“Do you know how hard it is to track down mistletoe? Especially on Christmas Day?”
Cole climbs the porch steps of my parents’ house and stops in front of me, dangling a sprig of mistletoe above his head. We spent the rest of my birthday and all day yesterday holed up in my apartment, talking and making love and ordering more food. I wasn’t ready to be away from him yet—I think part of me is still afraid he’s going to disappear and we’ll have to rely on serendipity to bring us together again—so I called my mom this morning and asked if it was okay if I invited someone special to Christmas dinner. For anyone else, it might be considered too soon for meeting the family, but our whole relationship has been done out of order, so why not this too?
I drove Cole to his apartment so he could shower and change, and then went back home and got ready myself. I just arrived at my parents’ place a minute ago and had only made it to the porch when Cole pulled in.
“Isn’t everything closed?” I ask. “Did you steal that from someone on your drive here?”
“Drive-by mistletoe theft, there’s an image,” he says. “Or maybe it accidentally fell into my car the way that hotel robe accidentally got packed into your suitcase.”
We both laugh as I grab the front of his coat and haul him to me. With my lips a breath away from his, I pause. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? All of this? Dinner with my parents tonight, lunch with your family in Kingston tomorrow, then New Year’s Eve with my friends?”
“Our friends,” he corrects, his eyes twinkling. “They love me, remember? In fact, it was Stella who helped me with the mistletoe. I ran into her as I was leaving my apartment and asked if she knew where I could get some. She pulled this from the wreath on their front door and made me promise not to tell Evie.”
“Remind me to thank her.” I press a quick kiss to Cole’s lips. “And remind me to stock up on mistletoe next year.”
Cole brings his smiling lips to mine. Since we’re standing on my parents’ front porch, I’m sure we both intend for it to be a short kiss, but once Cole’s tongue touches mine, it’s hard to pull away. He must feel the same because he grips my hips and yanks me against him. I fist my hands in the front of his jacket, then move them to weave my fingers through his hair.
My parents are expecting us, but that thought, along with the chilly December air, fades away as I get lost in the man who’s the embodiment of the best birthday wish I ever made.
I’m dazed and overheated by the time we pull apart. Cole takes my hand and we head inside. I expect my parents to be hovering near the front door, but I can hear them laughing in the kitchen. My phone buzzes in my pocket as Cole and I remove our outerwear. I assume it’s one of my friends since we’ve been texting on and off all day with holiday wishes and questions from them about Cole. I check it quickly, knowing this will likely be my last free moment for the rest of the day.
I’m surprised and delighted to see Mindy’s name on my screen. I open the text and read it: Merry Christmas, Sylvie! I talked to Padma about the New Year’s Eve party and we’d love to attend. Thanks again for the invite. Let’s grab coffee this week so we can catch up and you can give me party details, okay? The message is followed by a series of emojis: a purple heart, a kissy face, a bottle of champagne, and two clinking glasses.
Smiling, I tuck my phone back in my pocket since I can hear my parents coming down the hall. I take Cole’s hand again and meet his eyes, about to ask him if he’s sure he’s ready for this. The words die on my lips when I find him watching me with a sweet, affectionate smile. He lifts our joined hands and brushes his lips against my knuckles.
Call it serendipity, call it luck, call it magic, it all feels the same to me right now. And it feels pretty damn good.