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“We need cookies.”
Alex, leaning against the counter with the cloth he’d used to dry the dishes still in one hand, turned to look at her. “Cookies?”
“Christmas cookies. You know, for Christmas.”
“Yes. I had guessed what they were for, actually.”
Jamie laughed. “So, you see, we need Christmas cookies.”
The kitchen was dimly lit. They’d turned off the main light earlier, and now the only illumination was provided by the glow of the lights off the snow and the dim golden light from the living room. There was something about the darkness, a quiet that neither of them wanted to break. Outside, the snow blanketed the drive, spotted with blue shadows, and stretched to the black horizon. It felt, Jamie thought, exactly like Christmas should feel. Warm and golden, with the cold all locked outside. She started pulling out the ingredients, and plugged in the mixer. “Get me the cookbook, would you?”
Alex pulled it from its place on the shelf. “Do you think the kids should be awake to help with this?”
Jamie shook her head. “I don’t want them burning themselves on the stove. We’ll let them help decorate. Anyway, I don’t mind the little bit of quiet.”
Alex chuckled. “Okay. Fair enough. You’ll get your child-free baking experience. Although, I could think of some other things I’d rather be doing than making cookies.” He wrapped his arms around her as he spoke, laying his chin on her shoulder, and looked down at the cookbook. “You could make cookies later.”
“Nice try. But as much as I’d love to take you up on your offer, Christmas Eve is tomorrow, and everyone will be coming over here again. I have to make the cookies now. Lucky we have Murray as our cook, or I’d have even more to do.”
Alex huffed, but gave in, stepping back and rolling up his sleeves. “Okay, then, baby. Cookies. Tell me what to do.”
Jamie smiled, and pointed him to the last few ingredients.
It was a little unsteady at first, working side by side in the darkened kitchen, but they hit their groove soon enough. The first tray of cookies went into the oven without a hitch.
When they were safely baking, Jamie gave Alex the task of stirring up the second batch, which he seemed to think were entirely unnecessary. “What do you need that many cookies for?”
“Well, let’s see. You. Me. The twins. Christine. Paul. Mark. Erica. My father. His girlfriend. That’s a lot of people to have cookies for. And we need extra to send home with everyone, and—”
He silenced her with a finger pressed gently to her lips. “I get it. Cookies for everyone.”
His finger moved away and he leaned down to brush his mouth against her own. Jamie wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up on her toes to return it. Which was around the time that she felt egg dripping down the back of her shirt. She squeaked and jerked backward, trying to scrub away the cool, slimy sensation with a towel.
“Alex!”
“What? What did I do?”
Jamie glared at him. “You got egg down my back!”
His face contorted, trying to hold back a grin as Jamie crossed her arms over her chest and stared him down. It didn’t work. A moment later he was outright laughing, trying to apologize through the chuckles.
Jamie’s eyes narrowed. “Do you really want to do that?”
He looked up, but before he could respond she hit him with a handful of flour, spilling a white cloud across the floor and his shirt.
“Hey!” he protested. “I like this shirt.”
The smile on Jamie’s face was pure sugar. “Don’t worry, baby. We can buy you a new one.”
“Oh, that is it.” Alex reached into the bowl of sugar cookie dough and smeared a streak of it across Jamie’s cheek.
She gasped, startled by the chill of it against her skin, and turned to look at him with accusing eyes. “I cannot believe you just did that!”
“I did, though,” Alex pointed out, grinning as he drew another line across her face.
“I am going to ruin that shirt,” she growled, lunging for him with another handful of flour.
Laughing, Alex dodged out of her way, retaliating with baking powder. “Bring it on, woman.”
There were moments, Jamie reflected, when she fell in love with her husband all over again. Seeing him standing there in the dimly-lit kitchen with flour in his dark hair and his blue eyes vibrant with laughter was one of those moments.
And then, of course, he had to go and ruin it by throwing sprinkles at her.
“Surrender now,” he said as he chased her around the island, “and I’ll be merciful.”
“Never!” Jamie retorted.
At the last second, she didn’t turn the corner, letting Alex round it without her. He spun on his heel, and it was Jamie’s turn to do the chasing. In a moment, she had him trapped between her and the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. She looked up at him, a smirk on her lips.
“You sure you want to take a break from cookie-making?” Alex teased, turning his head in the direction of the stove. “You do have a lot of them to finish before tomorrow.”
“I think the cookies can wait a minute,” Jamie said, looking up into his brilliant blue eyes. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach like it was their first kiss all over again.
“Does that mean I win?” Alex asked, a smug grin on his lips.
He didn’t give her time to answer before he was drawing her in with a hand on her hip, leaning forward to press his mouth to hers. Jamie sighed into the space between them, pressing him back against the wall. He wrapped his arms around her torso, and she slid hers up around his neck, hands tangling in his hair. Jamie’s tongue traced Alex’s bottom lip, and both of them moaned.
When they were both breathless and desperate for air, Jamie pulled back. Her gaze traced the curve of Alex’s jaw and up to his lips, lifting to his eyes. He let his head tip forward, resting against hers, and for a moment they just stood there, sharing space and breath. Alex reached up and gently brushed a lock of flour-dusted hair back from her face.
The smell of burning cookies broke the moment. Jamie scrambled for the oven, swearing under her breath.
“I told you,” Alex said, resigned. “It’s a conspiracy. Any time we get anywhere near getting naked together, something happens.”
“To be fair,” Jamie said as she pulled the tray of smoking cookies out of the oven, “we did kind of know that these were baking.”
“It’s still a conspiracy,” Alex huffed. “All I want for Christmas is you. Naked. In a bed. It shouldn’t be that difficult.”
“And yet...” Jamie sighed, scraping burned cookies into the trash.
There was a crackle of noise through the baby monitor and both of them froze, not daring to move.
When no cries followed, Jamie relaxed. “Get the second batch of cookies on the tray, would you? Pretty please, my love?”
She heard Alex move to comply, and went to rinse the pan in the sink before the baked-on cookie could set. Her eyes were starting to slip shut on their own, fatigue settling into her bones. It had been a long day, and it was catching up with her.
“Tired, love?” Alex was suddenly behind her, his arm sliding around her waist.
Jamie leaned gratefully into the support of his chest. “Some days are busier than others. It’s all good. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
“Why don’t you sleep?” he suggested gently. “I’ll finish the cookies.”
Jamie shook her head. “The kids will be getting up early. You need rest, too.”
“All the more reason you should go to bed and get some sleep before they wake up,” Alex retorted. “I’m used to not getting enough sleep. Go, baby. You’ll need to be bright-eyed and ready to go tomorrow for the party.”
“Yeah,” Jamie agreed as a new wave of dizzy exhaustion swept through her. “That might be a good idea.”
She wasn’t sure when she’d gone from tired to not being able to keep her eyes open. Alex guided her up the stairs, his arm still around her waist, and lay her down in the bed, stripping her out of her jeans.
“You know,” he said as he pulled the blankets up over her, “this wasn’t exactly the way I’d planned on getting you undressed.”
Jamie giggled, eyes half closed. “Sorry, baby. Swear I’m not doing it on purpose.”
“I’m not sure I believe you,” Alex said, tone clearly teasing. He smoothed a hand over her forehead. “But I’ll let you sleep anyway. And I won’t even complain you’re covered in baking ingredients.” He chuckled softly. “You can shower in the morning, I won’t complain.”
“Mmm. When did I get to be such an old lady?”
“Probably around the time you had three kids to take care of and a business to help run. But I don’t think needing an early night qualifies you as old just yet.”
“In my defense,” Jamie said, glancing blearily at the clock, “it is 2am.”
Alex glanced at the clock like he wasn’t sure he believed her. “Yes. It is. Which means I should get the cookies out of the oven, and you should go to sleep.”
“Yes,” Jamie agreed. “Sleep. Then shower.” She let her eyes close, and felt Alex’s lips brushing against her forehead as she slipped into dreams.
