Page 12 of Guarded by the Yeti (Monster Security Agency)

Short of wrapping myself in gift wrap and sleeping under the Christmas tree for Kaelthar to find me in the morning, I don’t know what to do. I’m in the middle of nowhere, and I have nothing with me. All my personal belongings were left behind, in my parents’ house. I wonder if I’ll ever get them back. I would’ve loved to give Kaelthar one of my paintings. I would love to paint something for him right now, but I have no painting supplies.

The tree is beautiful, the cabin is warm, and I’ve just had a nice cup of tea. My eyes are heavy. He told me not to wait for him, but I don’t want to go to bed alone. Eventually, I have to, because I’m falling asleep on the couch. I drag myself into the bedroom and slip under the soft blankets. I’m out in minutes. These past few days have been insane. No wonder I crash whenever I’m given the chance.

At some point during the night, I hear the front door open and close. I sit up in bed, eyes wide, listening carefully. There’s no commotion, nothing to indicate I might be in danger. The lights are on everywhere. I haven’t told Kaelthar because I don’t want to upset him, but it’s a little unnerving that it’s always dark outside. I miss the sun. I hear him in the living room, fumbling with something, then his massive frame appears in the doorway. I smile at him, and he smiles back.

“Sorry I woke you,” he says.

“I don’t sleep well without you.” I motion for him to join me.

He considers it for a second, then shakes his head and says he needs to take a shower first. That’s when I notice the blood stains on his fur. He’s tried to wipe them off but hasn’t done a great job. I don’t say anything, just nod, and he slips into the bathroom.

By the time he’s done and joins me in bed, I’m half asleep. He pulls me close, and I let his big body warm me up. I sleep like a baby, until the late hours of the morning. I don’t even notice when he wakes up and sneaks out of the bedroom.

“Merry Christmas, sleepyhead,” he greets me later, in the kitchen, with a hot cup of coffee.

“Merry Christmas.” I yawn, and he makes a face, like he thinks I’m cute.

“When do you want to unwrap presents?”

I cover my eyes with my hands and groan. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get you anything.”

He laughs. “What do you mean?”

I shoot him a look. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise. As soon as we get back to civilization.”

He pouts, then walks over to me, lifts me up, and carries me into the living room. He grabs a bow from the tree and places it right atop my head.

“Hey!”

“Again, what do you mean? My Christmas present is right here. You just forgot to wrap it.”

The bow falls off, and I laugh. “I did think about that, not gonna lie. But I didn’t have enough wrapping paper. You used it all.”

“Come on.” He puts me down. “Let’s see what Santa got you.”

I roll my eyes. “Santa...”

He sits on the floor, and I sit in his lap. He really needs a red costume. Next year, I’m buying him one. I start unwrapping the presents. I don’t know what to expect, and I notice how excited that makes me. I’ve gotten Christmas presents all my life. Every year, too many to count. But they were always predictable – the latest fashion, gold jewelry, expensive knick-knacks. For the first time in years, I’m truly curious about what these boxes contain.

I open the first gift, and it’s the softest wool blanket I’ve ever touched. It’s bright pink, and that instantly lifts my mood. I kiss Kaelthar on the cheek and wrap the blanket around my shoulders. The second gift is a handmade mug that says, “Have a Merry Yeti Christmas!”, and it’s hilarious. I set it aside and reach for the third gift. As I unwrap it, I can feel it’s something squishy.

“A stuffed bear?” I ask.

“Close, but not quite.”

I reveal a snow-white stuffed animal that looks exactly like...

I burst out laughing. I’m laughing so hard that I roll off Kaelthar’s lap and onto the floor. He laughs with me and follows me onto the floor. We lie together in front of the fire. The smell of pine needles and burning firewood fills my nostrils, and I suddenly feel happier than I’ve ever felt.

“I need to call him something,” I say, waving the stuffed Yeti in his face. “What should I call him? What are some good Yeti names?”

“Oh, so many options... But wait, there’s a fourth present.”

I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen a fourth box under the tree. I sit up and check. Nope, no fourth gift.

When I turn to Kaelthar, he’s on his knees, holding a tiny box. I stand up, taken aback, and we’re eye to eye. I can see that he’s unsure of himself. Or not of himself, but... of me. I know what’s in the box.

“You don’t have to say anything,” he says quickly. “I just thought... I wanted... Well, I wanted to surprise you, I guess. And I wanted to get you something special.”

The lid pops open, and it’s a platinum ring with the biggest diamond I’ve ever seen.

“I hope platinum is okay,” he says. “Maybe you’re a yellow gold kind of girl, I don’t know. I just thought it would go well with your hair.”

“This is beautiful, Kaelthar.”

He takes the ring out, and I hold my hand out. He slips it onto my finger. The stone is heavy. This is the kind of ring I’ve always dreamed the right man would propose with.

“Yes,” I say.

He beams at me. “Yes?”

“Yes.”

He jumps to his feet and grabs me by the waist, spins me around. I laugh and try to hold on to him. He sneaks one arm under my butt and lifts me with ease. I wrap my own arms around his neck and press my lips to his. He’s warm, and he smells like winter and firewood, and I love him. I love him so much.

“But on one condition,” I say.

He looks concerned for a moment.

I slap him playfully. “We can’t live here, at the North Pole. The weather is kind of a bummer.”

He laughs. “Of course not. This is just a holiday cabin. We can move wherever you want. Name a place, and I’ll buy us a home there.”

I smile. “I’ll have to think about it. You don’t mind, do you? I just want to make the right decision.”

“Take as long as you need.”

We kiss again, then we roll back onto the floor, he’s on top of me, and as he’s removing the oversized T-shirt that’s now mine, I stare at the diamond on my finger.

Merry Christmas, indeed.

THE END