THE OVEN TIMER went off just as my stomach let out another ferocious growl.

“Jesus, let’s feed the beast,” Vaughn said as he leapt to his feet and pulled me up, planting a quick kiss on my lips before heading into the kitchen. As I followed after him, I sniffed at the aroma coming out of the oven.

“No way. Is that—”

“Your mom’s shepherd’s pie? Sure is,” he said, carefully pulling the pan out of the oven and setting it on the stove. When he took off the mitts, I wrapped my arms around his waist from behind.

“I love you. I love you. I love you.”

Vaughn grabbed my hands, spun around to face me, and then put my arms back around him. “Tell me again.”

I tightened my hold on him and kissed his palm before saying, “I love you, Vaughn Jameson Bennett.”

Just before our lips met, he kissed the tip of my nose and reached down to slap my ass. “Sit so I can feed you before you distract me again.”

“Me distract you? I’m not the one who emptied Santa’s sack all over our living room floor.”

Vaughn lifted his brow. “That somehow sounds all kinds of wrong coming out of your mouth. How is it you make even the simplest things sound dirty?”

“What did I say?”

“Really?”

“Hey, I don’t know where your mind went, but I was talking about presents,” I said, taking a seat at the table as Vaughn cut into the pie.

“Mhmm.” He set two huge servings on the table, and I pointed to his chair.

“Thank you for lunch. Now sit your ass down and eat your meat.”

Vaughn shook his head, but sat down anyway. “You know you’re asking for it now, right?”

“Newsflash: I’m always asking for it.” I bared my teeth at him and then shoved a heaping spoonful of shepherd’s pie into my mouth. The mashed potatoes practically melted on my tongue, and I groaned around my spoon. “You did good, Dr. Bennett. So, so good.”

“Been a long time since you called me that.”

“Is this the part where you tell me we’ll spend the rest of the day playing doctor-patient? You could wear your lab coat. Just your lab coat.”

“Eat,” Vaughn said, pointing at my plate with his spoon, amusement twitching his lips.

I grinned and took another big bite of my pie. It had been my favorite growing up, but Mom had always saved it for special occasions—namely, my birthday, holidays, or if I aced my exams. That Vaughn had thought to have her make it for today had warmth spreading through me. Three years hadn’t diminished that feeling at all. In fact, it had only intensified to the point where I couldn’t imagine my life without him, and I hoped there’d never come a time where I’d have to.

With my free hand, I reached for his, lacing them together as we finished off our meal, and when I was stuffed beyond belief, I pushed my plate away.

“My man has done good today,” I said, grinning.

“You think so, huh?”

“I do. And I was just thinking…”

“Hmm?”

“I’m really glad you called me.”

Vaughn looked taken aback. “Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“After that kiss? Not really, but there was always a chance.”

“Carter, after that kiss, there wasn’t a chance in hell I was gonna let you get away. Honestly, it was all I could do to wait until the next day to call you.”

“The most torturous twenty-four hours of my life.”

“Couldn’t let you know how eager I was.”

“You could let me know now…”

Vaughn rubbed his face and laughed. “You have a one-track mind today.”

“And that’s different from any other day how…?”

“It’s not, I suppose, but usually the madness is broken up by work.”

“Mhmm,” I agreed, and then glanced over his shoulder to see snow falling out the kitchen window. I grinned and got to my feet, and then took Vaughn’s hand, urging him to stand. When he was on his feet, I walked him over to the window and said, “But today you’re trapped, snowed in with me. So that means you’re at my mercy.”

Vaughn looked out at the snow and then nodded. “So it would seem.”

I turned in his arms, stared out at the silent white flurries falling to the ground, and rested back against his solid chest.

“This is perfect,” I said when his arms wrapped around me and he rested his chin on my head.

“That it is.”

The soft Christmas melody playing in the background had me swaying with him a little, and I was reminded of our first holiday together. Vaughn had been so reluctant to come and meet my family, and I’d been dealing with my own nerves at the thought of introducing the entire clan to my first real boyfriend, but when we showed up and Mom opened the door and threw her arms around him in a welcoming hug, everything just fell into place. Kind of like everything when it came to me and Vaughn.

I angled my head up to look at him, and when his eyes found mine, I said, “Did you ever think three years ago that we’d be standing here in a house of our own after eating my mom’s amazing shepherd’s pie, enjoying such an amazing moment?”

Vaughn’s eyes softened, and he brought his hand up to cradle my cheek and then lowered his head to press a kiss to my lips. “I never doubted it for a second.”

“Not even when I got tangled in the ER curtain?”

Vaughn’s eyes crinkled at the sides. “Not even then.” When I smiled against his mouth, he said, “I figured you might need a doctor on call.”

As the song switched to one of my favorites, “O Holy Night,” Vaughn took a step away from me and ran his fingers down my arm to my fingers, where he took my hand and pulled me into an embrace. He circled one arm around my waist and drew our joined hands up to his chest as he began to slow-dance us around the kitchen. I placed my cheek against his shoulder and let him lead me where he would, and as we moved as one around the tiled floor, I had never felt more at peace.

This man held my heart in ways I never imagined possible, and when he pivoted so his back was to the window and I could watch the snow fall a little harder, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the day. I placed a soft kiss to his jaw, and when he returned it with one to my forehead, I closed my eyes and let myself get swept away in the magic of the moment.