12. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Sam

O nce the case is dismissed, Ben turns around and looks for me. When he spots me, there's nothing keeping him from coming to me. He puts his arms around me, and I feel joy inside of my heart. He's okay.

"Thank you for whatever you did, beautiful. Don't tell me what it was. I don't want to know."

I burrow myself into his chest as if he's my lifeline. I think he is, and I don't want to let him go anytime soon.

"Your brothers are here to take you home. You should go rest. Were you able to sleep at all on that ugly cot?"

"I don't want to be away from you right now."

"I'm going to be busy all day. We're behind schedule with the baking."

"How can I help? Put me to work."

I hesitate, but he looks so sure of himself. "Well, if you’re sure, can you finish with the decorations while I bake? I couldn't get myself to do anything until you were released."

He nods and smiles.

We go to my shop where Amy and, surprisingly, one of Ben's brothers are working on the baked goods for the Mixer. With all hands on deck, we're ready to go on Friday night at seven o'clock. Ben's single brothers have made an appearance, and I see a lot of my regular customers enjoying the treats.

Ben is somewhere around here, and I cringe when Mayor Douchebag walks through the front door. His face looks horrid, and I worry he might want to cause trouble tonight. I take the initiative and go say hello to him.

"Hi, Mayor. Things turned out great, don't you think?"

He's got a scowl on his face, and I notice the girls who usually twirl around him are keeping their distance. There have been some rumors about what happened with him and Ben, but that's part of living in a small town like Woodland Falls.

"Is your so-called boyfriend here? I'm thinking of getting a restraining order against him."

"He's…around."

"This is pretty crowded. Make sure you ask my assistant for the information to deposit the money for the tickets."

"Oh, the ticket sales have been donated to the Kringle Christmas Fund. They donate toys to children in need."

"Why on earth did you do that? What is wrong with you?"

He's so loud that a couple of people turn to look at us. I grab him by the arm and pull him aside so that we don't draw so many people's attention. I put the sternest look on my face, which I'm capable of.

"Listen. You know you manipulated me into working on and paying for this whole event. I might have put up with it before, but not anymore. If you don't want the entire town to know what a jerk you are, be cool and enjoy the event, or better yet, leave. Right now, your choice of girls is nonexistent with your face all bashed like that."

With that, I turn around and get myself some punch. It takes a few minutes before Ben finds me, and when he does, he's got a plate of treats for me. I grab a pig in a blanket and take a bite. It's juicy and tasty, and a small moan comes out of my mouth. I blush profusely, and Ben chuckles at my silliness.

"I saw you talking to he who shall not be named . It looked intense."

"I told him I would expose him to everyone in town. I think he'll behave. His image is really important to him, especially if he wants to be reelected."

"How did doing that make you feel?"

"Amazing."

I give him a bright smile and keep eating the treat he's brought me.

"By the way, he said you were my 'so-called boyfriend.' Don't you want to do something about that?"

"You want me to beat him up?" Ben asks and searches for the mayor through the crowd. I grab Ben’s arm before he leaves my side.

"That's not what I meant."

"You want to make it official? To be my girl? What about Mayor Douchebag?"

I turn to face him. His eyes look worried that I'm going to reject him. He's got nothing to worry about.

"I'm sorry I let a pretty face and some slick words convince me to go against my better judgment. These past two weeks, I've gotten to know you pretty well, and I'm in awe of the man you are, Ben. Forget about that man. You're the only one for me. I want to be your girl."

"Wait one minute." Ben holds up a finger.

He goes to the kitchen, and then I see him come out with two champagne flutes filled with bubbly.

"I bought this to celebrate."

"You haven't asked me yet!"

"Sam, will you be my girl? I don't think I can go one more day without shouting it all over town. I might display a banner in front of my business."

"I accept." I smile wide.

We clink our glasses together and take a sip. It's not champagne; it's cider, and it’s one of my favorites. Just one more detail that he remembers about me. When we empty our glasses, he goes to get us more, but he takes forever because he's stopped along the way, and I think he's telling everyone I'm his girlfriend. His face is radiant, and I can't wait until we go home tonight.

Unfortunately, I have to be patient because there are several activities for the single folks, and we end up participating and laughing all night long. I particularly liked how close he held me when we danced, and I teased him mercilessly, saying that he had to go outside in the cold to get himself under control.

Tomorrow, we're going to spend Christmas Eve with his family. My parents have been invited so that I don't have to miss this time with them. I'm really excited about it and I think I'm going to confess my feelings to Ben. He's become the most important thing in my life, and I, too, want to shout it from the rooftops.