“What is this?” she asks, looking out the window and clapping her mittened hands so it’s a soundless burst of joy and somehow all the more cute because of it.
“I read there was something going on down here today. I thought you might like it.”
“Thank you,” she says, beaming at me like I just bought her a diamond bracelet instead of drove her downtown to a Christmas market.
I smile and park the truck in the first available spot I find. It’s still a bit of a walk, and it’s bitterly cold today and probably going to start snowing any second. I eye her tights. “Are you sure you’re going to be warm enough?”
“I’ll be fine. These babies are super warm,” she says, pinching her tights. “They have a fleece lining inside.”
“Okay, but let me know if you get too cold.”
We get out, and she gives me a sweet smile when I pull her hat down a bit more, making sure it covers her ears.
“I never would’ve guessed what a softie you are.”
I laugh and press my finger against her lips. “Don’t say that so loud.”
She kisses the tip of my gloved finger. “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”
Wrapping my arm around her, we make our way towards the cheery music and crowds of people. The sharp scent of pine needles is all around us, and when we get closer, cinnamon, apples, and chocolate are added to the mix thanks to several vendors selling hot cider and hot chocolate. Holly turns her head around, trying to take everything in at once.
“Where should we start?”
She bites her bottom lip while she thinks. “Well, I don’t have a ton of money, but I definitely want to make sure we get a wreath.”
I turn her around so she’s facing me. “Do you really think I’m going to make you pay for any of this stuff?” I groan when I realize that she really has no reason to think differently. “I’m sorry. I’ve been a husband for less than two days, and I’m already fucking things up. You’re my wife,lisichka, and I’m taking care of you now. I’ll call my bank and get you added to my accounts. We have plenty of money, so buy whatever the hell you want. Go crazy, Holly. Turn our house into the Christmas explosion you’ve always dreamed of.”
Laughing I add, “My neighbors are going to wonder what in the hell is going on.”
“That’s okay, we can explain it to them when we bring them all Christmas cookies.”
“You’re joking,” I say, hoping like hell I’m right.
She gives me a cute wink. “Not at all.”
I groan and pull her towards the first stand, watching as she charms everyone around her with her sweet smile. Her costume helps. Kids keep coming up to her thinking she works here, and she’s so damn nice to every one of them, telling them she works for Santa and that of course she’d be happy to put in a good word for them. She makes it damn near impossible to be in a bad mood, and I know she’s the only one on the planet who could get me to enjoy shopping in the freezing cold for decorations.
I give her free rein, and it results in several bags of handmade ornaments, garland, and a wreath that I have to admit smells amazing. I’ve never seen so many pine needles and fake cranberries in one place before, and I think I might go a bit crazy if I see one more plaid reindeer or decorative plate.
Her smile is worth it all, though, and when it starts to snow, she looks at me and says, “Today is perfect, Sasha. Thank you for bringing me here.”
“I would do anything for you,” I say, surprised that I actually mean it and that I said it out loud.
Christmas lights come on around us, turning the whole place into a sort of winter wonderland. I watch the thick flakes of snow come down, melting on her face and getting caught in her eyelashes. She blinks them away with a laugh.
“This marriage isn’t feeling so forced anymore,” she admits, giving me a shy smile and resting the side of her face against my chest.
I cup her cheek and kiss the top of her head, holding her tighter against me. “No, it’s not,” I say, wanting to say so much more but not wanting to scare the hell out of her.
“Let’s pick out a tree and go home.” She turns her head and kisses the palm of my hand. “I want to be alone with my husband.”
I’m embarrassed to say my heart does some sort of schoolgirl flip at hearing her say that. Before we go, I get her a cup of hot chocolate with extra whip cream to warm her up, and when she insists I try some, I reluctantly admit that it’s pretty damn tasty. I ask the woman selling the cocoa to throw in a couple of candy canes and then tell Holly she has to wait until later to have one. She raises a brow at me but doesn’t say anything.
She finishes her drink while we walk over to a large lot filled with freshly cut trees. We look around, trying to find the best one, and as soon as she sets her eyes on a giant beast of a tree, she turns to me with a hopeful look in her eyes.
I wave one of the workers over and point at the tree. “We’ll take this one.”
After I’ve paid for it, Holly waits by the tree while I go and get the truck. When I’m backing into the pickup area, I catch a glimpse of the young man I’d just paid standing way too close to Holly for my liking. She’s not doing anything to encourage him. In fact, I watch her as she takes a step to the side, putting a bit more distance between them. I can’t help but notice that he’s a lot closer to her age than I am. Thoughts that I don’t want to think drift through my mind faster than I can keep up with, but they all center around the single idea that I don’t want her to be stuck with me if she’d rather be with someone else—someone better, someone her own age who doesn’t kill people for a living.