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.

The ingredients to make the pie were laid out on the kitchen island to be baked later and the freshly-baked cookies were neatly arranged on a plate on the coffee table.

A fire was crackling in the fireplace and we had an eight-hour long video playing on TV of snow falling in the forest to make it feel more like the holiday season. We were sitting on the sectional couch stuffing our faces with the cookies while we spoke about our future.

"It's not that I hate puppies. Are you kidding me? I love them! In fact, I don't want to get a dog only because I can't go into a shelter without feeling awful leaving those poor puppies behind! I wish I could adopt all of them and love on them until I kill them with cuddles and kisses."

"Okay, what about kids? Do you want any?"

This was a tough one. I never thought about the answer. The idea of passing on my DNA to someone who also shares pieces of the love of my life intrigued me. Having a baby with the same mesmerizing eyes, same smile that had that same dimple, same laugh that would light up the world.

However, having to endure an immense amount of pain, labor for who knows how many hours, was the hardest. I wished you could bring life into the world without any of that. "I honestly don't know how many. But for now, if Olive or Zach had kids, I'd settle for being their favorite aunt. And godmother."

"And if they don't?"

"Then... we'll see where life takes us. God has His plans. We'll just... have to see what His are for us."

Kayden jutted out his bottom lip in a pout and nodded his head. "Fair enough. Okay. How about where we'll live?"

"I still wanna live on the beach. Maybe we can have a vacation home in a city that snows a lot so... we can experience a white Christmas every year and be able to dress in layers with beanies, winter coats, gloves, snow boots." I let out a sigh and pulled myself out of that fantasy. It was easy to drown in Kayden's eyes, in the love that shone through them. "What do you wanna do?"

He raised a brow. "Hm?"

"I've known, since middle school, that I wanted to be a nurse. That was my passion. What about you?"

He scoffed and shook his head, his face looking as though the answer was right in front of me. "You. You're my passion." Kayden's arm was perched on top of the couch behind me and his other hand reached to cradle my cheek.

"You wanna know what I wanna do? I wanna buy a house. In New York. We'd raise our children in the suburbs where it isn't so loud and crowded. We'd celebrate Christmas by taking them to church Christmas Eve, letting them open one present when we get home."

Physically, he was sitting here right in front of me. Mentally, he was elsewhere. Lost in his fantasies about our future.

"We'd read them a bedtime story and while they're asleep, we'd slow dance in the living room. With the lights off, the lights of the tree being the only ones in the room and the snow falling outside. Spend my forever with you. That's what I want."

My heart raced while he was playing with my hair. My body temperature increased with the warmth emanating from his body. I wanted to freeze this moment so we can live in it forever, but it was ruined when he cleared his throat and his fingers dropped from my hair.

He told me to wait where I was while he disappeared upstairs. I was left to think about everything he just said. Little did he know that I wanted all of that too. Maybe I'd be farther away from the beach, but, at least, it would snow which I'd always wanted to see.

We'd be away from the city and we'd be closer to Kayden's aunt and uncles who he didn't see as often as he'd like. Snuggling with our kids while we read them a bedtime story would be the perfect way to spend the evening.

He was back with his speaker in hand that he put on the counter and he began typing something on his phone until Silent Night played softly throughout the room. He stepped back toward me with his arms behind his back and held out his hand for me to take. "May I have this dance?"

A bright smile tugged at the corners of my lips. Nostalgia washed over me as I thought about the last time we slow danced. Prom night. Four years ago. I was too busy with nursing school and we didn't have time to go on date nights. Luckily, Kayden was supportive enough of my dreams to understand.

I accepted his hand in mine and he helped me stand up, resting his hands on my waist while my arms were around his neck. We swayed back and forth to the sound of the soft music and the soothing voice that sung out the lyrics beautifully.

Nothing else outside of this moment existed. It was just me and him as we danced in his living room in front of the glow of the Christmas tree lights.

I wanted to soak up every last minute of our engagement before the next chapter of our lives started and we'll be too busy for romantic times like this. My stomach was in knots when he spoke in his deep, low voice.

"Merry first engaged Christmas, love."

My chin was now resting against his chest and my eyes were staring into his. Every part of my soul yearned for him. There was not one ounce of doubt that Kayden was the one I was meant to marry. "Merry first engaged Christmas."

-

December 3rd

Olive was throwing a Christmas party in her sister's house. It was a large enough space, but she managed to decorate every inch of it with lit-up garland, a tree with twinkling lights with personal ornaments adorning each branch, glass nutcrackers on the coffee table and a Christmas throw blanket draped over the couch, along with throw pillows of Rudolph's face on either side.

Justin Bieber's version of The Drummer Boy with Busta Rhymes was playing through the speaker and Elf was left on the TV for the introverts who would rather watch movies than socialize.

It was crowded with her friends from college, co-workers at the bar that she was a waitress at and Asher, who asked her to make things official between them as boyfriend and girlfriend.

Asher was a handsome one with sandy blonde hair, amber-hued eyes and broad shoulders. Kayden and I were standing in the entryway with a plate of my mom's famous Christmas cookies when Olive spotted us.

She was in a white, long-sleeved top with a brown puffer vest and baggy, torn jeans. Her hair was in a split, curly ponytail and her pearly-white smile reached her eyes as she greeted us.

"Merry Christmas!" Olive greeted us with bone-crushing hugs. Halloween may have brought out the child in her, but Christmas? She was just as addicted to Christmas as my mom — if not, worse. She celebrates it on November first.

When I call her while she's driving, she's singing along to Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree. She had already bought her decorations and everyone's presents all before Thanksgiving.

Her parents reminded her that Thanksgiving still hadn't happened yet, but she'd respond with the famous: "Who cares about Thanksgiving? The pilgrims? So what? They're, like, a thousand years old."

"It's not Christmas yet, Olly." There Kayden went, bringing us down with his Grinch-y comments. Olive rolled her eyes.

"You know what? Screw you! You don't need to be here, you know." She rested her hand on her hips. "Belles, I made you your own plate of stuffed celery. In the kitchen."

I gasped. "Yes!" I wasted no time in finding the saran-wrapped plate of cut-up pieces of celery stuffed with cream cheese and chopped green olives. It wasn't a Thanksgiving or Christmas without Olive's famous stuffed celery.

The taste of cream cheese blended with green olives was dancing on my tongue when I felt Olive's presence behind me. She was smiling sweetly with her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heel.

"Soooo..." She started. "How is it?"

I surveyed her up and down. By the way she was standing, I could tell she wanted something. "What do you want?"

She feigned a hurt look and her hand flew to her heart. "What makes you think I want anything?"

"You mean besides buttering me up with stuffed celery and... well, of course, the way you're standing with your hands behind your back and your heels rocking back and forth?"

She abruptly stopped rocking and cleared her throat. "We both know Christmas is about giving. Perhaps you wanna give me a present or... ask me to be a special part of your big day."

And there it is. I knew exactly where this headed. Perhaps I could have some fun with this.

My eyes landed on her cute puffer vest. Outfits during the winter were stylish with knee-high boots, winter jackets or vests like that and unfortunately, I didn't have anything that cute in my closet. "Cute vest."

"Oh, you want one? I can buy one for you for Christmas! Better yet, you can—" She was already in the process of taking it off when I cut her off.

I rested my hand on her forearm. "You... you do not..." I managed to say through chuckles. "I was just kidding."

"Oh—" Olive erupted into giggles. "That's so funny. You're so funny!"

It was almost impossible not to appear entertained by this, but my lips forming a devilish grin was a dead giveaway. That was enough fun. I took off my jacket and reached into the pocket to pull out a small wrapped box topped with a pink ribbon. Her face lit up like the tree in the living room and she inhaled a fake gasp before covering it with her hands.

"For me? You got me a present? You really shouldn't have." She said that as she was already ripping off the paper. She eyed the rectangular box before opening the lid and reading the words on the bracelet: Will you be my maid of honor?.

I ordered a jewelry making set with letters and all the colors in the rainbow. It took me about fifty — and I'm not even exaggerating — bracelets until I finally made one using only her favorite color and I was sure it would fit her wrist. "Will you be my maid of honor," she read out loud as a statement and less as a question. "Is that even a question? Hell yeah, I'll be your maid of honor!"

Olive threw her arms around me and nearly picked me up off the floor with how excited she was. My eyes landed on the boys — Kayden, Zach and Asher — outside the kitchen with bottles of beer in between their fingers and I couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"Hey Zach? Will you be my best man?"

Zach shrugged. "Sure."

"Cool."

I rolled my eyes.

Men were so damn lazy.

I didn't realize Olive already let go until I saw her jumping up and down at the corner of my eye. She sighed. "I can't wait to be a part of your special day."

We spent the rest of the party dancing to Christmas music with the rest of Olive's friends, their boyfriends and her sister, Bridgette.

I'd known Bridgette since Olive and I were freshman in high school, but I hadn't gotten to know her until tonight when we danced to Like It's Christmas by The Jonas Brothers. Kayden and I danced to My Kind Of Present by Meghan Trainer and he picked me up and spun me around in a full circle, making everyone around us applaud and holler.

We ended the night by playing drinking games and watching The Santa Clause in front of the fire in the fireplace. This was why I loved Christmas: spending time with my fiance, my best friends and a fun group of people. I couldn't have had a better night.

-

AUTHOR'S NOTE-

I know it's too early to be publishing Christmas content, but I wanted to write a Christmas-themed bonus chapter before the holidays are over. So here it is!

Up next (and the last chapter I'll ever write): The Marriage Of Bella And Kayden Taylors
(The wedding bonus chapter)