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Hanna backed away. “Oh, I don’t think I should be in the picture.”
“What do you think, Ember?” I asked as I ushered everyone together in front of the tree.
Ember reached for Hanna’s hand. “You have to be in the picture. It won’t be the same without you.”
I flashed a grin at Hanna, who sighed. We stood, Ember in front of me, my hands on her shoulders, and Hanna next to me. I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into my side. “Now, smile big. Three more seconds.”
When the flash stopped, I grabbed my phone. We looked like a family. We were smiling and happy, and I swore there was an extra twinkle in our eyes.
“That turned out great. Can you send it to me?” Hanna asked.
“Sure,” I said, but I made a mental note to print it and frame it for her. I wanted her to have a memory of us together when she was dating these other guys. No one could compare to what we had. Or, at least, I hoped not.
Ember was my world, and Hanna was our future. I just had to convince her of that.
After the tree was covered with ornaments, we watched a holiday movie and then got dressed for dinner. It was the perfect day. I hadn’t realized how empty our lives were until Hanna joined us. I loved Ember, but I wanted more for us.
On the short walk to the main house, Hanna said, “What cookies do you like to eat at Christmas?”
“Grandma makes all the cookies,” Ember said as she skipped down the lane.
“Would you like to make some? I make them and distribute them to my coworkers.”
Ember stopped and squinted at her. “That would be fun. What would we make?”
Hanna tapped her chin. “Hmm. How about sugar cookies and gingerbread? Those are my two favorites.”
Ember smiled. “I like those.”
“Do you mind if we make cookies sometime?” Hanna asked me.
“My kitchen is your kitchen, and that goes for the whole house. You don’t need to ask permission. Just let me know what you need, and I’ll order it.”
“You order your groceries?”
“I don’t have time to go to the store.”
“I can shop while I’m staying here,” Hanna said, and I didn’t argue with her. I wanted her to be comfortable.
I opened Mom’s door, not bothering to knock. The driveway was already filled with Monroe Christmas Tree Farm trucks. It looked like everyone was already here, including our cousin, Cole, who was staying at Heath’s house for a while.
“There you are,” Marley said as soon as we shrugged off our coats. “I have the best idea, and I need your help.”
“With what?” Hanna asked cautiously.
We all knew how exuberant Marley could be when she got an idea.
“We want to do a couples’ night here on the farm before Christmas, and since you’re single, I thought you could help us with it.”
I ground my teeth together. If I had my way, Hanna wouldn’t be single for long. Although, with my track record, I might need longer than the few weeks left before Christmas.
“I was thinking we could do a speed dating thing or a bachelor auction,” Marley continued rambling, her voice racing with excitement.
“Why would we do that?” Emmett grumbled.
The women were used to Emmett protesting all their ideas, but I had to agree with him; both ideas sounded awful.
“You realize this is our busy season?” I raised a brow, but Marley waved me off.
