“Merry Christmas!” she squealed then hugged me.
“Merry Christmas. This place is crazy. It’s bigger than on the commercials.” I looked at the tractors lined up for the hayrides.
“I know. Isn’t it amazing?” She beamed. “Hey, Grey. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Taylor.”
Mason sauntered toward us holding four tickets. “Hey y’all. I got all the tickets so we don’t have to wait in line anymore. Maybe get ahead of the crowd.”
Grey opened his mouth, but I cut him off. “Aww, that was sweet of you, Mason. Thanks.” I took our two tickets from him and handed one to Grey.
He grumbled under his breath, but took the ticket and handed it to the elf at the gate.
“Hayride first?” Taylor asked. “I want to see the lights.”
“Yes, let’s do it.” I followed her to the closest tractor and climbed up. Grey and I shuffled to the center bale of hay.
Taylor sat next to me and Mason planted himself on the other side of her, wrapping an arm over her shoulder. They looked happy. I wondered if the Christmas magic had gotten to them too.
The farmer, in his Santa hat, started the engine and it sputtered to life, throwing putt putt sounds into the air as we rambled into the woods. The only thing that would make this better was if it would start snowing right now. There was enough on the ground to cast everything in a white light, but there was something enchanting about falling snow.
Grey nuzzled against my neck.
“Are you even looking at the lights,” I whispered.
“Not really.” He hooked his hand around my hip and brought me against his side.
“Lights, Grey. We’re here to see lights,” I teased.
I don’t know how the farmer came up with this extravagant display, but it was amazing—everything the advertisements promised it would be. We were on the hayride for thirty minutes, passing under waterfalls of lights, traveling over streams outlined with sparkling lights, and through a maze of red and green twinkle lights.
When the tractor came to a stop, everyone moaned. We weren’t ready for it to be over.
“Didn’t you want some hot chocolate?” Grey asked.
I nodded. “Definitely. I’m frozen.”
He helped me from the back of the trailer and we walked into the village. Taylor and I waited at a barrel that had been converted into a table. A few minutes passed before Mason and Grey appeared with four steeping cups of hot chocolate.
“I had them add extra marshmallows.” Grey handed me mine and I watched as the steam swirled over the lid.
“Thank you.”
“So, Mason. How long are you staying in North Carolina?”
My eyes widened. What just happened? Grey started small talk with Mason? This had to be a Christmas apocalypse.
“I told Taylor I’d stay as long as she wants me to be here. She’s at her mom’s house now and I’ve got the guestroom.” He smiled at her over his cup.
Taylor piped in. “You know I want you to stay until New Year’s.” Her lips puckered in a pout.
“Sweetheart, I don’t know if that’s possible, but we’ll figure something out.” He reached for her hand. “What about you two? When are you headed back to Padre?”
“We’re going back the day after Christmas,” Grey answered.
That was only three days away. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and the Christmas bubble we were living in would be over soon. I wished I could figure out a way to make this go on forever.
Taylor shrieked, and I turned around to see what she was excited about. There was a band on stage warming up their instruments.
“Do you know them?” I asked.
“They were one of my favorite bands in high school. Obviously, they never made it big, but they are awesome.”
Mason looked amused. “You want to dance?”
“Yes!” She jumped off her bar stool and followed him to the dance floor that had been set up in the middle of the Christmas village. I watched as they started to sway to a rendition of Baby, Please Come Home for Christmas.
“They look cute together, don’t they?” I turned to Grey.
He placed his hot chocolate on the table. “I guess so.” He stood from the table. “Want to dance?”
“You want to dance?” I looked around. Grey seldom danced, even though he was good at it.
“Pretty girl, are you going to dance with me?” His hand hovered near my hip.
“Absolutely.”
They weren’t Texas stars and it wasn’t a Texas band, but there under my Carolina stars, Grey and I danced surrounded by elves, kids, snow, and the most potent Christmas magic.
Christmas Eve. The last day to buy goodies, get them wrapped, and placed under the tree. I awoke in complete panic. Grey’s gifts. Oh my God, how could I forget? They were back in Texas and I had nothing to give him tomorrow. We were supposed to have our Christmas together when I flew in the day after Christmas.
I threw the covers off my legs and hustled to the bathroom. I caught a glimpse of Grey from the corner of my eye. He was sitting in the living room with a cup of coffee and the paper.