There's Only You ✔

Bonus Chapter 4 | First Christmas Since Proposal

Bonus chapter 4 | First Christmas Since Proposal

The day after Thanksgiving was when I officially started celebrating Christmas by listening to the music, assembling our flocked pine tree in the corner of our living room and going with mom to pick out new decorations and ornaments. Dad hated how we spent money on new decor every year to match a new theme, but mom didn't care.

Christmas was when she was the happiest seeing the lit-up tree in the middle of the shopping center and listening to classic holiday songs they played on the speakers outside the store. Even the Grinch would become a Christmas addict if he spent thirty seconds with my mom.

That was how I wanted to spend my next date with Kayden; shopping for ornaments for the tree sitting in his apartment. We decided to not move in together until after the wedding, but I still wanted to come over everyday I could get off work.

I wanted to be consumed by the holiday spirit each time I stepped foot in there. Kayden was going along with it, but his interest was mainly on his phone as he pushed the cart wherever I went.

The cart was already filled with red and gold ornaments, trinkets for the counters and coffee tables and possible tree toppers that were in the shape of stars or angels. I threw in an ornament of a red truck with a tree in the trunk when Kayden finally spoke up.

"Baby, do we have to buy all this stuff? There's, like... five hundred dollars worth of crap in here."

I spun on my heel and feigned a hurt look that was etched into my facial features. "Are you calling Jesus' birthday decorations crap? The audacity of you." I pressed my lips together to prevent giggles from escaping my mouth as I looked at Kayden's unamused, blank face.

"Do not bring Jesus into this."

I chuckled. "I just want our apartment to have that cozy, homey feel for Christmas. You'll be thanking me when your mother comes over and gushes about how it looks rather than picks everything apart like she always does."

The lack of a response from him caught my attention. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "What?"

He bit his lip. "Nothing. It was just... you calling my apartment ours."

Even after four years, he was always able to make me blush by saying the remotely romantic things. Ignoring my own smile that was slithering onto my face, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and interlocked my fingers behind my back. "I was thinking... as another way to help us get into the holiday spirit, we could bake. More specifically, bake a pie."

"Pumpkin or apple?"

"Pumpkin. Duh! We baked an apple pie on our second date." After finding out the news about Gray, we never baked Grammy Taylors' famous apple pie. The mood was too subdued so we baked it for our second date which Kayden liked to call our 'make-up first date'. "It's my turn to get you hooked on my favorite pie dessert. It's pumpkin pie baking time! And cookies! I loved Christmas sugar cookies growing up."

"The cookies I could get on board with, but the pie? It's too... pumpkin-y."

"Now that we're getting married, you don't get to argue with me. You, me and the pie and cookies. Tonight. It's a date."

-

The living room was already covered in decorations. The tree was assembled in the corner with the red and gold ornaments that we bought today, topped with a gold star and a red skirt laid out at the bottom.

Garland was rolled out across the counter and the window sills. A portrait of Santa's face was hung above the fireplace and a nativity set that displayed a snowy Bethlehem was on the coffee table.