by Sophie Mays
“There’s something Rafe and I would like to show all of you,” Hannah said.
“It requires going out, I’m afraid,” Rafferty said.
“Called it!” Jake and AJ said. They high-fived and turned to Carson, crowing in unison, “Pay up!”
“What’s going on?” Emma asked, as Carson patiently explained that his wallet was upstairs and therefore much too far away for him to give the twins even a cent.
Mimi had a twinkle in her eyes as she laid a hand on Boone’s arm. “I suppose we’ll just have to follow these two to find out, won’t we?”
They all wrapped themselves in warm coats and scarves, and within fifteen minutes they were all saddled up. They trotted off, with Hannah and Rafferty in the lead, though by this time most could guess where they were going. Laughter and happy shouts crackled with the frost in the winter air as they joyfully moved along.
When they got to the cabins, the Wyatts looked on in awe.
“It’s only been two weeks,” Emma said in amazement.
“Hannah worked very hard,” Rafferty said, pride in his tone.
“We both did,” Hannah corrected, looking at him fondly.
The cabins weren’t quite in tip-top shape, but they were quite a sight better than the dilapidated dwellings they’d been before. How Hannah and Rafferty had managed to get so much done while also participating in family activities, the others couldn’t quite fathom. Then again, it had been pretty clear from the beginning that Hannah and Rafferty made an excellent team.
“Y’all have to see the inside too,” Hannah said excitedly.
None of the cabins were furnished, but inside the middle cabin, there stood a gorgeously decorated tree. The Wyatt clan exclaimed and fawned over the decorations while Hannah and Rafferty stood by proudly.
“We haven’t lit it yet,” Rafferty said, “We wanted to wait until everyone could be here and see it.”
When the others looked over, he had an arm around Hannah’s shoulders. She was comfortable leaning into his side. They wondered with amusement if either realized how close they were.
“Well, we’re all here now, dears,” Mimi said. “No time like the present.”
“I want to plug it in!” Carson, AJ, and Jake chorused. While those three argued, Emma quietly walked over to the plug and pushed it into the outlet.
The tree lit up, the twinkling lights reflecting off the ornaments in a way that made the whole room shine. For a moment there was silence as they all stood in the warm glow of a Christmas tree decorated with care and joy. This was what it was all about really. Laughter and family and togetherness, the peace that comes with profound bonds and overflowing love.
Boone moved over to Hannah’s side. He gently pulled her away from Rafferty and into his own arms.
“I’m proud of you and what you’ve done here,” he said quietly. “I know you and your siblings will turn this into something amazing.”
Hannah’s eyes welled up with ecstatic tears. “Thank you, Daddy,” she whispered.
He held her tightly rocking her from side to side. Over her head, Boone shared and intense look with Rafferty, who nodded solemnly back.
After a few more long moments of chatter, basking in the light of the tree, everyone headed back to the main house. Some watched familiar Christmas specials, while others helped in the kitchen with preparing dinner, while others inspected their new gifts more closely. AJ had already gotten pastel dust on Mimi, Rosalind, and Carson.
Dinner, when it was served, was delicious, and dessert was the same. Though the pleasure of each other’s company would have been quite enough as they all talked and laughed for hours.
Rafferty, Rosalind, and Carson bickered over Americanisms and Britishisms. AJ was still trying to convince Emma to let her glasses get painted, using the same arguments from Thanksgiving and making the same amount of headway. Jake and Boone discussed where he would go if he decided to take another trip before settling down with everyone else to start the business. Mimi and Hannah spoke about potential color schemes for the cabins.
AJ and Jake told Rosalind some stories of their escapades after their older siblings had left for college. Carson asked for Boone’s opinion on some potential vegetarian recipes. Emma and Mimi discussed a cake design Emma wasn’t quite sure how to implement. Rafferty told Hannah and Jake about some of the myths he was most excited to see the illustrations of in the book Hannah had gifted him.
Rosalind and Emma talked about their best finds while shopping at thrift stores. AJ enthusiastically explained to Mimi and Boone all the ideas she already had for her pastels. Jake teased Carson about spoiling Cooper by giving him scraps. Rafferty quietly told Hannah this was probably the best Christmas he’d ever had.
-
The next morning, Hannah wandered down the stairs, completely expecting to be the only one awake. She was used to being the sole early bird the day after Christmas. Even Mimi took the chance to sleep in. Breakfast was every person for themselves, and Hannah was in the habit of sneaking a small slice of leftover cake before anyone else came downstairs.
To her surprise, Carson was sitting at the kitchen table, staring out the windows to the backyard. Cooper’s head was on his knee, and he was absently petting the dog as it gazed upwards at him with doleful eyes.
“Cars?” Hannah whispered as she tiptoed into the kitchen.
It was one of the few nicknames her brother allowed. He’d loved toy cars when he was little and, much like AJ’s art, it was a love that had grown with him. He handled almost all the upkeep on his food truck himself. When they were kids, Hannah asking “Play with Cars?” meant playing with toy cars, playing with her brother, or both.
He slowly turned to her with a distant expression on his face. Hannah hated it when he looked like that. It would make him feel bad to know how sad it made her, though, so she always tried to maintain her equilibrium in the face of it.
Carson blinked and seemed to finally see her.
“A bit early to be out of bed, isn’t it, Miss Wyatt?” he asked quietly.
He always called her that when he was teasing her about being ‘improper’, a tribute to her love of Austen. He didn’t know enough about it to know Emma was Miss Wyatt until she got married. Otherwise, Hannah would just be Miss Hannah. Carson would claim to be putting his own spin on it even if he was aware, so it didn’t matter much.
“That’s the whole point,” Hannah said, “It’s hard to sneak leftover cake for breakfast if there’s a whole bunch of people around.”
Carson looked at her with genuine surprise before covering his mouth to muffle his laughter.
“I’m gonna start calling you Sneak-thief,” he said between chuckles.
Hannah shrugged. “No one will know why,” she said.
“That’s at least half the fun of it,” Carson replied with a smirk. Hannah shook her head at her ridiculous brother. He looked like he’d had a rough night, so she cut him a slice of cake, too. She warmed them some cider while she was at it. The large windows always made it a bit chilly in the kitchen when it was especially early. Carson looked like he needed some warming up too.
“Here,” Hannah said, offering him a mug and a small saucer.
“You know Mama definitely knows you do this, right?” Carson asked, amusement clear in his tone.
“Mama always knows everything,” Hannah said with the faith of a true believer, “And I haven’t been scolded, so she doesn’t mind.”
She scooped up a bite of cake, and glanced at Carson to see him looking at her with faint amazement. It took her a second to realize it was because of how she’d curled up in her chair. His limbs were far too long and muscled for him to do such a thing even if he wanted to. He was forever fascinated by the way his sisters could contort themselves. Emma was the tallest of the girls, but she also did yoga, so she often ended up in the same positions as Hannah and AJ.
“What’s wrong, Cars?” Hannah asked. They were all used to rising with the sun, but there were certain
days, like the day after Christmas, where it was only right to stay cozied up in bed even if you were awake. Unless, like Hannah, you used the quiet to sneak some extra dessert.
Carson tensed at her question. After a few deep, slow breaths, he muttered, “Nightmare.”
Hannah nodded. She didn’t ask what it was about. It was difficult enough for Carson to admit to his little sister that something had scared him. If he wanted her to know what he had dreamt, he would tell her. She lifted his mug and pressed a kiss to the side before setting it back down and nudging it in his direction.
“Nightmares can’t stand warm drinks and true love,” she told him.
She was quoting his own words back to him. For a moment, Carson looked like he might cry. Hannah gave him the best smile she could, even though it always scared her a little when her big brother looked so upset. They’d all had to learn a lot when Carson came back from deployment. It was worth the hard work to be able to make him smile like that even after he’d had a rough night.
“Right you are, Firefly,” Carson said, taking a sip.
Hannah’s smile became more genuine. Sometimes Carson used nicknames to convey how he was feeling, rather than to tease a particular individual. Firefly meant she’d made him feel better.
They sipped and munched in silence, the kitchen feeling a little warmer than before.
10
Chapter 10
Hannah was in the kitchen helping Mimi prepare a few snacks for that night while they were watching the ball drop on television.
Mimi turned to Hannah and asked, “So is Rafe leaving within the next few days or so?”
Hannah frowned slightly. “I’m not sure what his plans are exactly. We’ve told him enough times that we’re happy to have him here, and I don’t think he’s eager to rush off.”
“Well, of course we’re happy to have him,” Mimi said. “Some of us more than others maybe?”
Hannah stared down at the food she was preparing, determined to ignore her mother’s leading question. She’d considered Rafferty to be one of her best friends for ages, but it was different experiencing him live and in person. Everything between them seemed so much more intense and complicated. Exchanging messages was simple. They knew each other as they presented themselves.
She’d never lied in any of her messages to him, and she believed him when he said he never lied beyond switching names in any of his messages to her. But there was a distinct difference between reading a paragraph about something Rafferty thought was funny, and hearing the laughter in his as he told her about it.
So, yes, she was probably the happiest out of her whole family that Rafferty had come to stay with them. And yes, she was also very happy that he seemed reluctant to leave. And yes, she was also happy that they got along as well in person as they’d seemed to while simply exchanging messages. And yes, if he left any time soon, she would miss him terribly.
Hannah halted her thoughts and looked at her mother.
The knowing expression hadn’t changed, though there was a hint of concern there as well.
“Sweetheart, have you told him how you feel?” Mimi asked.
Hannah sighed and leaned forward, bracing herself on her elbows on the counter. “Isn’t it a bit ridiculous to have particular feelings for him at all?”
“Why would it be ridiculous?” Mimi asked, tilting her head.
“We just met,” Hannah said.
Mimi raised an eyebrow. “Try again.”
Hannah sighed. Yeah, no one would let her get away with that one. “He has to leave,” she said softly.
“Honey, have you asked him to stay?” Mimi asked.
Hannah stared at her. “I can’t just ask him to give up his whole life.”
“Yes, you can. And he can say no. He could also say yes,” Mimi said calmly. “Not to mention, you wouldn’t be asking him to give up his whole life. Unless I’m much mistaken, he’s said before that it’s possible for him to do a lot of his work remotely.”
Privately, she thought Rafferty had dropped it into conversation a few times for the sole sake of dispelling any worries about him being desperately needed elsewhere. Mimi knew she wasn’t the only one who’d tried to give the young man some helpful hints as to Hannah’s feelings. Despite that, Rafferty didn’t seem to be quite as confident about the matter as she would have hoped.
“He could stay for however long it takes you two to figure this out,” Mimi said. “And if he has to leave, he can come back. He just needs to know that he’s welcome.”
“But how do I know that he wants to be welcomed like that?” Hannah asked in a quiet voice.
Mimi loved her middle daughter to death, but sometimes the girl’s obliviousness was more frustrating than amusing.
“The easiest way to know would be to ask him, sweetheart,” Mimi said, “Then you’ll get an honest answer straight from the source.”
“How am I supposed to just bring that up in conversation?” Hannah asked incredulously.
“Hannah, honey, we’re celebrating a holiday that ends with a kiss at midnight. Sometimes, actions speak louder than words,” Mimi said.
Hannah stared at her mother in utter shock. “Mama!”
“Yes, dear?” Mimi asked serenely. Her tone was at odds with the smirk she directed down at the bowl of dip she was making.
“I can’t just lay one on him!”
“Honestly, Hannah, what would a character in one of your books do?”
“Probably overthink it like me,” Hannah muttered.
“And then?” Mimi prodded.
“Find insane courage out of nowhere to do exactly what you just suggested,” Hannah huffed.
“Well, there you go. You’re halfway there,” Mimi said with a sweet smile.
Hannah laughed despite herself and shook her head. Leave it to her mother to make it as simple as possible. Then again, Hannah still didn’t know whether she was really going to try to tell Rafferty how she felt. At least she’d gotten a good laugh out of it though.
-
There were only a few minutes until the ball dropped when Rafferty tapped Hannah and motioned toward the kitchen. Hannah glanced around as she followed him, though it didn’t seem like anyone else was paying them the slightest bit of attention.
In the kitchen, Rafferty paced a bit instead of turning to face her.
“Is everything alright?” Hannah asked.
“Yes,” he said, “Everything’s fine. I just think we should talk.”
“You want to talk now?” Hannah asked, glancing over her shoulder toward the doorway.
“I’d like to start the new year off right, if it’s at all possible,” Rafferty said with a grimace.
“And I can help you with that?” Hannah asked.
Rafferty turned to her. He moved closer until there was only a few inches of space between them.
“You can,” he said firmly, “Because you’re the only one who can answer the questions I have.”
Hannah inhaled slowly, trying to regulate her heart rate. “Questions such as?”
Rafferty’s hazel eyes were piercing as they stared into her own. He looked so serious, Hannah couldn’t help feeling worried about what he was going to ask her.
“How do you feel about me, Hannah?”
Hannah blinked at him, caught off guard. “How do I…?”
“How do you feel about me?” Rafferty asked earnestly. “Because I find myself utterly captivated by you. Every day since the first, I’ve woken up and I’m excited to see you, to spend time with you. You’re the most charming and lovely woman I’ve ever had the fortune to meet and I want… I’ve seen you with your siblings and your parents and animals in the sanctuary and changing cabins most would believe condemned into livable spaces. The more I get to know you, the more fascinated I am by how amazing you are.
“I’m so pleased we’re friends. I adore how we became friends and our close relationship now. But if there’s any chance at all for us to be… How do you feel about me, Hannah
?”
Hannah was feeling more stunned than anything else. Here she’d been desperately trying to figure out how to broach the topic of them, of what they could be, and Rafferty had been agonizing about the same thing. Only he had the courage and eloquence needed to bring it up.
This was more than she could have ever imagined. That he was drawn to her in the same way she was drawn to him, and not only as a close friend, but as a potential romantic partner. She wouldn’t have to nurse a broken heart after rejected hopes. As long as she could be honest and take a leap of faith, it was possible for every dream Hannah had about Rafferty and herself to come true.
“Rafferty, the way I feel about you… I’m always happy when I’m with you. Even if we’re doing something simple, I feel a little bit lighter just because I’m doing it with you. You’ve been so supportive of my dreams, basically my anchor the whole time I’ve been trying to add more details to this big idea of mine. I can’t even explain what that means to me, to have someone believe in me so completely. You make my heart race. You make me feel safe. Do you know it had been years since I blushed at anything? Then you come along and I can’t even help it. I mean, I don’t know if it’s really possible to fall in love for someone in only a matter of weeks, but…”
“Hannah, we’ve known each other for much longer than a few weeks. I’ve been falling in love with you for over a year,” Rafferty said.
She stared up at him, breathless. They could hear everyone else chanting in the living room. Rafferty leaned closer, wrapping his arms around her waist, while giving her the chance to pull away. Instead, Hannah melted into him, her hands coming to rest on his chest.
“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” shouted the occupants of the other room.
Rafferty leaned down and Hannah met him halfway, their mouths fused in a sweet kiss.
They pulled away from each other after a moment, foreheads pressed together.
“I love you, too,” Hannah whispered.
Rafferty kissed her again. They broke apart when they heard footsteps coming in their direction, turning to face the doorway as AJ barreled through.
