Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

“Do you want to watch a movie?” Marissa asked as she stood in the doorway of the kitchen, holding two mugs in her hands. “Or are you too tired after the festival?”

“I’m not too tired,” Danny said, even though only a minute ago he’d been considering heading straight to bed. They were back at Marissa’s house after the Christmas Tree Festival. The moment he’d walked in the door, he’d headed for the shower, and now he was dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt. The only reason he’d come back out into the living room was because Marissa had offered to make them a mug of hot chocolate.

“Cool.” She gave him a shy smile as she placed the mugs on the coffee table. “You pick something. I’m going to get the fire started.”

Danny watched Marissa fiddle with the fireplace, wondering if he’d manifested this moment. Hadn’t he just been thinking about watching Christmas movies before he’d gone to the festival? He picked up the remote and flipped the station to one that he knew was playing Christmas movies 24/7 through the new year.

Marissa glanced up at the screen and then turned and raised her eyebrows at him. “Did you really just pick something called Small Town Christmas ?”

He chuckled softly as he took a seat on the couch. “It seemed appropriate.”

Her eyes twinkled as she smiled softly at him. “You’re right, it does. What else would Mr. Garland watch after becoming the town hero at the local Christmas festival?”

“Stop.” He rolled his eyes, but there was no denying he was loving their interaction.

Pumpkin came running in from the kitchen and bounded up onto the couch next to him. She snuggled in close, putting her head underneath his hand, begging to have her ears scratched. He gave in, giving her what she wanted as she melted as if she were boneless.

“My dog is going to switch loyalties if you keep that up,” she said, smiling down at them.

“The way my cat is now convinced she’s supposed to sleep in your room?” he asked. For the past few nights, Bells had come into his room, gotten the pets she’d demanded and then left for the night. Danny had thought maybe she just liked sleeping on the couch or curled up in the chair, but that morning, he’d caught her stretching as she strolled out of Marissa’s room looking as if she’d just had the best catnap of her life .

“She likes the fuzzy blanket I have at the end of the bed.” Marissa covered her mouth, trying to hide a giggle.

“So that’s the secret? I just need to up my blanket game?” he asked.

“Looks like it.”

He wanted to say it would be easier to just climb into her bed, since his cat had already staked out territory there, but he kept that thought to himself. He didn’t want to ruin whatever this was between them before they even got started.

Once the fire was roaring, Marissa stood, looked at the chair she usually sat in and then eyed Danny and Pumpkin. “I guess turnabout is fair play, huh? Your cat likes to sleep with me, and my dog is an attention whore with you.”

He let out a bark of laughter. “It appears we’ve both been thrown over for the other. Tell you what, why don’t you sit with us, and that way Pumpkin gets the attention she deserves.”

“Sit with you for Pumpkin’s sake, huh?” She raised one eyebrow. “That’s seems convenient.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” He winked at her as he patted the couch cushion beside him and the pup.

Wearing an amused smile, she grabbed her hot chocolate and then curled up beside them.

Danny continued to pet Pumpkin, and when Marissa placed her hand on the pup, their fingers brushed, sending an electric shock up his arm. Neither of them moved their hands away as their eyes met.

Finally Marissa glanced away and focused on the television. Without looking at him, she said, “It’s almost like old times.”

“Is it?” He wasn’t so sure. “The last time we watched a movie together, I seem to recall you wanted to watch an ice skating movie and I wanted to watch the latest Batman flick. Neither of us were happy when we settled on some foreign film that didn’t interest either one of us.”

“You remember that?” Marissa asked, looking a little shocked. “I thought for sure you’d blocked that out. Those dubbed titles were horrible!”

“They were. And we were both so stubborn, each trying to get our way.” He snorted out a laugh. “Imagine spending our one night off together arguing about what type of movie to watch.”

“Is that why you just put this on?” Marissa waved a hand at the television. “You just decided to give in before the argument happened?”

“No, not at all.” Danny reached over and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. “Believe it or not, I actually enjoy these feel-good movies these days. Do I still like action films? Of course, but after spending time in Christmas Grove, I’ve learned to enjoy the magic that comes from the quiet moments.” He stared into her quizzical eyes. “I’m not sure one can live in Christmas Grove and remain cynical.”

It was her turn to laugh. “Oh, I think it’s possible. It’s just harder when there are dancing snowmen and sugar plum fairies roaming about.”

“I am really enjoying my time here, staying with you,” Danny said, deciding it was best to just let it all out. “I wish our schedules were a little more aligned, but I like making you coffee in the morning and coming home to whatever you’ve made for dinner that day.” He glanced down at the fluffy dog cuddling between them. “And I especially enjoy this sweet little monster.”

“Pumpkin is the best part of my day,” she said, gazing lovingly at her pooch.

“And here I thought I might be the best part of your day.” Danny clutched at his heart dramatically. “I’m wounded.”

Marissa rolled her eyes. But then she sobered. “I used to think that, you know. Back when we were married. I used to tell my friends that you were the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“You used to think that?” He raised his eyebrows in question. “You mean I wasn’t?”

Marissa moved away, causing him to drop his hand that had been caressing her cheek. “No, you were. But…” She blew out a breath. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but after you left, I realized that we’d been doing a lot of fighting.”

“It was hard because we didn’t have a lot of time to spend together,” he said, feeling a little defensive. He’d tried his best. He’d left because he loved her so much.

“I know.” Marissa met and held his gaze. “But we were so young and had no idea who we were without each other. Or who we were as a couple. Did we do anything together? Did we take care of each other like we are now?”

“That’s just because we didn’t know how to do that yet,” he said .

“That’s not true. You knew how to take care of me when it mattered. You did leave to keep me safe.” She gave him a pained smile. “But were we making coffee for each other or thinking to leave meals when the other was working or at school? You weren’t putting on movies you thought I’d like, and I certainly wasn’t interested in the movies you watched. We were just on two totally different pages.”

“Are you saying our marriage was a mistake?” he asked, feeling as if his heart was about to crack. Was this where she told him that despite everything, she was happy with the way things turned out?

“No.” She shook her head, looking pained. “Not at all. I’m saying that we didn’t have a chance in hell back then. And that all this time I’ve been blaming you for what happened, when maybe that’s not completely fair. I wasn’t taking care of you at all, was I?”

“You were busy with school and work,” he offered, but he knew what she was talking about. He’d always been looking out for her safety. The visions had been intense, and it was all he could do to warn her, to make sure she didn’t get hurt. But everything else? It was a struggle. Who was going to cook? Who was going to clean up? Pay the bills? Do the shopping? Plan their date night? Everything was a struggle, and gone were the days when they’d just hung out on the back porch, enjoying talking about anything and everything when they’d just been kids. Once they’d gotten married and took on the burden of being a couple, they’d lost a lot of who they were.

“We were nineteen, Danny,” she said gently. “Didn’t Sophie say the way to break the curse was to learn to trust each other?”

“Yes.”

“This is how we learn to trust each other. By being honest about what happened. The curse was the catalyst that led to you leaving, but I honestly don’t know what would have happened if we’d never been cursed. Would we have made it?”

He reached over and threaded his fingers between hers, holding her one hand with both of his. “I honestly hope we would have.”

“So do I,” she said, tears standing in her eyes. “I like to think that we were so close that we’d have eventually figured it out. But when I see how effortlessly we’ve fallen into a life together here at my house, I can’t help but wonder what would have become of us.”

“We were just kids,” he said. “It’s no wonder we were still trying to figure out who we were as individuals. I think we’d have eventually gotten there.”

“Maybe. I guess it’s just stark because I see everything you do for me, and it makes me feel terrible that I wasn’t doing things to make your day easier back then. I hope I am now.”

“You are.” He smiled at her. “Dinner every night? You’re a goddess for that.”

“You make me coffee every morning. And you do dishes and unload the dishwasher before I get home every day.”

“You change Bells’s water bowl and clean her litter box while I’m at work,” he said .

“I just scoop it out for her. She likes a fresh box,” Marissa said with a shrug.

He laughed. “Yes, she does. Thank you.”

“Thank you for keeping me safe.” Her expression was serious and full of emotion. “You’re the best man I know, Danny Frost. I think it’s important that you know that.”

“And you, Marissa Cane, are the most loyal, determined, loving person I’ve ever known. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss you.”

Marissa blinked back the tears that were standing in her eyes and then she leaned in and pressed her palm against his cheek. In barely a whisper, she said, “Kiss me, Danny.”