Cayden squeezed my hand as we approached the tree. The crowd was a bit larger than last year, but it still had a very intimate feeling. We moved closer to the tree, anxious to get a good spot. I’d looked forward to this all day.
“It’s crazy to think how far we have come in a year,” Cayden said. I nodded. It was like he was reading my mind.
“I know,” I said. “I was just thinking about all of that on the walk here. Things are so different and so good.”
Cayden smiled at me.
“I think about it a lot,” he said. “It’s crazy how quickly we fell in love and how quickly we became a family. I am so thankful for you, Tiffany, and I know Austin feels the same way.”
I smiled back at Cayden. I knew that Austin loved me as much as I loved him. We had a great relationship, but hearing Cayden mention it made me feel even better about the situation.
“I am so thankful for both of you,” I told Cayden. He grinned.
“I love how you accepted him as your own,” Cayden said. “I know there have been some trying times, but it’s like that with any kid.”
I laughed. I knew exactly what Cayden was mentioning. While I loved Austin, he was a handful at times. Just last week, he had ruined a pair of my new running shoes. It was an accident, but Cayden still reprimanded him for having open paint near them. We also had quite a few incidents with Austin and his new puppy, Maxwell. But no matter what Austin did, we couldn’t help but smile and forgive him. He was too cute to stay angry at.
“He’s a great kid,” I told Cayden. “How could I not fall in love with him?”
Cayden pulled me close and kissed me.
“You’re a great woman,” he said. I kissed him back but stopped before we started something that we couldn’t finish. I wanted more, but now was not the time or the place. Maybe we could have some fun in the guest room later that evening.
“Merry Christmas Eve, Tiffany,” he said, embracing me.
“Merry Christmas Eve,” I responded.
“Tiffany,” Austin’s small voice called out. “I have a present for you.”
I looked down to see Austin standing next to us. He looked up at me with a huge grin on his face. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a small, square box.
“Tiffany, will you marry us?” Austin asked. He passed the box to Cayden. As I turned to look at Cayden, I saw he had gotten down on one knee. He took the box from Austin and opened it up to reveal a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. He held the box out to me.
Tears began to fall onto my cheeks as I took the scene in. The crowd had formed a circle around us. Cayden was on his knee, Austin was holding my right hand, and Cayden’s parents were looking at us, their faces beaming with pride.
“Yes!” I exclaimed. Cayden rose to his feet as he took the ring out of the box and slid it on my left ring finger. The diamonds were dazzling in the moonlight. The crowd erupted into applause.
“Welcome to the family.” Alice rushed toward me, embracing me in a hug. I hugged her back. As she stepped back, Cayden and Austin gave me a huge hug. Suddenly, the Christmas tree began to light up and the crowd began to clap again. Christmas music came over the speakers as people began to sing. I felt as if they were celebrating my engagement, too. Cayden grabbed one of my hands and Austin grabbed the other as we watched the tree light up. I squeezed both of their hands as tears continued to fall from my cheeks.
This was the best Christmas ever.
The End