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And just like that, I decided I loved Christmas too.
Epilogue
Callan
One Year Later
I stood in the parlor near the soaring tree, watching April spin through the house like some kind of dervish, her red sheath dress hugging her curvy figure and making my trousers feel a few sizes too tight every time she passed. "You're making me dizzy," I told her as she sped by, stopping to fluff one of the shiny red pillows on the living room couch once more.
"I just want it all to be perfect," she said, finally stopping in front of me. Her cheeks were flushed, and her blue eyes glittered in the sparkling light from the tree.
"It is perfect," I assured her. "Besides, no one really cares if it's perfect. Christmas parties are about being together, not about the decorations."
April narrowed her gaze at me. "They are about decorations," she insisted. "Which is why I've spent the last two months decorating for this."
I rolled my eyes, but pulled her into my chest, my entire body still thrilled every time she was close enough to touch. "And they're about love," I whispered, tucking my head so I could nibble the shell of her ear, which sent her skin rippling with goose bumps every time.
Tonight, especially, was about love, I thought, only April didn't know it yet. When she'd moved permanently in January, she'd spent a couple weeks at the inn before I’d finally convinced her just to move in with me. "The house is too big for me alone anyway," I had insisted. "And then you'll always be around to help me remember the gate code when I forget my remote."
She'd agreed, and she'd convinced me to change the code to something I’d remember, and we had finally settled on 1225, a number I hadn't quite understood at first. "Christmas," April had said with a smile. "The day that brought us together."
In the year since I’d met her, April had gone from being the most anti-holiday person I’d ever met to embracing all things glittery and festive with such enthusiasm sometimes all I could do was sit back and sigh. Between April and my nieces, Singletree Manor had been decorated to within an inch of its life this year, and April had insisted on hosting a Christmas party to show it off.
"I do love you," April said, relaxing a bit in my arms and sliding her own arms around my neck. The doorbell rang just as she pressed her lips to mine, and I regretted setting the gate open tonight for the guests. At least if they'd had to buzz from the gate, I would have had time to kiss her.
We went to the door together, and pulled it open to find Samuel Bass and his two twin boys standing in front of us, looking starched and uncomfortable in red and green bow ties. Their mother dashed up behind them, carrying a wrapped gift. "Hello Coach Whitewood," the boys said in practiced unison.
Mrs. Bass beamed. "This is for you," she held out the gift to April. "Thank you so much for inviting us to your home. It's lovely."
"Come on in," I said, waving the family toward the living room. The boys relaxed visibly after delivering their rehearsed line, and within five minutes of entering, there were no bow ties in sight.
"The guys have been talking all week about the Christmas tournament you organized," Mr. Bass told me a few minutes later, standing near the fire with a beer in his hand.
The Bass family, and a lot of the other guests who were arriving steadily for the party, were new friends I had met as a result of agreeing to coach a travel soccer team. I’d become one of the leaders in the league, offering direction and helping to organize additional opportunities for the players—like the Christmas tournament.
"I'm excited about it too," I told Mr. Bass. "Your boys have a lot of talent. I'm really glad to have them on the team." The talented twins dashed by right then, chasing Taylor and Maddie through the crowded living room as the girls shrieked. April caught them at the door and I saw her bend down to tell them something and then point back toward the play room, where movies and toys had been set up to keep the smaller guests occupied.
The house filled up rapidly, guests mingling all through the first floor as the lights glowed and Christmas music played. April and I were busy, hosting and helping our guests get everything they needed, but after a couple hours the party took on its own rhythm, and April found her way to my side.
I put an arm around her, loving the feel of her soft silky skin against my palm. "You look amazing tonight," I told her.
She grinned up at me, "So do you."
"Are you ready to get the game going?" I asked.
April had done a lot of online research about appropriate activities for holiday gatherings, since she had never really been to one as an adult. She'd decided that a party game was needed, and had settled on a game where guests opened gifts in order and could steal from one another. The gifts were all little things, and many of them were kid-appropriate, since April partially organized the game with Maddie and Taylor in mind.
"If everyone could find a seat," April called, turning down the music. "We'll play the game."
Maddie had gone through the crowd, offering everyone the chance to draw a number, which would determine who went first. April had drawn number one—I had set it up that way, and though she'd tried to give it back, Maddie had insisted she had to keep it. So when everyone was settled, April stood back up. "I drew number one, so I guess I'll go first, even though it feels pretty rude at our own party."
"Here you go," Helen Manchester picked up a big box with a glittery green bow and shoved it toward April, nearly spilling her Manhattan in the process.
"Helen," Lottie scolded. "She gets to pick."
"No she doesn't," Helen assured her friend. "She wants that one."
April glanced at me and I nodded, so she shrugged and took the big box. She pulled it onto her lap as she sat on an ottoman and pulled off the wrapping paper and ribbon, opening the box only to find another box inside. Maddie came over to help her as she unearthed box after wrapped box, accumulating a mountain of paper as she opened each one.
