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Tristan didn’t care if they made it to either. As crazy as it sounded, it was the best date he’d ever been on. All he could think about was his desire to see what else Calista had in store for them. He knew one thing for sure: life with Calista would never be boring.
CALISTA
I WALKED OUT OF TRISTAN’S office bathroom after changing into my pink elf costume. It felt so good to be reunited with my rebellious costume. But seeing Tristan dressed as Santa topped that feeling.
“Ho, ho, ho,” I sang as I perused Tristan in his jolly red suit.
He dropped the fake white beard he was just about to put on when he saw me. His eyes roved over my entire body. “I want to be on the naughty list this year.”
I pranced over to him and rested my hands against his chest. “I could arrange that,” I purred.
“Could you now?” His lips brushed mine before he sat down on his nearby desk and wrapped me in his arms.
I stood between his legs and nestled my hands in the white fur of his costume.
He took a moment to gaze at me, awe written in his lively blue eyes.
“You need to stop looking at me like that,” I teasingly rebuked him. He’d been staring at me like that since last night. Don’t get me wrong—I loved it. But I had only been doing my job. Sure, the scenery was a little different, maybe even a little frightening. And yes, I may have delivered the baby of my new favorite author, but when it was all said and done, I just did what I had been trained to do—help and heal.
“I still can’t get over you delivering that baby last night.”
“It’s all in a day’s work.” I smiled.
“No, Calista. You didn’t have to run into traffic and jump into a car that later caught fire.”
I shuddered. Thankfully, that happened after the emergency crews had extricated the sweet family, who I’d called and checked on this morning. All were doing well. Even Reece, considering he was pretty banged up and had to have several stitches. “They’ll have quite the story to tell their little guy someday.”
Tristan tugged on a loose strand of hair that framed my face. The rest was up in a messy bun. “I have quite the story to tell of Calista the Crusader,” he said fondly.
“Thank you for being my faithful sidekick.” He had no idea how much it meant to me that he’d followed me last night without a second thought. “I still need to think of a name for you.”
“Just call me yours.”
I studied him, not knowing what to say. I’d been careful about giving us a title yet, or even saying I loved him. It’s not that I didn’t, but I wasn’t expecting this—him. Mostly, I wasn’t expecting to break all my vows.
“I’m scaring you, aren’t I?” Tristan guessed.
I burrowed against him and rested my head on his shoulder, thinking about all the time we’d spent together this past month. He’d helped me take down a criminal and deliver a baby, bought me a kitten, and made my niece smile again. And let’s not forget all the setting-fire-to-my-soul kisses. “I don’t know if scared is the right word. It’s just that I promised to hate you forever. What kind of person does that make me?” I giggled.
His hand glided up and down my back. “I see your dilemma.”
“It’s a tough one. I mean, you have a ninety-inch TV in your office. How can I be with a person like that?”
He chuckled and held me tighter. “I’m a monster.”
I leaned away from him until our eyes met. “That’s the problem. You’re not. You’re every bit as good as I remembered you to be and more. It just seems too good to be true.” I kept waiting for his parents to rear their ugly heads.
“What can I do to help you understand I’m not going anywhere?”
I inched closer until our lips almost touched. “While I think about that question, we should probably try to get on the naughty list together, Santa.”
“Mmm,” he groaned. “I can accommodate that.”
“Wait.” I placed a finger on his eager lips. “You never told me if Steve lives. And we had lots of fun last night.” After delivering the baby, I needed to go home and clean up. We ended up on the veranda in front of the outdoor fireplace, where Tristan kept me plenty toasty. In between, we gazed at the stars and talked about everything and nothing at all. It was the perfect night.
Tristan let out a heavy, amused breath before whispering in my ear whether or not Steve lived. Before I could react one way or another, his lips captured mine and made me forget all about Steve.
I wound my arms around his neck and let my fingers get lost in his hair.
