Totally Smitten (A Cozy AF Christmas 3)

“Oh my God. Baker, yes. Yes,” she tells me.

She doesn’t even look at the ring. She dives straight for me, pushing me backwards and landing on top of me. I fall backwards and sprawl on the floor with her on top of me. The Christmas tree shakes over top of us, but I don’t care right now. All that matters is she said yes.

I roll over on top of her and brush the hair off her face. “You just made me very happy,” I tell her, looking into her eyes.

“Me too, Baker. Me too.”EpilogueTaraTwo Years Later“That better not be what I think it is, Mr. Miller,” I say to Baker in the haughtiest tone I can manage.

He tries to slide right past me as he comes into the house, but I stop him by moving in front of him. With a hand to chest, I look up into his wide, innocent eyes. “What is that you’re bringing into the house?”

He smiles and kisses me on the forehead. As if that’s going to get him out of trouble. “It’s just a present.”

It’s hard to get mad at him when he’s like this, but Baker has been a gift buying machine since the day BJ, Baker Junior, was born. And now that it’s BJ’s first Christmas, as Baker keeps reminding me, he’s brought in another gift.

“I thought we were done shopping,” I tell him with a tilt to my head.

“We were. I mean we are, but I saw this, and I thought he just had to have it.”

I hold my hand out to him. “Let me see it.”

He looks like he might bolt instead of handing over the present, but finally he hands it over. I open the shopping bag and pull out a miniature glove and baseball bat. “Baker, he just turned one. What is he going to do with this?” I ask him, holding it up in one hand and my other hand on my hip.

He puffs out his chest. “I’m going to teach him to play baseball. You’re never too young to start. If nothing else, we can roll the ball back and forth for now.”

I just shake my head. Baker has made it his mission to be the very best dad he could be. He didn’t have one, and he’s determined that BJ never misses out on anything—I guess that includes baseball now.

I raise onto my tiptoes. “I love you, Baker. But this is it, okay? We’re going to be hours opening gifts Christmas morning as it is.”

He holds his fingers up. “Scouts honor.”

I purse my lips. “Were you even a scout?”

“Fine. I promise. No more presents. I just, well, I’m excited about Christmas now. I never had that growing up, and I want BJ to enjoy it. That’s all.”

“Don’t worry,” I assure him. “This is going to be your best Christmas ever… I promise.”

“No way,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Nothing could beat our first Christmas together. Two years ago was my best Christmas ever… by far. Nothing could beat it.”

I put my arms up around his neck. “Oh yeah? What was so good about it?” I ask him. I know why it was my best Christmas, but I still want to hear what he has to say.

“I got my first present that year… and it was definitely the best.”

I think back. “You mean the earphones I got you.”

“No, that wasn’t the first present you gave me.”

I just laugh. “I was there, Baker. Yes, it was.”

His arms tighten around me, and my heart starts to race. He always knows just how to hold me. “No, the first present you gave me was you… when you told me you’d marry me… nothing can beat that.”

“Oh you. Who would have thought you’d turn out to be a romantic?”

“What can I say? You bring it out of me.” And then he bends down and presses his lips to mine. Every kiss with him is better than the last. He still makes my toes curl and my belly do flip-flops.

“I love you, Baker,” I tell him, resting my head against his chest.

“I love you too, sweet girl.”