“Is that what I am?” I was still dazed from all he’d said.
Words were easy. Emotions and actions weren’t. And if he was faking his reaction to the possible existence of this child, then he had me fooled. His sincerity was as much a part of him as his cedar scent or the misty gray of his eyes.
Or his sweet, confusing heart.
He drew me against him and brushed my hair off my cheek. “If you’ll have me.”
“I’m scared.” Admitting it was probably the hardest thing I’d ever done.
“Oh, baby, I am too.” He pressed my hand against his chest so that I could feel his rapid heartbeat through the material. “But it’s a good scared. It means I want this. I want you and what can be. Whatever is meant for us. I’m right here, ready to take every step with you.”
My lips quivered into a smile as I put my sunglasses back into place. “Is that casual lunch still on the table? Because suddenly, I’m starving.”
I wasn’t lying. For the first time in a while, all I wanted was a big juicy cheeseburger and thick steak fries from the diner. Or that poutine from Gina that Paisley had mentioned.
And if some of the reason my appetite had returned was because of this impossible, incredible man beside me, well, so be it.
I wasn’t running anymore.
“Absolutely. Your choice. Let’s go.” He started walking around the Jeep to the driver’s side, but I grabbed his hand and held on tight as he looked back at me.
“After we go buy a pregnancy test? If you wouldn’t mind being there while I make sure.”
This time, I wasn’t even surprised when he spun me around. Although I made him put me down a lot faster, since my stomach and I weren’t on the best of terms when he tried stuff like that.
But the rest of me secretly loved it.
God, I was a sap.
The whole way to the drugstore a town over, Callum rubbed my knee and smiled at me every time our gazes locked. Which was often.
When I’d told him where to go, he hadn’t even questioned why we had to travel so far when there were stores in town.
And when I went in the store’s small, dingy bathroom to do what I needed to do, he paced in the hallway, asking every thirty seconds, “Is it time yet?”
I opened the door and took a quick glance around before dragging him inside so he could look at the little stick with me.
One of us whooped. It was probably him. I was too shell-shocked to do anything but press my forehead against his strong, solid chest when he hauled me into a hug.
“We did it,” he murmured into my hair over and over.
I let out a sniffly laugh. “You do realize this wasn’t a goal we were aiming for. It just kind of happened.”
“Yes, we got lucky. It’s as if we’re in our own mythology tale, centered in that far away land called Crescendia Cove. They’ll write about us someday.”
As I laughed harder, he smoothed his thumbs under my cheeks. That was how I knew I was crying. “Is that so?”
“Yes. The story will be about the beautiful woman with pink messy braids and hope in her eyes who kissed the lonely man under the mistletoe and gave him a reason to believe. And he pledged to give her and their baby a lifetime of Christmases, because who says you can only celebrate once a year?”
I leaned against him, because I was finally beginning to have faith that I could. That he wouldn’t have come back so many times if he didn’t truly want to stay.
“Who says,” I repeated softly as his lips met mine.
Ellie
Christmas Eve Eve
My breath caught on the turn into my house. Our house—a house made for a family. Something I’d never dreamed of having. Cal had indulged me in my love of Christmas decorations. I was pretty sure he might be out-Christmasing even me.