“I’m guessing that’s how it works.”
“So does that mean you’re staying? What about the loan and your practice?”
He held up the gold bag between them for her to take. January gripped the string handle and pulled out the folder tucked between the tissue paper. She flipped over the pages and then looked up at Deckard, silently begging him to explain as she placed the folder of loan papers back into the bag
“It seems as if the loan I had been approved for is here in Pineville, for a practice of my own. The tickets for my flight were canceled, and the large practice I was working at in Atlanta already brought on a new partner.
“Believe me, I have no idea how any of this works, but I woke up at my grandparents this morning and remembered everything from last week. Cutting down the Christmas tree, making our own ornaments, the sleigh ride, and how much I love you.”
He was staying, for her. He loved her enough to give her everything she desired.
“This is. . .the best Christmas ever.”
“I don’t know, I’m hoping that I can top this one day,” he explained as he drew her into his arms. Deckard’s lips met hers and she melted against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“How are you going to do that?” she asked, brushing her lips against his.
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
“Hm. . .”
“January.” The words were a whisper against her mouth and she pulled away to look up at the man she loved with all of her heart.
“Are you ready to start a new tradition?”
It didn’t take her long to ponder his question. She nodded as she said, “Yeah. Yeah, I am. Merry Christmas, Deckard.”
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”
Epilogue
January placed the tote on the floor and then stood back to gaze at the freshly cut tree she had arranged in the corner of her home. Her mother had chosen the same spot the year before.
She wondered if this excitement flooding through her veins was what everyone else had felt when Christmas approached. It had been one year since she had experienced the fear that she had wished away everyone’s favorite holiday. The guilt had been suffocating, but everything had righted itself.
Stepping over to the tote, she reached inside and grabbed the string lights knotted inside. It took an entire half an hour to unwind the mess, January wondered the whole time how something she neatly stored the year before had become such a mess, but assumed it was one of the many unanswered questions of the world.
Using a dining chair to stand on, January started draping the lights around the tree, beginning at the top and working her way down. It was harder working on her own, but she felt accomplished when she was finished.
The rest of the box contained the garland for her mantle and the Christmas village her mother gifted to her. She made quick work of setting up the figurines and swathing the mantle in the lushness of the pine.
It was only a few days until Christmas and January knew that she was decorating much later than most. But her new traditions were hers to start.
Flicking the switch for the lights, she found her smile growing as the twinkles sparkled against the branches. The sound of the front door opening drew her attention over her shoulder. Deckard walked into the living room carrying a brown cardboard box.
“Sorry, Grandma wanted to chat when I picked up the ornaments,” he explained as he crossed over to where she stood, dropping the box on the couch.
“That’s okay.” She smiled at him as he drew her close for a kiss. “Ready for two weeks of vacation?”
“You have no idea,” he whispered against her mouth.
They had grown in spades since he moved his practice to Pineville. The transition hadn’t been as seamless as they had hoped. He had to sell his home in Atlanta and then help to transition his patients to new dentists. He didn’t officially move in with her for three months.
His practice was flourishing in Pineville and January couldn’t be happier for him.
“You got started without me,” he pouted as he took in the tree.
“Just the lights. They were a tangled mess.”