Six weeks was not a long time to plan a wedding, but as it turned out, it was long enough. By the time Christmas Day rolled around, I was ready to be married already.

Sean had been right. Six minutes would’ve been the ideal length of time to wait. Six weeks had nearly been torture.

The hardest part was finding a dress. In the end, I found a V-neck dress that nipped at the waist and fell in a graceful A-line to my feet. My mother brought out the pearl-studded shawl she’d worn at her wedding and gave it to me with tears in her eyes. It suited the simple lines of my gown to perfection, and it matched the hair accessories I planned to wear.

We had the wedding at the Heart’s Cove Hotel, with space generously donated by Dorothy and Margaret. They threw themselves into wedding planning with the kind of fervor that I’d hardly seen before. When I finally got to see the space, draped with garlands of evergreen, swags of fabric, and tons of twinkling gold and silver accessories, it felt like I’d stepped into a winter wonderland.

So, in my perfect dress, with my mother’s stole around my shoulders and my father extending his arm toward me, I stepped onto the petal-strewn aisle and lifted my gaze to where my soon-to-be husband stood.

I barely registered the music, or the turning heads, or the decorations. All I saw was Sean.

He stood at the other end of the aisle in a well-tailored tux. His bowtie was black velvet. When he saw me, his lips parted, and I’d never felt more beautiful in all of my life.
My father patted the hand I’d hooked into his elbow. We floated down the aisle, and I finally tore my gaze away from Sean to smile at my children, who were standing on either side of him with the bridesmaids and groomsmen. When we got to the altar, my father took my hands.

“Love you, Lizzie,” he told me quietly before pressing a kiss to my cheek. “My girl.”

“I love you too, Dad.”

His eyes were wet as he turned and placed my hand in Sean’s. “Take good care of her.”

Sean’s gaze was steady and solemn as he held mine. “Always,” he vowed.

The ceremony was short, but by the end of it, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. When Sean was finally instructed to kiss me, the applause was deafening. We kissed as a married couple for the first time, and when Sean pulled away from me, his eyes were full of mirth.

“What?” I asked, slightly breathless.

Sean flicked his gaze upward, and I followed it. A bundle of mistletoe hung above us, perfectly positioned between our heads. Laughing, I pulled him in for another kiss.
We were rewriting all kinds of memories with this wedding—why not that one too?

Then, finally, we turned to face all our loved ones. Sean brought my hand to his lips, then guided me down the aisle and around the corner to the room that had been prepared for our reception. A gigantic Christmas tree shone in the corner, with more bundles of evergreen, and beautiful winter-themed centerpieces on every table.
We ate, drank, and danced into the night.

When the kids had been carted off by grandparents and the party became rowdier, Sean leaned over and brushed his lips against my neck. “I want to take you home,” he said.
I turned to meet his gaze, unable to keep the smile from my lips. “I’d like that,” I said.

It took another hour to say our goodbyes and make our exit. A taxi took us to our new home, which was lit up with all the decorations that Sean, the kids, and I had put up together. With my heart light, I followed my husband into the house and was surprised when he towed me to the living room and pulled out a small box from behind a book on the bookshelf.

We’d already done presents this morning, so I tilted my head. “What’s this?”

“Open it,” was the only answer he gave, and then he wrapped his arms around my stomach and pulled my back to his front.

I tugged on the velvet ribbon, then carefully ripped open the green and gold paper. Inside, I found a beautiful, delicate Christmas ornament. It was shaped like a three-tiered cake, with a tiny cake topper on the smallest tier. The icing was piped with the most delicate silver work, and the bottom of the ornament had the date and year etched into the material.

“Oh, Sean,” I whispered, opening the box so I could pull the ornament out and admire it properly.

“I figured it’s about time I started collecting them with you,” he said.

My throat was tight as I held the ornament, admiring all the tiny details. It was such a small, simple gift, but it meant more than anything he could have given me. I spun in his arms and lifted my gaze to his. “It’s perfect.”

His smile was full of tenderness. “Hang it on the tree. Make it official.”

I hooked the silver ribbon over my finger and turned to admire our tree. It was a real one this year—Sean had insisted. Wrangling kids and a tree was a lot easier with Sean around, and the scent of the evergreen needles filled the room.

I found the perfect gap in the decorations for our new ornament and hooked it onto the end of the branch before watching it dangle and sway against the dark-green needles.

“I feel like my heart is about to explode,” I said. “I’m so happy.”

Sean’s hands slid over my shoulders, and he pressed a kiss to the side of my neck. “You think your heart can handle a little more excitement?”

Smile teasing the corner of my lips, I turned my head to catch his gaze. “I’m willing to find out.”

We didn’t tear each other’s clothes off. We didn’t rip and shred and bite. Sean just let out a soft breath, then let his thumbs coast up the back of my neck and back down again, tracing the edge of my dress until he found the row of tiny buttons running down my spine.

One by one, the buttons popped open at his touch. I held my dress to my chest as he loosened it, focusing on the feel of his knuckles against my skin and the sound of his breath behind me. When the final button gave way, I teased the straps off my shoulders and stepped out of the dress before laying it over the edge of the sofa.
“Oh, Lizzie,” Sean said, voice rough.

I glanced over my shoulder to confirm what I already knew—his eyes were glued to the very expensive lingerie I’d bought for this exact moment. The top was shapewear that was boned and clipped to the garter holding up my thigh-high stockings.

Sean traced the little strap running up the back of my thighs with the tips of his fingers, letting out a rough groan as he did. “You’ve been wearing this all day?”
I smiled at the strangled quality of his voice, then turned to face him so I could drape my hands over his shoulders. “You never fail to make me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. You know that?”

“Not hard to do, when you look like this, Lizzie,” he admitted. His hands roamed over my body, tracing the edge of my underwear, squeezing my curves. Our lips found each other, and then all bets were off.

We didn’t make it to the bedroom.

It was almost like the first time, all frantic lust and clawing need. Almost—but not quite.

Because when Sean slipped my white satin panties to the side and brought his mouth to my sex, I felt the depth of his love for me in every touch of his tongue. When he tugged me to the edge of the sofa and aligned himself at my opening, a smile bloomed over my lips at his desperation.

And when he drove himself inside me, I felt the same spinning, weightless sensation I’d felt that day in my foyer—but I also felt the endless, enduring love that existed between us. He brought me to orgasm with my legs spread and my ass hanging off the edge of the sofa, and then I pushed him to the floor and had my way with him under the twinkling lights of our tree.

When he told me I was beautiful and perfect and his, I knew he was speaking the truth. And as I rode him to orgasm and panted out how much I loved him, the look in his eyes told me he felt the same.

We took our pleasure and then collapsed on the floor, drowsy and sated. Sean ran his fingers over my arm and kissed my sweat-damp brow, then let out a long, satisfied sigh.
“Best day ever,” he said.

I smiled. “Yeah,” I agreed, then looked up at him. “Merry Christmas, Sean.”

His arms came around me, and then I was turned onto my back while he draped himself over me. “Merry Christmas, Lizzie.”

Eventually, we made it up to the bedroom. And a long while after that, we fell asleep in each other’s arms. Exactly where we were supposed to be.