by Piper Vaughn
Wes cut Garnet a confused look. "Thank you," he said slowly, still not understanding why Garnet found this gift so important after everything that had happened in the past day.
"Open it," Garnet repeated.
Wes shrugged and opened the box. If Garnet was insisting they do this now, it must have some significance Wes hadn't discovered yet. He withdrew the bright-red View-Master and looked it over.
Garnet handed him one of the reels. "Put this in."
Bemused, Wes slid the cardboard reel into the View-Master and brought the thing up to his eyes. It took him a moment to focus on the picture inside, but when he did, his breath left him in an audible rush. It was his mother, younger and more beautiful than Wes remembered her. She was standing in the kitchen he dimly remembered, laughing as she stirred what looked like a bowl of cookie dough.
Wes gulped and pushed down the orange lever, slotting in the next picture. This one was of the three of them—him, his mother, and his father seated on their old floral-patterned couch. Wes was holding a View-Master similar to the one he held now and smiling wide, displaying a gap from where he'd recently lost a baby tooth.
Another click of the lever, another picture. He continued on, taking them all in, remembering. At some point, his eyes had watered and tears leaked down his cheeks unchecked. He finished the reel, and Garnet silently handed him another one. This one contained pictures from his four years with Mitch.
Wes choked and lowered the View-Master. Garnet was watching him, his own eyes swimming. "I don't… How did you…?"
Garnet reached out and took his hand. "I told you Santa watches. People's entire lifetimes are recorded. I searched the archives and pulled all these pictures. I knew you didn't have any. I thought you might like to have some of them."
Wes closed his eyes, not bothering to wipe the hot tears that glided down his face. "Thank you."
He felt Garnet's arms wrap around him. "You're welcome."
"Why would you think it wouldn't be good enough?" Wes asked, opening his eyes to see Garnet's expression. "The View-Master."
Garnet gave a self-conscious shrug. "I thought it might seem silly. A child's toy. But that's what I am—was—a toymaker elf. It seemed appropriate at the time. Then later, I worried what you might think or that you might be offended, assuming I'd made a joke of it."
Wes shook his head. He captured Garnet's mouth, and they shared a tear-salty kiss. "It's perfect. You have no idea how perfect it is."
Garnet's tremulous smile made Wes's breath falter. He kissed him again, then pressed their foreheads together.
"I don't have the words to thank you for this. Truly. But you'd already given me a gift, Garnet."
Garnet blinked at him. "I had?"
Wes swept his thumbs across Garnet's cheeks, brushing away the moisture there. "You. You were my gift."
Garnet grinned. "And you're mine."
Warmth suffused Wes's chest. This was one Christmas he'd never forget—when an elf literally crashed into his life. Maybe it was too soon to give name to the feeling in his heart. But it felt a lot like love.
"Yours," Wes whispered back.
"So I can stay?" Garnet's cheeky look made Wes laugh, the sound clogged with emotion.
"Yes. Please stay."
Garnet flung himself against Wes's chest and they fell backward on the bed. Wes was laughing again as Garnet's mouth covered his. "I thought you'd never ask."
Fin
About the Author
Piper Vaughn wrote her first love story at eleven and never looked back. Since then, she’s known that writing in some form was exactly what she wanted to do. A reader at the core, Piper loves nothing more than getting lost in a great book—fantasy, young adult, romance, she loves them all (and has a thousand book library to prove it!). She grew up in Chicago, in an ethnically diverse neighborhood, and loves to put faces and characters of every ethnicity in her stories, so her fictional worlds are as colorful as the real one. Above all, she believes that everyone needs a little true love in their life…even if it’s only in a book.
If you have any comments, questions, or other feedback, you can contact Piper at [email protected]. You can also visit Piper’s website at http://pipervaughn.com.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Working Elf Blues
Book Details
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
About the Author
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Working Elf Blues
Book Details
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
About the Author
