Tic-Tac-Mistletoe - N.R. Walker Page 0,63
“Knowing we’re on the same page, it makes going home easier.”
“It’s definitely not a goodbye,” he murmured. “But you’ll have a busy week after the holiday break, and I have to get sorted out here. I need to buy a new car, find somewhere to rent, probably. Not immediately, but I should start looking.” He frowned. “But we can text and call. Or FaceTime if Chutney misses me too much.”
“I’m sure she will.”
“So next weekend?” He made a face. “That seems so far away.”
“I’d like to see you for New Year’s,” I said, hopeful.
He nodded quickly. “For sure.” He cupped my cheek and leaned in for a soft kiss. “I’d like that very much.”
He was right, though. It did seem so far away. But if we were an hour and a half apart, then we’d need to learn some patience. And the truth was, I hadn’t seen anyone in a lot of months. Surely I could wait a few days between visits.
Liv came back in with two hot coffees, which we took gratefully. “How’s the crib building going?” Hamish asked.
She waved her hand. “Easy. And when I say ‘easy,’ I mean Josh is doing it and he’s really good at it, and it took all of ten minutes. He’s in there doing the change table now. I better go help.” She made a funny face, as if her helping wasn’t much help at all, and disappeared down the hall.
Hamish sipped his coffee and hummed, and I rubbed his leg. “Warmer now?”
“Much.”
“Still want to play a game?” I nodded at the tic-tac-toe board.
“Sure. You don’t think it’s . . . silly?”
“Not at all. Actually, I like it. It’s significant to you because you played it with your mom. But it’s . . . simple and, I don’t know, honest, somehow.”
“Honest?”
I nodded. “Yeah, like back to basics. I don’t know if that’s the right phrase. Innocent, maybe. Nice. Genuine. I don’t know.”
He sighed happily. “I like that.”
I grabbed the board from the coffee table and put it on the couch between us. I took the circle pieces and Hamish handed me an X. “You can be the crosses if you want.”
“But you’re always the crosses.”
“I can compromise.” He smiled as he collected the O pieces. “Just don’t tell anyone.”
We played game after game, neither of us keeping score. We ate leftovers for lunch, which were just as good as the night before. We had more cookies for dessert, and all too soon it was time for me to leave.
I threw my bag and the dog’s bed into the truck and dashed back up onto the front porch where Hamish was holding Chutney. I’d already said goodbye to Liv and Josh and they’d left me and Hamish alone to say our farewells.
“It’s not goodbye,” he said again, so confident, so certain. He put his hand to my waist and pulled me close, Chutney wedged safely between us. “I’ll see you both again soon. And you have my number and I have yours. Text me when you get home so I know you arrived safely, and I’ll call you when I get home from Josh’s parents’ house after dinner.”
I nodded. His surety was heartening, and I pressed my lips to his. “Thank you. For running off the road out the front of my place. For saving me from a miserable Christmas by myself, and for being the best thing to come into my life in a really long time.”
He smiled, his eyes soft and twinkling. “I never believed in the magic of Christmas before now,” he whispered. “I will see you soon, I promise.” He handed Chutney over to me, then took my face in his hands and kissed me properly, lingering and lovely. Then he gave Chutney a gentle pat. “Take care of your daddy for me, and I’ll see you both soon.”
She licked his palm and I gave him another smiley kiss. “Soon,” I murmured, before getting into my truck.
I didn’t know exactly when soon would be, but I knew it would happen, though it didn’t help the heavy heart I drove home with. Even as I pulled up at my house, it was with a sense of melancholy as I went inside. The house smelled like pine from the Christmas tree, and I smiled at all the Christmas decorations. It had Hamish’s touch all over it, even though he was now noticeably absent.
He was here for just three days. How could he have made such an impact? How was it possible