I start toward the nearest booth, but his light tug on my hand stops me as he hauls me against him.
He smiles down at me. “You know what my Christmas wish is?”
I rest my hands against his chest. I will never get tired of being able to touch him whenever I want. “Do you want a Megazoid Battlebot too? If you’re nice to Gage, he might share.”
He reaches up and pushes a loose strand of hair behind my shoulder. “I wish everyone in the world could be as happy as I am this Christmas. I love you, Taylor Rose Bixby.”
“Love you more, Levi William Taft.”
“Call it a tie?”
“Deal.” And we seal it with a kiss.
Chapter Seventeen
Taylor
IsurviveChristmasTown.
Christmas Town itself might even have thrived. Barely past midnight on Saturday, the last booth is hauled off in the last truck, and the cleaning crew will be up before the sun to take care of anything left behind. But one thing I love about Creekville is that everyone takes care of the town. From the booths to the guests, people have made an effort the entire weekend to make sure the town green stays tidy.
By the time Levi walks me back to my apartment, I’m almost asleep on my feet with the kind of exhaustion that only hits when your body finally knows it’s safe to crash.
He helps me up the stairs to my apartment, and when I hand him my keys and lean against the wall, eyes closed as he unlocks my door, he scoops me up to carry me in.
Other than a faint squeak, I’m too tired to laugh or protest.
It’s a decent-sized apartment for one person—seven hundred square feet, smartly laid out so every room feels spacious, even the galley kitchen. He heads for the hallway and spots the open door to my bedroom at the end, walking right in and gently setting me down on my bed.
“Sorry,” I say, eyes fluttering shut. “I’m not doing a good job of giving you the grand tour.”
“Stop,” he says. “I was in your apartment a million times in college. I know your vibe. I can get a tour later.”
“Mmkay,” I say, burrowing into my pillow.
He pulls off my shoes and wiggles my comforter out to tuck me in. I sense him leaning down to kiss me, and I turn my lips up to meet his, but instead, he stops beside my ear. “Taylor.”
“Mmm?”
“I don’t want to leave.”
I give him a drowsy blink, then smile and hold the blanket up, scooching backward to make room for him. He smiles and kicks his shoes off before climbing in with me. This time, I’m the one who curls around him, his back to my chest, feeling the steady breaths he draws.
“Levi?” I mumble sleepily.
“Yeah?”
“I’m really mad it took you this long to figure this out.”
I feel more than I hear his soft laugh. “Me too. But are you trying to say you already knew?”
I’m not awake enough to think that through, so I just say what’s true in my gut.
“Deep down, I always knew.” I’m more asleep than awake, but I think I hear him say “Me too.”
When I wake up the next morning, Levi is gone, but there’s a note with my name on the nightstand.
Helping downstairs. Sleep as long as you want.
