COMPLETE ✓| Charlotte Hastings found herself between a rock and a hard place when she aged out of the foster system. With only a car to her name, she set out on the open road, hoping to find long lost relatives. Winter hits her hard. When she meets...
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CHAPTER ELEVEN | SUGAR & SPICE
Elijah Blackwood
The whole drive home, I couldn't stop turning to look at Lottie. Every time we passed under a streetlight, her hair shone a little more red than I'd ever seen it before. She'd ignored my making a complete idiot of myself and was laughing and dancing to the music.
When I stretched my hand over to hold hers, she teased me a little but obliged. She was radiant and I was trying not to be terrified that she would leave. A small part of me knew she would. As soon as I finish her car, all of this could end. Somehow that knowledge both excited and terrified me.
"So, what kind of cookies are we making?" Lottie asked once the truck was parked.
I hopped out of the truck and jogged around to open her door for her. She smiled just as she had when we left the cafe and my heart fluttered in my chest. I took her hand and helped her out of the truck. "We're making Christmas cookies, of course."
I closed the door of the truck and walked towards the door.
"Yes," she said, sliding her arm around my shoulder. "But how does one make Christmas cookies?"
I turned to look at her and found her forehead brushing my lips, so I kissed her forehead and wrapped my own arm around her back, pulling her closer. "That's what I'm going to teach you today."
When we got to the door, I stopped and directed Lottie to stand facing the door with her eyes closed. I'd skipped out on work today to get ready for this cookie tradition, and I was trying to make it as fun for Lottie as I could.
"What are you doing?" she asked me, her eyes questioning and worried.
"Just trust me," I squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek. "It's a good surprise."
She blushed at my touch and closed her eyes, covering them with her free hand.
"Now, we'll have to go very slowly, because I don't want you to fall down any stairs."
She nodded and I led her inside by the hand, carefully stepping backward down the stairs until she had reached the bottom. I urged her a little further until she was standing in front of the counter. Making sure her eyes were still closed, I pulled away the tea towel to reveal the gift I had gotten her.
I took a deep breath and held her hand a little tighter, "Okay, you can open your eyes."
She peeked through her fingers first, before taking her hand away completely to inspect the Christmas apron and reindeer antler headband laid out on the counter.
"Wow," she smiled at me and all my nerves left my body. I wrapped my arm around her waist as she drew her finger along the embroidery on the apron, and a few tears seemed to be pooling in the corner of her eyes.
