He lets out a groan and deepens it more. I melt into him, wondering how I got so lucky to find a man like Nathan. He really is one of a kind.
“Oh sorry!” I hear my mom say. We break away from the kiss.
“Nathan made it snow for us, Mom,” I tell her.
“Is that why he was dancing outside naked last night covered in Christmas lights?”
Nathan’s face grows confused while I giggle.
“A snow dance.” I pat his hard chest.
“Let me start the coffee.” He drops a kiss onto my head before going over to the fireplace and tossing another log onto it first. I can’t believe how much life has changed in only a year. The university ended up begging us both to stay. Nathan finally agreed after he demanded some staff changes. We actually make a good team. I’m the only person in history to get Dr. Nathan Amherst to work with them. We’ve already made leaps and bounds together.
“What should we do for breakfast?” Mom comes over to join me on the sofa. My stomach growls at the mention of food. I just hit my third trimester, and I’m hungry all the freaking time.
“Cookies?” I suggest. We have a ton. Mom and I spent half of yesterday baking. She loves being up at the cabin with us.
“You can have a cookie with your breakfast.” Mom gives me that mom look. I wonder if I’ll give my little one the same look. My heart flutters in my chest thinking about the baby’s arrival.
“Do you have makeup on?” I lean over some to try and get a better look. Mom blushes.
“I might have put a little something on.” I bite the inside of my cheek so I don’t make a goofy giant smile. Mr. Barker is coming over this afternoon to have Christmas dinner with us.
“Will Barker be able to get in here with all the snow?” I look back over my shoulder to the kitchen where Nathan is.
“Nothing is going to stop that man from getting here,” Nathan says. He brings over a cup of coffee to my mom, who is blushing more now. The change in my mom even over the last year has been wonderful. She seems really happy, which makes me happy.
I think she finally let go of the pain of losing my dad and is moving on. We’ll never forget him, but there is still life out there to be lived, and I’m happy she’s trying to live hers now. Finding out I was pregnant put everything into perspective for everyone.
We might have lost someone in our family, but that doesn't mean we can't keep growing this one. My dad will live on in our son, who will carry his name. Nathan goes back into the kitchen, coming back a moment later with a hot chocolate for me. He sits down, pulling me into his lap. I snuggle into him.
His hand rests on my stomach. He places a kiss on my neck as my mom starts to hand out the wrapped presents under the tree. Her eyes linger on the top of the Christmas tree. The horrible tree topper my dad got all those years ago sits up there. Nathan had to rig it up there so it wouldn't topple our tree over like it did years ago. I smile at the memory. I have been smiling a lot since Nathan came into my life.
I snuggle deeper into my loving husband as we start to open gifts. My mind drifts off, thinking about all the years to come and all the new memories that are left to be made. Our family will hopefully grow bigger each year, and the cabin will continue to be filled with laughter and love.
The Christmas spirit is contagious. My husband is proof of that. He’s caught the spirit with us all. I knew it was inevitable. That feeling wraps around you, bringing everyone together. You can’t help but get swept away. We might be scientists, but we can’t deny that there is a magic that comes along with Christmas that can’t be explained.
Love has a way of healing you. Again, it can’t be proven, but the evidence is all around us every day.* * *