27
CAROLYNN
M y heart pounded so hard inside my chest I was sure Whit had to hear it.
Listening to Whit describe the past week and a half blew me away. While this had started as a deal I’d made with my parents to avoid a holiday I dreaded—it had been special for him from the start.
As he helped me off the sleigh, my throat felt tight with emotion. “This was amazing,” I mustered.
He grinned. “One more thing for the list.”
“Another?” I said with a chuckle.
He took my hand and led me toward the Christmas tree.
It wasn’t far.
As we walked, everything that had happened raced through my mind like a blur. Every single memory. The pain and hurt. His letter.
But by the time we arrived at the tree, my mind was clear. So was my heart.
I wanted Whit in my life.
As a friend... As more.
We stopped in front of the tree, and I turned to Whit. He did the same, but didn’t say a word. Instead, his eyes searched my face.
“Being with you, everything we did together, has been the most fun I’ve had in a really long time,” I said.
He smiled, and his hand lightly touched my cheek. “Me too.”
Before I could chicken out, I said, “This year, at the star lighting ceremony, I wished that I could finally enjoy Christmas. I thought that would mean not celebrating at all.” I laughed a little and turned toward the tree. Here we were, where I’d made that very wish what felt like forever ago. “But Garland gave me so much more. It gave me you.”
He gently cupped my face and brought his mouth to mine. It was better than fireworks—it was magic, Garland magic.
When we broke apart, he smiled his familiar, kind smile. “You don’t know how happy that makes me.”
He pulled me in close for a hug, and we stayed like that for a while. I took it all in, never wanting to forget a second of it.
Whit was a wish come true.
* * *
Return to Garland with more holiday romance stories in the Curvy Girl Christmas series !