Holly, Jolly, and Oh So Naughty (Festive Flames)
Holly, Jolly, and Oh So Naughty: Chapter 30

“Merry Christmas.” Lily’s hands slide around my waist and press flat against my abdomen. Her grip tightens, and she draws me back against herself, pulling my attention away from the dessert I was very carefully placing sugar candy stars onto.

Christmas Day has been magical from start to finish. I woke early, still unable to believe that Lily had said yes to the question, and showered quickly. By the time I headed downstairs, the inn was filled with light and music as Lily’s parents hosted a Christmas breakfast for all the guests still staying there, myself included. Lily and Emma arrived a little after ten, and I had the privilege of watching Emma open up all of her gifts.

I took note of everything she was given, cataloging it in my mind as things she liked. I was over the moon that she loved my gift of the snow globe I’d seen her eyeing at the Christmas fair last week. Lily was quick to place the snow globe someplace safe, but Emma was happy, and thus, so was I.

I know there are harder conversations to come about childcare and the like, but right now, everyone is embracing the Christmas spirit, and I’m not going to change that.

“You’ve been in here all afternoon,” Lily murmurs, ending the hug by stepping away and leaning on the counter next to me. “Are you hiding?”

“Who would I be hiding from?” I ask softly. “I’m helping.”

“Well, helping my parents prepare dinner is a really sweet gesture, but you are allowed to come out of here every so often.”

I place another few stars, then turn to Lily with a warm smile. “Trust me, I’m having a blast. I can’t even really explain how amazing it is to have a home-cooked meal at Christmas, or even how great it is to help and have a hand in it.”

“I take it your mother isn’t a cook?” Lily scoffs, swiping one of the sugar stars and popping it into her mouth.

“Not even a little. Everything was catered or purchased in some way. Seeing everything you do with your family, even since I got here, has been amazing. So trust me.” I lean forward and lightly kiss the tip of her nose. “I am not hiding. I’m enjoying things.”

“Are you sure you’re not scared of my mother?” Lily laughs.

“I mean, a little. When I told her about what I wanted to do for you at the town square, I thought she was going to clock me with a wrench and send me right back to the city,” I say softly. “I was very aware of how people adore you in this town, and getting them on board was probably the scariest thing.”

“Oh, really?” Lily steals another sugar star.

“Other than facing you and pouring my heart out,” I add. “That was pretty damn scary.”

“I’m glad you did.” Lily turns those gorgeous eyes to me. “I’m not saying everything is magically fixed, but I think we have a good start. Plus, it’s Christmas.”

The next time she tries to steal a sugar star, I catch her wrist and pull her toward me. Lily comes easily with a cheeky smile, and I lean into her, making her curve backward slightly. The warmth of the kitchen creates a rosy flush across her cheeks, and her eyes dart over my face as I lean closer.

“If you eat all of those, there’s none for the pudding.”

“Shame.” She giggles. “Should keep a better eye on them, then.”

“Because that’s my issue,” I murmur, bringing my lips within a hair’s breadth of hers. “And not your sticky fingers.”

“Mmmhmm.” Lily grins, cupping my cheek with her soft hand. Her thumb skims across my jaw, then she closes the gap and presses a slow, lingering kiss to my lips. It’s just a single kiss and yet my heart immediately begins to race and a different heat flushes down my body.

As she pulls away, I chase her lips and kiss her deeply with a soft groan. Her hands slide around my neck, and she toys with my hairline while my tongue teases across the seam of her lips.

There’s no telling where we’d stop if not for the egg timer suddenly trilling loudly, and we both pause.

“Your pudding?” Lily asks with a smirk.

“Your dad’s pastry, actually,” I correct softly, pecking her lips once more.

We straighten up, and Lily slides away, snagging a few more sugar stars on her way out. “Just don’t stay in here forever.”

I spend the next hour in the kitchen, joined eventually by Lily’s mother and father. I can’t express how much it means to me that they let me be a part of this, and helping cook lifts my spirits higher than I’d ever imagined.

By the time we sit down for Christmas dinner, I’m mostly giddy. Lily sits next to me and Emma sits one chair down, but she babbles to me as if we are right beside one another. Lily’s father carves the chicken, and I dish out the greens and potatoes that I helped with, while Emma’s mother is in charge of the sauce, the sprouts, and all the trimmings.

It’s not the most extravagant Christmas meal I’ve ever eaten, but it immediately becomes my favorite. Sitting around a rickety wooden table that creaks every time someone moves a plate, dressed in Christmas sweaters with musical carols playing in the air… it’s heaven. We eat, laugh, and joke about the year. Emma’s mother talks about some expansion details she has for next year, while her father mentions a desire to return to his old hobby of crochet.

More things I store in my mind as I learn about these people.

Then it’s time for dessert. I serve the dish I made with a proud grin, and when serving Lily’s slice, I scatter a few extra sugar stars on her plate.

Then Emma speaks up and brings the entire table to silence.

“Daddy?”

The word still sounds strange, and I pause in serving, feeling as if Emma has just punched me right in the center of my chest. I don’t think I will ever tire of hearing that term. Everyone else goes silent, and I hover over the table, unsure what to do.

Lily’s mom stands and takes the serving spoon from me. Then she flashes me an encouraging smile and nods toward Emma.

I sit slowly and face my daughter. “Yes?”

“Can you come to the dance with me?”

My heart pounds so hard, it’s a wonder no one else at the table can hear it. I want to say yes. I want to run outside and scream in delight that my daughter, such a new addition to my life, already wants me to attend the daddy/daughter dance with her.

I look to Lily’s father who seems completely unfazed by the question, but the last thing I want to do is step on his toes when Emma has a tradition of asking him.

Lily’s hand moves to my thigh and her lips part, but before she can speak, her father talks instead.

“I think that’s a swell idea,” he says in between mouthfuls of pudding. “My hip has been playing up, so I couldn’t dance even if I wanted to.”

He’s giving me his blessing in a way that’s subtle, and yet it means so much. The static sting of emotion rises behind my eyes, and I swallow audibly, then look at Emma.

“I would love to,” I say, fighting to keep my voice strong. “It would be my honor.”

“Yay!” Emma is oblivious to my emotional turmoil, but Lily sees it all and she keeps her hand on my leg for the remainder of the meal.

So much of this still doesn’t feel real.

After dinner, we all bundle up into our winter coats and head out to the town hall where the daddy/daughter dance is being held. Lily and I walk with Emma singing and jumping around between us, and she’s a ball of energy until we reach the hall. Then she becomes subdued and as we head toward the dance hall, she begins to lag behind.

Her grandparents go on ahead while Lily and I take Emma off to the side.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” Lily asks, kneeling in front of Emma. “Do you want to go home?”

Emma shakes her head.

“Do you want to change your dress?”

Again she shakes her head. Lily sighs softly, then her head tilts. “Is it because of what your classmates were saying?”

Emma nods.

“What did they say?” I ask softly, confusion swirling in my chest. “Is something wrong?”

“Just childish bullies,” Lily murmurs as she stands back up. “They’ve been teasing Emma because she’s been bringing her grandpa to these dances.”

Oh.

Kids are assholes.

I lower down to my haunches in front of Emma and hold out my hand. “You know, it doesn’t matter what they say but I can promise you, if we walk out there right now, they won’t be able to say anything because we are going to be the best dancers out of everyone.”

Emma’s eyes light up and then she finally takes my hand. “Do you know the chicken?” she asks.

I glance at Lily, who merely laughs, and then I shake my head. “I don’t know the chicken.”

Emma rolls her eyes in a way that reminds me of Lily and drags me forward. We spend the next ten minutes learning the chicken dance, and then it’s showtime.

I don’t notice the decorations or the other parents filing into the hall. I don’t pay attention to the other children, the catering table, or even Lily in the stands.

For the entire dance, my sole focus is on Emma. We dance around the room together, sometimes in sync but mostly out of sync. Not that it matters. The smile on her face is delightful and it quells all the uncertainty in my heart. I have a lot to make up for concerning Emma and Lily, but this is a beautiful place to start.

I’ll take her to these dances until I’m eighty just to see her smile like this, and even if she decides she no longer wants to, I will remember this forever. We dance for what feels like hours until Emma’s heartwarming smiles and laughter melt into yawns and swaying. After our final loop of the dance hall, I scoop her up into my arms, and she nuzzles in as I carry her back to where Lily sits with her parents.

“Aww, look at her,” Lily coos. “She’s all tuckered out.”

“She’s not the only one,” I say as I pass Emma into Lily’s arms, then lightly kiss Lily’s cheek. “She was out almost as soon as I picked her up.”

As a group, we leave the hall, and as we head down the hallway toward the outer doors, Lily’s father holds out one hand to me.

I accept it with a flicker of a frown.

“It’s about time we saw this family complete,” he says with a smile, clasping my shoulders.

His words, and the warmth in his eyes, catch me by surprise. That may just be the most affection I’ve ever received from a parental person, and the fact that he really seems to mean it affects me more than I can say.

My heart clenches painfully at the absence of my own father, and I realize that with Lily accepting me into her life, I’m gaining more than just a girlfriend and a daughter. I’m gaining a full family.

“Thanks for having me,” I say as we step outside and come to a stop, Lily and her mother taking in the beautiful scene before us.

The entire parking lot is covered in thick snow, and fat snowflakes drift down from the sky. With the sparkling Christmas trees near the entrance, a swell of festive spirit surges through me and I place my arm around Lily’s waist.

“Merry Christmas.”