Emma

Emmerich Tree Farm was everything Will had said and more. Emma felt like she was inside a Christmas greeting card as they boarded the horse drawn wagon that took them out to endless fields of pine trees. Will helped her and Colin down once they reached the Douglas fir section, which according to Will, was the only acceptable kind of Christmas tree. He handed Emma the leather gloves and a large red hacksaw they’d borrowed from the tree lodge, before lifting Colin onto his shoulders.

Colin was in his glory scouting for trees from atop Will’s broad back. Emma snapped pictures of them as she walked behind, taking in the blissful holiday haven. She never expected to enjoy being lost in the winter wilderness as much as she was. For as much as she teased Will, Emma was a city brat through-and-through. Or at least she thought she was. But as Emma glanced at Will, drinking in his gorgeous features, she wondered if she knew herself at all.

“We found it!” Colin shouted, pulling Emma back to reality. “We found the perfect tree!”

Will let Colin down from his shoulders and the little boy raced ahead to find the tree he’d spotted, while Will waited for Emma to catch up. He took the saw from her and slung an arm around her shoulders.

“So what do ya think?” he asked gesturing to the massive expanse of the farm.

“You were right. It’s magical here.”

“I always wanted to bring you here,” he added.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I was sorta saving it for when . . .” he trailed off, cheeks reddening.

“For when?” Emma asked.

“I don’t know if I should say.”

“Why?”

“We’re barely in the friends zone, Em. I don’t want to freak you out.”

“Oh come on. You can’t say something like that and then not tell me. I promise I won’t freak out,” she said. “I swear on my sewing machine.”

“Whoa! The sewing machine. That’s serious.”

“I know. Now tell me.”

Will rubbed the back of his neck again. A sure sign he was nervous. Oh God, what was he saving this place for? The troves of teen horror movies Will had dragged her to flashed in her mind, and suddenly Emma wasn’t so sure she wanted to know.

“I was saving it for when we had our own family to bring out here.”

Emma stopped walking. Her whole body was seized with a tingling shiver. “What?”

Will turned to face her. “You promised you wouldn’t freak out.”

“I’m not,” she said her eyes wide with panic.

“Uh, you sorta look like you’re freaking out. Could you maybe blink or something so I know you’re not having a stroke?”

Emma blinked rapidly and looked up at Will’s worried expression. “You think about stuff like that?”

“Yeah. All the time.” He flushed, rubbing his neck again. “Or at least I used to.”

Never had Emma wanted to leap into his arms more. She wanted to kiss Will and melt into this moment where they could stay frozen for all of time. Because his simple statement had been a wrecking ball to the crumbling wall she’d been trying to build around her tattered heart. And in that moment, she saw a life with Will flash before her and she wanted it more than anything.

Neither of them had the families they wanted, but together, they could start their own and the idea was equal parts terrifying and euphoric.

“Em?” Will moved closer, his hand going to Emma’s cheek. “Take a breath.”

She did.

“Let’s go get a Christmas tree. We can talk about this later if you want.”

She nodded and took the hand he offered, trying to ignore the tightness in her throat.

Will

Will did his best to push his stupid blundering moment of honesty to the back of his mind, but it was nearly impossible. Especially when he kept catching Emma looking at him like that. Like he was someone she knew but couldn’t quiet place. Why the hell had he chosen now to admit that to her?

He was seriously hopeless at being friends with Emma. But he’d rather be in her life as a friend than not at all, no matter how painful it was. He’d let his guard down completely the day they took Colin to Central Park. And when the three of them had ice skated hand-in-hand he knew that was it. There was no other alternative for his future. Will wanted Emma in it or no one at all.

Will didn’t realize until now how scary that was to admit to himself. Or how quickly his heart could be torn to bits if Emma decided she didn’t want him. But still, he couldn’t stop trying. He was so close. He could feel it in the space between them. It was like the electric charge in the air right before a lightning strike. Emma was on the edge of a cliff and he just needed to convince her to fall—to convince her she was safe, because he would always be there to catch her.

It was a blessing that the tasks ahead of them were so labor intensive. Cutting down the tree and dragging it back to the wagon would serve as a great distraction. And then there was Colin. His glee did wonders to lighten the mood.

Will let Colin and Emma take turns using the saw on the towering Douglas fir they’d chosen to take home. And when the tree was ready to fall, he even let the little boy give it the final kick that sent it crashing to the ground.

“Timber!” Colin called jumping up and down.

Roughly an hour later, they arrived back at the lodge with their prize tree between them in the horse drawn wagon. Will returned the saw and gloves while the staff prepared the tree, wrapping it before loading it in the back of Jezebel.

“That was so much fun!” Colin exclaimed. “Your tree is so much better than ours.”

Emma laughed. “I can’t disagree with you there, buddy.”

“What’s wrong with your tree?” Will asked.

“What’s not?” Colin remarked. “It’s fake, white and small.”

Will laughed. “That is bad.”

“I wish we could get a real tree for our house,” Colin whined.

“Maybe next year,” Emma replied.

“You guys hungry?” Will asked changing the subject.

“Starving,” Colin replied.

“Good. They have the best burgers in New York here. And save room for dessert. I’m gonna run out to the truck and grab the maple syrup.”

“Ah the mystery maple syrup is finally making an appearance,” Emma teased.

Will winked. “I’ll meet you inside. Grab a seat by the fireplace if you can.”

While Emma and Colin headed inside the lodge, Will ran over to the guys wrapping his tree and slipped them a few extra bills to throw in a tiny tree for Colin and Emma’s apartment too. He smiled as he jogged to the truck, wondering if maybe he’d actually pull off a Christmas miracle after all.