With a frown, Hunter said, “Jack, come.”
For the shortest moment, it looked as if Jack might not listen to Hunter, but then he finally got up and trotted over, jumping into the back area of the Explorer that Hunter had made up for him. It was like a giant kennel in the backseat.
We watched as Hunter and Arabella drove down the long drive.
Sighing, I leaned into Bishop. The heat lamps that we had placed all around the area were now off, and I was beginning to get cold.
“Come on, Abs. Let’s get you back up to the house to warm up.”
“What about this mess?” I asked.
“I already hired someone to come and clean it all up. They’ll be here in about twenty minutes.”
“Are you sure, Bishop? I don’t mind—”
He pressed his finger to my lips. “The only thing I want to do right now is get you up to our bedroom and strip you out of those clothes.”
“I should go home and get…” I let my voice trail off when Bishop raised a brow.
“This is your home. You can go to your folks’ place tomorrow and get whatever you need. You still have a closet full of clothes here if you need something for tomorrow.”
Reaching up on my toes, I kissed Bishop. “I don’t deserve you.”
He pulled me into his arms. “Yes, you do. Now, let’s go. I’m freezing.”
I got up early the next morning and headed to my folks’ house. Bishop had stayed back at the tree farm to get ready for the season-opening day, and I wanted to make sure I was back in time.
I spent about thirty minutes packing up the few things I’d brought back with me from Boston. I had either sold or given away nearly everything, thinking I would most likely be starting over from scratch or, God willing, that Bishop would forgive me and I’d be moving back in with him. I couldn’t help but smile knowing the latter had come true.
“Is this it? Three bags?” my father asked as he entered my room.
“This is it.”
“Ready to go home, pumpkin?”
I sighed and smiled. “Those are the sweetest four words I’ve ever heard, Daddy.”
He laughed. “It was actually five, but I’ll let it slip.” He picked up two of my bags while I reached for the third.
After I got back to the tree farm, I changed, put on a little bit of makeup, and headed into the kitchen to have one more cup of coffee. I was exhausted, but I couldn’t complain about why I was so tired.
Bishop stood there, a cup of coffee in his own hand.
“Pinch me.”
He waggled his brows. “I don’t think we have time for that.”
I laughed. “I’ve wanted this moment to happen for so long—I just want to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
Bishop set his coffee mug down—his favorite one that said, I grow magical trees—and was in front of me in three steps. He cupped my face in his hands and leaned in. “Because me making love to you three times last night wasn’t a good enough pinch, I’m going to kiss you.”
“Okay,” I whispered as my heartbeat sped up.
The moment his lips met mine, I felt it. Bishop’s love poured straight into me and my body heated. The man always did know how to kiss me senseless. Except this time, his kiss meant so much more. Our kisses in the last twenty-four hours had been so much more intense than they ever were before. I could only imagine it was because we had both known what we had been missing. And the sheer happiness of being back together.
As he drew away, he sucked my bottom lip into his mouth and gently bit down. “There, I pinched you. Now, are you ready to go sell some Christmas trees?”
I knew I wore a goofy smile as I looked up at him and whispered, “Don’t you mean magical trees?”
He grinned. “There is something magical about this place, isn’t there?”
Nodding, I agreed. “Something magical indeed.”
Bishop
The farm was insanely busy, and I hadn’t been able to catch my breath since our opening day two weeks ago. Although we were normally steady until we ran out of trees each year, we hadn’t ever been this busy. I knew it was because Abby had taken over the marketing from me and was knocking it out of the park. Apparently, in Boston she’d been in charge of marketing for a flower shop and had learned a lot from the owner. Now she was using what she’d learned for the farm, and it was paying off.
I walked over to Ken, who had been in the process of helping bale and load trees. He looked up at me and smiled. “Can you believe this crowd?”
Glancing at the line of cars waiting to have their trees baled and loaded, I grinned. “I think we’re going to run out of trees by next weekend.”
He laughed. “I think you’re right. We have that reserve section; we could open it.”
I nodded, taking in the sight before me. Kids were running around, chasing the few snowflakes that were falling, and people were gathered around the firepit, making s’mores and drinking hot apple cider, all of them with delighted expressions on their faces. That’s what Wonderland Tree Farm was. A magical place that made people happy. I was positive I was the happiest of them all.
Damn, I love this job.
Turning back to Ken, I asked, “Have you seen Abby?”
“Last I saw, she was in the barn with Arabella. They’re hosting a wreath-making class.”
“Another one?” I asked with a disbelieving chuckle.
Ken nodded. “It appears to be even more popular than last year. Arabella is teaching the adults, while Abby’s doing one for the kids.”
I felt my heart swell with happiness. The last two weeks had been perfect with Abby. Every spare minute we were alone, we either talked or made love. It felt like my world had finally righted itself, and I was living in heavenly bliss.
We had discussed birth control but had decided to just let nature take its course. We both wanted kids, though when we talked about it, I could see in Abby’s eyes that she was still nervous. Not terrified, but nervous, which was expected. I was fucking nervous as well.
Hitting Ken on the arm, I said, “I’ll relieve you in a bit; I’m going to go peek in on that class.”
Ken rolled his eyes. “You have fun with that.”
When I walked into the barn, I took in the crowd of people. My mother was behind the cash register, informing someone of how to properly take care of their new Christmas tree. Next to her was a young girl Abby had hired to work in the store. Her name was Melinda and she had been a huge help. My mother adored her, and even though Mom and Dad technically came into town each weekend to help out on the farm, I knew they enjoyed catching up with their friends in Boggy Creek even more. Melinda being here afforded my mother more time to chat with folks she knew.
Mom caught my eye and smiled. I waved and she motioned with her head toward the right side of the store, where the room we used for classes and such was located. When schoolkids came to visit the farm, this was where we educated them on the process of planting and growing Christmas trees. When Abby wasn’t showing people how to make wreaths, she was hosting cranberry-and popcorn-stringing parties. Last Monday, she’d also arranged for a group of older women to use the room to knit stockings to donate to the children’s hospital in Boston.