I freeze, not sure what to do. How could I be so careless as to not lock my office door? Of course, it wasn’t like I expected to kiss Nick. But how could I not after what he said and the way he wants to help Erica and her mother?

Nick bends down to Erica’s height. “Can you keep a secret?” he asks her.

“Does Mrs. Claus know about this?” she asks.

He nods. “And do you know why?”

Erica shakes her head.

“You promise not to tell, right? It will be our little secret?” Nick holds out his right pinky, and Erica locks hers around it.

“Pinky swear. You can’t break a pinky swear.”

“No, you can’t,” Nick says. “Okay, you see Holly is Mrs. Claus, but she’s in disguise working here.”

Erica’s eyes widen. “Is it true?” she asks me.

Nick smiles up at me.

I don’t know what else to do, so I say, “Yes, Erica.”

“I should have known. You love Christmas more than anyone, and you’re always giving us presents. Does this mean April and Lemar are elves? They don’t have pointy ears, and they’re tall for elves.” Her forehead furrows as she considers this.

“Some of Santa and Mrs. Claus’s helpers are people—like April and Lemar,” I tell her.

“Oh, okay,” Erica says as if she never considered that but it makes sense in her world. “Can I get my picture taken with you and Santa now?”

“Sure, sweetie.” I usher her back out to where the other children are once again in line waiting to sit on Santa’s lap.

As soon as Nick is seated on his red and gold throne, Erica hops onto his knee. She pats his other knee and says, “Come on, Holly.”

I smile and sit next to her. Lemar gets the camera ready and says, “Say ‘gingerbread.’”

“Gingerbread,” the three of us say, and Lemar snaps the photo.

For the rest of the party, I watch Nick, admiring how good he is with the children. He might not think so, but he’d make a great father. If only he’d see that. Once every child has left with a wrapped gift to place under their Christmas tree and open in the morning, Nick gets changed in my office. I wait for him, wanting to thank him for saving the day.

“I’m glad you’re still here,” he says when he emerges in jeans and a red sweater.

“I wanted to thank you. You went above and beyond with Erica and the others.”

“I’m not finished yet. I have a bike to pick up and a job application to deliver. What do you say, Mrs. Claus? Will you help me deliver the gifts?”

Something about him referring to me as Mrs. Claus makes me wonder if there really is a future for us. “Of course I will,” I say with a smile.

* * *

Nick and I arrive back at my house a little after midnight. Erica’s new bike is on her front porch with a big red bow, and there’s a job application in a wrapped box in the basket on the front of the bike. I’m sure this will be Erica’s best Christmas yet.

“That was fun,” Nick says. “I think I like playing Santa.” He removes his jacket and places it on the arm of my couch. “There’s one more present I have to deliver, though.” He walks over to my Christmas tree, bends down, and places a small box with red and green metallic wrapping paper on top of the train tracks. “There. Now, I’m officially finished with my Santa duties.” He clasps his hands and stands up.

“What is that?” I ask him, knowing he never followed through with the rest of his Christmas shopping since I was with him all evening.

He glances at his watch. “Well, it is technically Christmas morning now, so I don’t see why you can’t open it and find out.”

I remove my jacket and place it on top of his before moving toward the tree. I have no idea what he could have gotten me, but it’s clear he’s had it for at least a few days now. “I feel bad I don’t have anything for you.”

“Accepting the gift will be my present,” he says, watching me bend down to retrieve the wrapped box.

I stand up and face him, studying his eyes. He smiles and nods, indicating I should open the gift. I carefully peel away the paper. I was never one to tear into a gift. Inside is a little black jewelry box. “Nick, what did you do?” Jewelry is too much considering we’re just seeing each other again after five years.

“Open it and see.” He shoves his hands in his pockets, the maneuver registering as a nervous gesture.

I open the lid of the box, and the wrapping paper slips through my fingers and falls to my feet. Inside the box is the engagement ring he gave me years ago. “What is this?” I ask. “I mean, I know what it is, but why are you giving it to me?”

“It’s yours,” he says. “It’s always been yours.”

“But, Nick...”

“I know.” He takes a tentative step toward me. “The problem is I could never bring myself to return it to the jeweler, and the thought of any other woman wearing it...” He shakes his head. “It has to be you.”

“But we just came back into each other’s lives. I admit my feelings for you are still there. Being with you the past couple of days has felt right, but you still don’t want children. I do. I love those kids at the children’s center. I want to be a mother one day, and I won’t force you to—” My words are choked by the lump in my throat, and a tear slips from my eye. “I can’t take this.” I extend the box back to him, but he doesn’t take it.

“I gave you this ring. I never wanted it back. And giving it to you now isn’t what you think. I’m not asking you to marry me. Not now anyway. I’m asking you to hold on to it because five years can change a lot.” He cups my hand holding the ring box. “When I saw you with those kids at the center, I knew...” He pauses like he’s afraid to finish his sentence. “I knew you’d make the best mother. You’re supposed to have children.”

“And you don’t want kids,” I say, my voice shaking with the reality of the situation. Five years later, and we still can’t make this work. We still want different things. I brace myself to have my heart break all over again. Only this time, I’m not sure I can recover from it.

“I didn’t back then. I was too young to understand what having a family meant. But I’m older now, and after playing Santa, after seeing how much those children adore you... I guess April didn’t tell you about our conversation.”

“April? What conversation?” I ask. She never mentioned that she spoke to Nick.

“After we split up, I became a mentor to a few kids who needed a male figure in their lives for various reasons.”

“You became a big brother?” I ask, stunned by the news.

He nods. “And to my surprise, I loved it. Those kids got to me in a way I didn’t know was possible. I found myself looking forward to every moment I got to spend with them and make a difference in their lives, because they were making an equal difference in mine. I get it now. If I’m being completely honest, I want more time to get to know you again. To be with you alone. But when we’re both ready, I want you to be the mother of my children.”

My breath catches in my throat. Is he really saying the words I’ve always wanted him to?

He raises my hand still holding the box. “That’s what this is about. It’s a promise of a future together. A future I think we both want.”

No. It’s a Christmas miracle. That’s the only explanation. He’s giving me the gift I’ve wanted since I first met him. It may have taken years for us to get here, but I couldn’t imagine it being more perfect. “What do we do now?” I ask.

He smiles at me, closes the distance between us, and presses his lips to mine. Then he takes the box from my hands and places it back under the tree. “For when you’re ready for it,” he says. He walks over to the gas fireplace and turns it on. Then he takes the throw blanket off the couch and spreads it out in front of the fire. “Join me?” he asks, extending a hand to me.

We sit down on the blanket, and Nick kisses my neck just below my ear. “I never stopped loving you, Holly. I never stopped wishing for another chance with you.”

I take his face in both my hands. “I never stopped loving you either.”

His mouth claims mine, and the hunger and passion between us ignites. We shed our clothes in a hurry, but everything after that is done with slow purpose. We want to savor every moment. His hands and tongue explore every inch of my body. And unlike last night, when I kiss his chest above his heart, he doesn’t pull away. He enters me, making us both shudder. I don’t remember a time when I was happier. Our bodies rock in tune and reach ecstasy at the same time before collapsing in each other’s arms.

“Merry Christmas,” he whispers to me.

“It definitely is,” I say, tracing my finger across his bare chest.

He reaches above his head and then hands the ring box to me. “This is yours to keep until you’re ready to use it, but know that I’d marry you today. You’ve had my heart for years, despite the distance between us. Nothing will change that.”

The love in his eyes confirms his words. “In my heart, you’re the only man I’ve ever wanted to marry, and that hasn’t changed.”

He slips the ring out of the box. “May I?”

I nod, and a tear of joy spills down my cheek.

“Holly Michaels, will you grant me the best Christmas gift ever and agree to be my wife?” He slides the ring onto my finger.

“Yes. A thousand times, yes,” I say, before kissing him again. The first kiss of many to come.

* * *