that.’

‘I never will,’ she had vowed like the true best friend she was.

‘I’m so glad I met you at university, and Lucas too. You guys mean so much to me.’

Then she had sighed. ‘But now other people mean a lot to you too, right? Well, I won’t give my blessing until I see Birchbrook for myself, and meet this grumpy but kind, tall hunk of a man who can bake like a god, okay?’

I had laughed and told her it was a deal.

Now, I looked at my mum and Willow and Paul’s mum and that baking god himself, who were all waiting to hear my response. And I smiled.

‘Yes,’ I promised them all, and myself. ‘I’m staying for Christmas.’