Chapter 19

nineteen

DENNIS

Sydney got her grand gesture, but now it’s my turn. Regardless of the fact that she was the one who broke up with me, it was because of my words. I hurt her, and it’s time I do something for her.

After the blizzard, things started to return to something close to normal. There is still an ungodly amount of snow everywhere, but people have been working hard to get the fairground open for a snow day redo of the usual Christmas Eve closing. There’s been some debate if Santa should still make his farewell appearance, and ultimately, everyone agreed that, yes, Santa should still come to praise all the kids for behaving during the storm.

As much as I love the event, I’m not going to drag Sydney there on New Year’s Eve. I think we’re going to have to work up to it.

Sydney has been back at work for the last few days. With the end of the storm, everyone emerged, stir crazy and grateful for something to do. The result has been an overly full coffee shop with people desperate for interaction outside their families .

When I walk in on Saturday afternoon, Wishbone is curled up on a bed in the corner next to the window away from the food area. When she sees me walk in, her tail starts thumping against her bed, but she doesn’t rise. Why anyone would just let a dog like her go blows my mind.

Sydney looks up at me from behind the counter and greets me with a smile so wide that I think her whole face might break in half.

“You two get out of here. I’ve got Wishbone for the night.” Mary emerges from the back room with a fresh stack of rags in her hand.

Sydney whips around, confused, her ponytail nearly smacking her in the face. “What do you mean?”

“It means we are going on a date, and Wishbone is having a sleepover.” I lean across the counter to pull Sydney’s apron over her neck. She looks back at me with curiosity and skepticism in her gaze. She’s listening to me, though. I can see her hands reach behind her back so she can untie her apron.

“Am I okay in this?” She gestures down at her outfit. It’s a branded long sleeve shirt for the shop and black leggings.

I would prefer her in nothing, and my face must give away that my thoughts have gone there because her cheeks heat. “You’re perfect.”

She runs to the back to go grab her stuff while Mary takes her place behind the cash register. “I don’t know what you’ve done to that girl, but I’ve never seen her so happy.”

The dirty thoughts in my mind explode with all the things we have done and all the things I want to do. “I just showed her that maybe Christmas isn’t worth hating.”

“It’s a sin it took you two this long to get together.”

Sydney bounds out of the back room bundled up. She skips her way toward me before giving me a deep kiss.

“Get out of my shop,” Mary orders with a smile .

“With pleasure ,” Sydney teases as she slips her hand into mine, letting me lead her.

Sydney is full of nervous excitement as she practically bounces in her seat. She’s familiar with all the roads around town, so she doesn’t question me when I take a path I plowed earlier in the day. It was a bitch and a half to do because the dirt road was never meant to be plowed. Roads like this get covered with snow and once it melts away, you use it again.

But I wanted to take Sydney somewhere special.

When Evergreen Lake comes into sight, she smiles. Since it’s hard to access the area, there’s been hardly any disruption to the pristine snow. When we pull up, a deer lifts its head curiously before cantering off into the woods.

Putting the truck in park, I turn to Sydney. “How do you feel about doing some ice skating?”

“Let me guess: you usually go and since you were stuck with me all season you never got your chance?”

“There is always the new year, but yes. That just about sums it up.”

“Then by all means. I won’t be the reason you don’t get to go this year.”

I leave my lights on, and we’re both careful putting skates on before trekking onto the ice. We stay close to the edge so even if we find some thin ice, it won’t be deep.

She gives a little attempt at a twirl before falling on her ass with a laugh. “I wanted to be a figure skater when I was little, but my mom told me I didn’t have a figure skater’s body.” She says it casually, but I can see by the hard set to her mouth and the avoidance of eye contact that it still bothers her. “I was in lessons for a little, right before puberty, and then my mom yanked me out.”

“You might have to muzzle me because I have a few things I would like to talk to your parents about when I meet them.” I skate toward her and offer her my hand.

She takes it and gives another pass around the edge. “There’s no real point. The damage has been done. If I want to resolve it, I’ll find a therapist, but for now I just consider it character building.”

“I promise you, it doesn’t matter what it is, I’m going to support our kids. Hard stop.”

“Bold of you to think you’re going to knock me up.” She comes close to me before skating backward and landing on her ass again.

“When we’re good and ready, that is absolutely the plan. But until then, I’m going to enjoy my time with you and Wishbone and make the best of our small town.”

We skate for a few more minutes but when I can hear her teeth chattering over the quiet of our skates on the ice, I insist we get back into my truck, where I can blast the heat and hold her.

“I wonder if my family got their Christmas gifts in time,” she muses quietly while we sip hot chocolate from thermoses. The boy scouts did teach me to be prepared.

“So, I know they’re supposed to be anonymous, but I pulled a few strings.” I reach into my glove compartment and take out a photo of the family gathered around their gifts.

“I don’t know what is more surprising, that you have this photo or that it’s an actual photo.” She takes it, carefully looking into the smiling faces of the family whose lives she touched .

I tap the picture. “That’s what Christmas is about. Not the presents, but the joy and the togetherness.”

“Evergreen Lake had plenty of togetherness this year. But you still didn’t tell me where the photo came from.”

“I went to the big box store and printed it so you could always have it when the bad memories creep in. If you’ll let me, I want to replace them all with better memories together.”

Her answer is in the form of a press of her lips to mine. “This was a terrific date.”

“Oh, sugar, it is not over yet. Once you’re warm, we’re going back out there. Just tell me when you’re ready.

“I’m ready,” she tells me gamely.

I make her wait in the cab while I go outside and set to pulling the cover off the back of my truck. I’m freezing my balls off, but this should be totally worth it. In addition to clearing the snow and testing the ice, I also took every blanket and sleeping bag I own and loaded them into the trunk so I could make a bed.

I refill the air mattress to get it fuller and then grab the water bladders and place them strategically inside the sleeping bags. It’s the best I could do without risking burning us alive in a fire.

Sydney jumps when I tap on the window, catching her scrolling through her phone. “You can either climb through the back window or I can carry you, but your coat stays here.”

She opens the door and grins. “I guess you’re carrying me.”

Once her boots are off, I deposit my coat in the cab and scoop her up, carrying her into the bed of the truck. Sydney wastes no time climbing under the blankets. I don’t want to give her too long to get comfortable because I’m just going to make it cold all over again, so I toe off my untied shoes and jump in after her.

She’s shivering again but scoots closer to me for warmth, and I cuddle her close, knowing my plan worked. I have her right where I want her.

“I know it’s not the new year yet, but I’m feeling confident enough to tell you that the thing that was on the top of my list of wishes for next year was you. It’s always going to be you.”

I feel Sydney melt into my side a little more than I thought was possible.

“I hope you don’t plan on getting me naked,” she warns with teeth chattering. “Because that almost convinced me.”

“Maybe we can try it again in the spring, but tonight I just wanted you to look up at the stars.”

Her eyes stay glued to mine, and I think I see the last bit of her frozen heart thaw as she melts into me.

“Maybe we could make this our own Christmas tradition.”

It’s a small promise of forever with Sydney, but I’m going to take it. Every day with her feels like my own personal Christmas.