When Snowflakes Fall | Completed

Chapter 13 | Counting Down The Days

BEXLEY TURNER

WITH ONLY TWO DAYS until Christmas and a couple more until the wedding, Chrissy has been on my ass about dress shopping and last-minute wedding preparations. And as her bridesmaid and big sister, I have been taking care of wrapping presents and baking food and desserts, so Chrissy can focus on her wedding that's coming along beautifully.

"Cookies!" Nash shouts excitedly when he runs into the kitchen, dressed in his coat and snow pants.

We got a huge snowstorm last night here in the semi-small town of Hood River, Oregon and Jared took Nash sled riding in the backyard with a few neighborhood kids who came over to play for a couple of appreciated hours. While they were outside, I've been baking cookies and extra treats for the Christmas party Chrissy and Jared are throwing tomorrow on Christmas Eve.

A Christmas party a couple of days before a huge wedding shouts fun and rich. Two words that happen to be some of my many favorites.

"Want one?" I ask Nash while I snack on one of the cookies from the batch that I pulled out of the oven a few minutes ago. Letting them cool before moving them from the tray and putting them in a container is a wise and smart way to package cookies. If you do it while they're hot, you'll burn your fingertips, and burnt fingertips aren't fun, at all.

"What kind?" Nash asks as he eyes the chocolate chip cookie that I just gave him.

"Taste it and see," I laugh and finish my cookie before moving the rest of the cookies into a container.

"Chocolate?"

"Yes. Is it good?"

"Mhm, can I have one more?" He looks at me with puppy eyes and I almost give in, but I shake my head no and he frowns.

"You can have half of one," I grin and give him half of a cookie and I eat the other half.

"Thank you," he grins at me and takes a bite of his cookie.

"You're welcome, darling," I ruffle his hair and bend down to kiss his forehead before I continue to transfer the cookies from a warm pan to a container that is almost full of cookies from a previous batch. Guests are going to be eating good tomorrow, I think to myself with a smile.

❄︎

Festive music plays quietly in the background as guests talk among themselves, most of them holding some kind of alcoholic beverage in their hand. My drink of choice tonight is a bottle of beer. White Christmas lights are strung on the tv stand and mistletoes hang from multiple doorways. A smile appears on my face when guests go back for seconds for the cookies I made.

My eyes follow Nash, who plays with another little boy by the train that's under the Christmas tree. I smile at Chrissy and Jared who welcome more guests into the house.

"Bexley, sweetie," an excited voice says and I spin around, my eyes meeting my mother's blue ones as my father stands next to her, dressed in a tuxedo.

"Mom," I wrap my arms around her when she's close enough. "How was the flight?"

"Long. Your father fell asleep of course and the whole plane had to endure his snoring," she laughs softly and teasingly winks at my father, who winks back at her. "Where is Nash?"

"Right there," I point at Nash, who is dressed in a small tuxedo and dress shoes, his hair slick and done.

"Oh, my. He's gotten so big," she whispers, tears forming in her eyes. "Darling, look."

"Last time we saw him, he had just come into this world," my father comments, his brown eyes following Nash as he plays tag with the other little boy.

"Do you want to meet him?"

"Of course," my mother responds and I grab her hand before pulling her over to Nash who grins at me when he spots me in the semi-large crowd.

"Mama, can Liam and me play outside?" Nash asks, his eyes large and full of excitement.

"Not tonight but I'll talk to Liam's mother about another time," I respond and crouch down.

"Okay," he grins and gives the brunette boy, Liam a hug before Liam walks over to his parents.

"Nash, these are your grandparents," I point at my mother and father who look at him with love, their eyes wet with tears.

"Hello," he walks over to them and hugs each of them

"Hello," my mother sniffles and wraps her arms around Nash's small frame.

My skin heats up when I feel someone's eyes on me and as if I knew who was watching me with such intensity, I look up and meet Hayden's eyes in the crowd of people. Only he would be the first person to catch my eye in a sea of party-goers. Dressed in a tuxedo and dress pants, he waves at me, a cute grin on his lips.

Someone save my ovaries.

"Will you watch him for a few minutes?" I ask my parents and they nod in response, listening to Nash who tells them about a YouTube video he watched. With their response, I walk over to Hayden, a blush covering my cheeks and a smile on my face.

"Hello, gorgeous," Hayden greets me, his eyes pinned on the clothes that cover my body and feet, a tube top with sleeves that expose one of my shoulders, and a black, checkered skirt that has a small slit on the left side, paired with a set of black heels that have a strap that wraps around my ankle. "You look stunning."

"What if told you I wore it for you?" I grin and step closer to him, my eyes meeting his.

"Then I'd say, you definitely succeeded at catching my attention," he steps closer to me, his arm wrapping around my waist as our chests touch.

"Look at that," I look up, my eyes pinned on the mistletoe that hangs above Hayden and I. "Are you going to kiss me or what?"

"Definitely."

His soft lips meet mine, fireworks erupting in my brain and stomach. He kisses me with such tenderness that I grip his shoulders to keep myself from buckling against him. His hands grip my hips, his mouth molding against mine as it did years ago. This kiss is nothing like the kiss we shared the other day, this one is filled with so much more emotion and passion. When Hayden kisses my lips lightly after we pull away, my eyes meet his, our foreheads pressed together.

"I could live like this forever," he murmurs, his thumbs rubbing my bottom lip before he replaces his thumb with his mouth that I can't seem to get enough of.

"I could too."

Thanks for reading!