My December Darling: A Holiday Novella

Two Years Later

After a rough night at the Lake Aurora hospital, I spend the short drive back to Luke’s and my apartment dreaming of my boyfriend’s arms wrapped around me, only to be met with silence when I unlock the front door and step inside our small but welcoming home. Luke left a side table lamp on for me, but the couch where he usually falls asleep while waiting for me is empty.

“Luke?” I search the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom for him, but my call remains unanswered, further adding to my disappointment.

Spending the last year living with Luke has clearly spoiled me. Somewhere between moving in together and falling in love, I forgot what it felt like to be alone. Now that I remember the unsettling feeling that plagued me for years, I’m even more grateful for Luke’s love, companionship, and ability to make the worst days a little more bearable.

Before hopping in the shower, I text Luke to ask where he is, but he doesn’t reply to my message. I distract myself by heating up some leftovers he saved me, scrolling through and commenting on the photos my sister sent me of nursery room ideas she is considering, and letting my brain rot for a few minutes on social media.

I’m so distracted by a video of a dog being reunited with its long-lost owner that I don’t hear Luke unlocking the front door until it is already slamming shut behind him.

I pop my head out of the kitchen. “What were you up—” My question dies as my gaze drops to the massive rectangular box in his arms. “Oh my God.”

His beaming smile expands even wider. “Surprise?”

I run up to him and throw my arms around his neck, ignoring the LEGO set pressing against his chest. “How did you get one?”

He kisses the top of my head. “I waited in line for over ten hours and hoped I would get lucky.”

I blink twice. “You waited ten hours?”

“Yes.”

“By yourself?” I grab his hand and drag him over to the couch.

“Aiden kept me company for part of it.”

“Why did he ditch you?”

“Why else?” He arches a brow.

I grab the box from Luke’s hands and place it on the table before straddling his lap. He grips my hips, holding me in place while I pepper his cheeks with soft kisses.

“I take it you’re happy?”

“Are you seriously asking me that? I never thought we stood a chance at getting one.” I tip my head in the direction of the limited-edition LEGO set of our favorite science-fiction cinematic universe. According to the frequently asked questions page on their website, there were only a few hundred thousand made in the whole world, which sounds like a lot until people consider the popularity of the movies.

“I had to try.” His beaming smile is infectious, and I find myself returning his with one of my own. It’s astonishing how only a few minutes in Luke’s presence eases the oppressive sadness that has been following me ever since I found out my patient wasn’t responding well to their treatment.

“What’s wrong?” He cups my cheek.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You don’t have to.” He readjusts our positions so I’m settled against his side, tucked protectively under his arm.

I sink into him with a sigh.

“Rough day?” he asks.

“Yeah.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Not exactly.”

His arm tightens around me. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I wish I could take away whatever has you looking so…” He scans my face with a small frown.

I don’t bother concealing my true feelings with a reassuring smile meant to put him at ease. Truth is that death is a dark part of the medical profession. Denying the reality doesn’t make it any easier, but knowing I have Luke to come home to…

I couldn’t ask for a better friend, lover, and life partner.

“Thank you,” I blurt out without any context.

His brows pinch together. “What for?”

I clasp his chin. “Being you.”

“You give me too much credit for doing the bare minimum.”

I point at the LEGO box. “Are we pretending that you didn’t stand in line for ten hours to get that?”

“I’d do it all over again to see the smile on your face when you saw it.”

My heart thumps harder in my chest. I disguise the way his words turn my insides to mush with an eye roll. “Will you ever stop being so sappy?”

“Depends on how long you plan on loving me for.”

“Now that you mention it…”

He brushes the ticklish spot between my ribs that always makes me laugh and kick my feet.

“Stop!”

“I take personal offense to that statement.”

“Well, you did emphasize the importance of being honest⁠—”

He twists our bodies until I’m trapped beneath him with my spine pressing into the couch cushion and him hovering above me.

“Emphasis on the honesty,” he says with a little hiss.

“I think I could love you forever.”

“You. Think?” he enunciates each word.

I swallow my laugh. “I’m still not entirely convinced.”

“Is there anything I can do to sway you either way?”

“Perhaps.”

“I have a few ideas.” He grabs my left hand and brushes his mouth over my ringless finger. A small shudder courses through me, a fact that doesn’t go missed by the man I love given the way his eyes spark with interest.

“And here I thought you wanted to wait another year.”

“What?” I sputter. “When did I say that?”

His brow arches. “So you do want to get married?”

“Obviously.”

“To me?”

“After this conversation, I’m questioning it.”

His bright smile sends a wave of warmth through my chest. “But you have thought about it.”

I push at his chest with a frustrated grunt. “Stop teasing me.”

He drops a quick kiss on my mouth. “Never.”

“You’re annoying.”

“And you’re being oddly evasive over a single question.”

“Because I’m not about to admit the truth.”

“That you’re madly in love with me and have been painting your nails white for the last couple of months in hopes of me popping the question?”

My death glare doesn’t deter him from continuing.

He brushes my flushed cheek with the pad of his thumb. “For what it’s worth, I think it’s cute.”

My eyes screw shut. “Please let me at least have the decency of dying from embarrassment in peace.”

“The likelihood of that happening is slim to none.”

“Unfortunately,” I say with a sigh.

“I was waiting for the right moment,” he says after a few seconds of silence.

“The right moment?” I stare up at him, confused by what he said.

“I kept talking myself out of it and coming up with reasons why it wasn’t the best time.”

Oh. My. God.

His cheeks flush. “Aiden told me I was being stupid, and looking back on it, he was right.”

My heart, which was furiously pounding only a few moments ago, stops. “What?”

“One second.” Luke disappears into our bedroom before returning with a…

I sit up and squint. “What is that?”

“Something I made.” He kneels in front of me and holds out the dark box made out of small LEGOs.

“Is that…” I can’t even finish my sentence.

“A ring box?”

I cover my gaping mouth with the palm of my hand and nod.

“Yes.”

“You made that?”

Luke nods, and tears spring to my eyes. I’m not entirely sure what he says after that, in part because my heart is beating so loudly that I can hardly hear his speech over the whooshing sound of blood pumping in my ears, but I swear the look on his face says it all.

“Will you marry me?”

I look down at the ring nestled inside of the ring box he built just for me. Choosing to love him for the rest of my life is the easiest decision I’ve ever made—almost as easy as saying one little word.

“Yes.”