12 Days of Misery?

December, 13th - Part 3

'What?' was my brilliant response.

Nate just looked at me calmly and repeated his words, 'Are you ready to pick the perfect Christmas tree?'

'Why?' I didn't understand. After my slight mental break down my thoughts were completely jumbled.

'I told you yesterday that the twelve days of Christmas started,' he smiled broadly and offered me his hand.

Still in a daze and coming down from my slight panic attack, I held his hand as he helped me out of his ute.

He held my hand tightly as he lead us to the front of the plantation, where a smiling brunette girl stood. 'Merry Christmas!'

Nate smiled politely as she beamed at him, eagerly awaiting his reply. When Nate didn't reply she sighed in frustration making me chill out a little more.

I know Nate is gorgeous and I still can't believe he would rather my my company over some of the other girls that ogle over him.

'So you get to pick,' his voice pulled me from my thoughts as we stood in front of a row of massive pines.

I had no idea what possessed Nate to bring a 'Christmas hating Scrouge,' or in other words me, to a Pine Plantation.

'I thought you were going to...' I started when he smiled apologetically.

'Kill you? I'm not a...' my turn to finish his sentence.

'Serial killer. I'm sorry, it's just when you were driving me out here I was thinking; I don't really know you.'

He looked to me then and nodded, cause he knew I was right. Then he tilted his head and smiled before speaking, 'Ok, how about this? You stop avoiding choosing a tree and I promise I will tell you more about myself. Deal?'

My butterflies jumped at the thought of knowing more about this handsome man, and found myself nodding.

'Ok,' he smiled. Then he lead me toward the trees.

**********************************

We had walked for about twenty minutes and I had found out quite a lot about Nate. He was an only child, he loved dogs, he lost his grandparents when he was ten, he had a good group of friends, he loved Christmas (like I didn't already know,' but the next thing he said shocked me.

'Yeah seriously, I have only ever one girlfriend and...' He paused as I stopped in front of a small yet full tree.

I tilted my head, feeling my stomach tighten as his smile faded and his brows furrowed. In that instant he looked so sad that it made me want to throw my arms around him.

'She died two years ago.'