Page 31 of Soldier’s Christmas Crush (Trinity Falls: Home for Christmas #4)

WILLOW

A few days after Christmas, Willow stood in Jensen’s mom’s kitchen, looking around at the array of familiar faces from her childhood.

It was incredible how many of her friends had stayed in Trinity Falls, or come back here when they were ready to build a family and start their adult lives in earnest.

The kitchen was full of energy, laughter, and so much food.

In true Trinity Falls fashion, this was a potluck and people took the assignment seriously.

The very best dishes from the kitchens of Cassidys, Webbs, and so many others covered practically every surface in the house.

Annabelle Williams had brought a basket of fragrant biscuits.

And a huge crock of Marilyn Anderson’s famous macaroni casserole had lasted all of about ten minutes.

“Willow,” Jensen said softly, taking her hand. “Mom’s got Henry. Let’s go start a fire in the fire pit.”

She smiled up at him, amazed that no matter how many times he took her hand in his, it still sent happy shivers down her spine.

“Okay,” she said.

Maybe it was sort of silly to hang out by the fire pit in late December when there was still a ton of snow on the ground from the big storm.

But it was getting hot in the house with so many people.

And they had sat together around so many fires over the years that it just felt right to escape outside to enjoy the cold, fresh air.

They worked together, gathering wood like always. Before long, they had a nice fire going, and the big logs they used for seating were all brushed off and ready for people to come gather and talk about old times.

“Should I run and grab everyone?” she asked him.

“In a minute,” he told her. “I just had to ask you something first.”

She frowned at the serious note in his voice, then realized what it had to be.

“Oh gosh, is this about the captain’s wedding?” she asked him. “I thought you would never ask me.”

Captain Anderson had been planning his wedding for as long as Willow had been back in town. It would be a huge event for all the veterans in town. They were all invited, and the captain promised that it would be an enormous and fun occasion.

“Of course I want you to go with me,” Jensen said, his eyes twinkling in the firelight.

He honestly looked more handsome than ever. Sometimes it was hard to remember that she wasn’t a kid anymore, and that he had feelings for her too.

As the happy days passed, she was pleased to learn that Jensen wasn’t exactly as she’d pictured him when she was a lovesick teen. He was so much better—patient and kind with a quiet but keen sense of humor that he didn’t share with everyone and that she had never expected.

“It’s not about the captain’s wedding though,” Jensen said.

“It’s not?” she echoed, wondering what it could be.

Before she knew what was happening, he was kneeling in the snow, holding up a little wooden box with something inside that sparkled almost as much as the tears in Willow’s eyes.

“I might have been too blind to see it before now,” he said, his deep voice rough with emotion.

“But you’re the most incredible woman in the world.

I love you with everything I have, and you melt me with every glance.

Every time you read to Henry, or you let me hold your hand, I feel like I could conquer the world.

I’ve got a crush on you Willow Wright, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to actually crush me if I don’t do something about it. Will you marry me, Willow?”

“Yes,” she said, laughing as her heart erupted in fireworks. “Yes, I will.”

He was on his feet in an instant, sliding the ring onto her finger and wrapping his arms around her.

When he bent to kiss her, she barely had time to take a breath.

Then his warm mouth was pressed to hers, feeding on her gently at first, before he wrapped a hand around her cheek as if to hold her still so he could kiss her with the hunger of a starving man.

She had pictured this kiss a thousand times over the years, but the real thing surpassed all of her fantasies. She was pretty sure that she was just going to float away with happiness.

A whoop went up from his parents’ deck and Willow pulled back, her cheeks heating as she realized they had witnesses.

Jensen let her go, but kept hold of her hand.

“I hope you like the idea of a winter wedding,” he murmured to her as their friends and family began heading down the hill to congratulate them.

“As long as it’s this winter,” she agreed.

He pulled her close to wrap an arm around her, and they headed up the hill.

They each held out their free arm to his mom, who was the first to greet them, with Henry on her hip and tears in her eyes.

Henry went right to his daddy and stayed in his arms, reaching for Willow now and then, as if to be sure of her, while person after person came to congratulate them all.

Within a few minutes, Willow was overcome with all the well wishes and the warm hugs they received.

But it was cold, so before too long, only the younger generation was left seated around the fire.

The parents and grandparents had headed back up to the house, leaving Jensen, Willow, and Henry standing on the hillside between, listening to the happy voices float down from the house and up from the logs around the fire.

“Are you okay?” Jensen asked, gazing down at her.

“More than okay,” she told him happily. “I feel like I could fly.”

“As long as you’re flying to me,” he whispered, pulling her close .

“Only to you,” she promised.

He kissed her again, but chastely with Henry between them.

“ Me ,” Henry said suddenly.

“Kiss you?” Willow asked him.

He nodded his little head up and down, and she leaned in to kiss his cheek.

Jensen kissed Henry’s other cheek at the same time, and the little boy was so tickled that he let out a peal of laughter that rang out in the frosty night.

It was such a happy sound that Willow couldn’t help smiling up at her fiancé like a fool.

“You still have a crush on me,” Jensen teased her. “Don’t you?”

“I do,” she admitted.

“I’m so glad,” he told her, his voice suddenly serious. “And I’m going to do everything I can to never break that spell.”

When he bent to brush her lips with his again, she could feel the pull between them, and she knew there was no spell to be broken because there wasn’t a bit of magic involved.

What had started as a crush had grown into a love so strong that it had made the three of them a family—and it was built on history, but also on respect, and compassion, and so much joy.

“It’s not just a crush anymore,” she told him.

“I know,” he said, his voice rough with emotion as he stroked her cheek so gently.

“But don’t worry,” she whispered. “I still want to write your name in my diary with puffy hearts all around it. ”

His warm laughter filled her heart, and she knew everything was going to be wonderful from now on.