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Ryan signed off on his last chart of the day and rolled his shoulders to ease the tension of a twelve-hour shift in Wilton Memorial Hospital’s ER. When he’d brought Percy here all those years ago, he hadn’t imagined ending up on staff. But with his Army medic background, emergency medicine had been a natural fit. He’d done his residency here, and as soon as it was up, they’d asked him to stay. He and Hannah had been thrilled to be able to settle in Wishful for good. After all the darkness he’d seen, this quiet life in a tight community was exactly what he’d needed. As Hannah had been exactly what he’d needed.
“What are you smiling about, Doc?”
He looked up to find Corinne McGee with her own stack of charts. “Just thinking about my wife. We’re on tree decorating tonight. It’s the first year Jamie’s been old enough to really have a clue what’s going on.”
Corinne’s expression turned a little wistful. “Oh, that first big Christmas is always such fun. Take lots of pictures.”
“You can be sure I will.” Just thinking about his three-year-old’s enthusiasm for all things Christmas had him picking up the pace as he headed out to his truck. Jamie was one hundred percent his mother’s son in this, though Ryan was reasonably sure the cookie decorating that would go along with the festivities was the true main attraction to the little sugar addict.
Fifteen minutes later, he pulled into the driveway of the old craftsman they’d been slowly restoring. True to form, Hannah had it lit up like a beacon, with garland and twinkle lights wrapped around the porch columns and more lights lining the eaves. A ribbon-festooned wreath hung on the bright red front door. Planters with rosemary shaped like Christmas trees stood on either side of the door. Those, too, had been strung with lights and tiny bows. It looked like something out of a Hallmark movie, exactly as she liked it.
The theme continued as he stepped through the door into an intoxicating cloud of vanilla, sugar, and butter that immediately made his mouth water.
“Daddy!”
A tiny torpedo in Christmas pajamas launched himself across the living room, heedless of the sea of ornament boxes spread across the floor. Ryan caught Jamie mid-flight, swinging him up into a bear hug. “Hey, buddy! Are you being Mama’s good helper?”
“We’re doing the tree! Finally!” Jamie bounced in his arms, practically vibrating with excitement. “Mama said we had to wait for you, and you’re here!”
Hannah rose from where she’d been sorting through boxes, looking absolutely edible in a red and white apron dusted with flour, the elf ears perched on her head. Damn, but he loved those elf ears. Her smile lit up the room better than all the Christmas lights combined.
“Welcome home.” With a smile that lit the room better than all the Christmas lights, she stretched up on her toes to give him a kiss that tasted like sugar cookies.
“Mm. You’ve been sampling the goods.”
“Quality control is very important.” Her eyes danced with impish delight. “Percy and Betty will be here in about twenty minutes. She’s bringing her pecan tarts.”
“See all the boxes, Daddy? Gran-Betty helped me make a special ornament at her house, but I can’t show you ’til they get here ‘cause it’s a surprise!”
The ringing of the bell had him wiggling to get down again. “They’re here! They’re here!”
Jamie bolted for the door, and Ryan hurried after him, catching up just as his son flung the door wide.
“Gran-Betty!”
“There’s my boy!” Betty wrapped Jamie in a warm hug while Percy stood back, trying to look gruff but failing as his great-nephew chattered a mile a minute.
“Did you bring my ornament, Gran-Betty? Can I show Daddy now?”
“I sure did, sugar.” Betty held up a covered plate in one hand and her famous cookie tin in the other. “Let me just set these things down first.”
“Y’all head on to the living room. I’ll pour the hot chocolate,” Hannah called.
“Extra mashmawohs in mine!” Jamie crowed.
Once coats were hung and everyone had settled in with hot chocolate and treats, Jamie carefully unwrapped his treasure—a salt dough ornament painted like a Christmas tree, decorated with glitter and tiny pompoms.
“Would you look at that?” Percy’s gruff voice held a note of pride. “Boy’s got talent, just like his mama.”
“Now Percy, you helped him paint it too,” Betty reminded him with a gentle pat on his arm.
“Daddy, can I put it on the tree now? Can I?”
“Let’s start at the bottom with the unbreakable ornaments,” Hannah suggested diplomatically. “Remember what happened to Mama’s glass ball last year?”
They fell into an easy rhythm, with Jamie carefully placing ornaments on the lower branches while the adults handled the higher ones. Each ornament seemed to come with its own story—from the ancient glass balls that had belonged to Percy’s mother to the newer ones Hannah had collected since their marriage, marking all their milestones.
Once the last ornament was placed, Hannah clapped her hands. “Time for the star. Jamie, do you want to do the honors?”
“Yeah!”
“Up we go.” Ryan hoisted his son onto his shoulders, keeping a firm grip on his legs as Hannah handed up the star. Jamie’s tongue poked out in concentration as he carefully settled it on the highest branch.
“Perfect,” Betty declared.
Percy humphed in agreement.
Jamie beamed down at them all from his perch. “Now it’s really Christmas! Time for cookies!”
“Is it now?” Hannah asked.
“Yeah!”
Oh boy, if he was this hyped up already, the crash from the sugar high was going to be brutal.
They migrated to the kitchen, where Hannah had set up a cookie decorating station for Jamie. As he went to work preparing sprinkle masterpieces, the rest of them decimated Betty’s pecan tarts and several of Hannah’s sugar cookies that had already been decorated. Percy declared the great cookie versus tart debate a draw to keep peace in the family.
Jamie sat at the kitchen island, utterly absorbed in his artistic endeavors. More sprinkles seemed to land on the counter—and in his hair—than on the cookies, but his look of intense concentration as he created his edible art was worth every bit of mess.
“Good Lord, boy, you’re wearing more than you’re using.” Percy shook his head at the growing collection of sprinkles on the floor.
“Look, Papa Percy!” Jamie held up a cookie that was more decoration than cookie. “It’s you and Gran-Betty!”
Ryan caught Hannah’s eye across the kitchen as Percy melted like butter in July, taking the cookie with exaggerated care. Who’d have thought the grumpy old cuss would turn into such a softie? But then Betty had worked her own kind of Christmas magic on Percy, and now here they were, finding a second chance at love with each other.
As their little chatterbox explained the artistic brilliance of his cookie masterpiece to Percy, Ryan crossed over to wrap an arm around his wife. She cuddled into him, her eyes crinkled with a smile. “I’d say we did good with that one.”
“Yeah, we did.” Pressing a kiss to her temple, he breathed in the scents of the holiday and basked in utter contentment.
Sometimes the best Christmas gifts were the ones you never thought to put on your list.
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I hope you enjoyed this extra glimpse into Ryan and Hannah’s happily ever after! Given that Christmas brought them together, it only felt right that we see a future Christmas with all the trimmings done up Hannah-style.
Be sure to check out the rest of the Wishful Romance series for more heartwarming small town romance!