about to call for Taffy, then stopped. Ken was laying on the L-section couch as well, Taffy curled up in the crook of his arm. Adison put a hand to her racing heart and smiled as it calmed down.
Ken was fast asleep, his chest rhythmically rising and falling. Adison sat there for a moment, admiring the angles of his face.
Carefully, so as not to wake man or cat, she threw off the blanket Ken must have covered her with and tiptoed across the room to grab her phone. She managed to get a few pretty good pics before Ken, probably sensing her attention, woke up.
“Good morning,” he murmured with a lopsided grin. “What are you doing?”
“Photographing the cutest pairing in all of Buffalo.” She turned the phone around to show him and yelped with surprise when he scooped her up and pulled her onto the couch.
“Hey,” she protested, “I was supposed to show you the photos.”
“Were you?” He brushed hair away from her neck so that he could kiss it.
She didn’t really mind. The pictures could wait. Snuggling into a pile of cushions and blankets, she rested with her back against Ken’s chest.
“I didn’t know I was falling asleep,” she said.
“You were wide awake one minute and conked out the next.” He squeezed her shoulder.
“I didn’t talk in my sleep, did I?”
“No, but you snored a little.”
“Oh, my God.” She covered her face from embarrassment. “Really?”
“It was adorable.”
The way he said it, she actually believed him.
Taffy meowed at them from the floor.
“What does she want?” Ken asked.
“To be fed.”
“You fed her last night.”
Adison snorted. “You don’t know much about pets, do you?”
“I’m a quick learner. Give me a day to get her routine down.”
“That routine starts now.” Even though she would have liked to spend the day on the couch, Adison stood up and stretched. “I need to feed her before she starts a coup.”
“Let me.”
Next thing she knew, Ken had coaxed her back onto the couch while he stood and went into the kitchen.
“I’ll also be making your breakfast,” he said.
“Ooh.” Resting on her side, she propped her head in her hand and watched him open the pantry door and scoop dry cat food. “I can’t say no. I did walk out on breakfast the other day.”
“Let’s hope that will be the last time that happens.”
She bit into a smile. “I’m counting on it.”
Her phone beeped, and she swiped the screen open to find a text from Corinne.
“Merry Christmas! So what happened?”
Grinning, Adison texted back.
“Merry Christmas! He’s over here now.”
Corinne’s response was a long line of emojis, ranging from smiley faces to dancers to a unicorn.
Putting the phone down, Adison sat up. That’s right. Christmas. It was probably the first one where, the moment she woke up, she was thinking about something other than what day it was.
Turned out, Ken knew what he was doing in the kitchen. He cooked up eggs, bacon, and pancakes, and brought them to her on the couch. Taffy, done with her breakfast, slinked her way to the tree to see what kind of trouble she could get into.
“Merry Christmas,” Adison said.
Ken paused the slightest bit. Most people might not have even noticed it. “Merry Christmas.”
He looked down at his plate.
There was a pang in Adison’s chest. Christmas. One of the happiest times of the year. And for Ken, no doubt the hardest.
Her throat thick, she put her plate on the coffee table and covered Ken’s hand with hers. “I’m sure today isn’t an easy one.”
He lifted his face, and she saw the layers of pain in his eyes. “This is the best Christmas I’ve had in a very long time,” he said. “Thank you for that.”
He turned his palm around so that their fingers were laced.
“Yeah, well, you’ve really brightened it up for me as well.” She squeezed his hand. “Before you came over, my plan was to hang out all day in my pajamas and consume sugar nonstop.”
“Feel free to do the holidays your way.” He chuckled.
“Mm.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m pretty sure I like this better.”
They ate in silence for a couple of minutes before Ken spoke again.
“Thank you for being understanding.” He cleared his throat and worked his jaw around. “I would…I’d like to come to love Christmas. I really would. It’s what Becca would want. This was her favorite holiday.”
Adison nodded. “Maybe celebrating it can become your way of honoring her.”
He smiled slightly, his mood shifting. “Yes. Maybe.”
They took their time with breakfast, their conversation flowing easily.
“I still