JAMES THE CHRISTMAS GROUCH

3 Days Before Christmas "That one," I said and pointed at a tree across the lot. I grabbed James' hand and pulled him toward it. He didn't say a word as I dropped his hand and walked around the tree, examining it. The branches were so symmetrical it almost didn't look real. I took a step back and stared up at the beautiful evergreen. "It's perfect." When James didn't say anything I turned toward him. "Don't you think?" "If you think it's perfect, then so do I." I pressed my lips together. "James, I want us to choose a tree together. That's the whole point." I slid my hand back into his. He smiled. "I want to give you the best Christmas you've ever had. And if you think this tree is perfect, we should get this one." He ran his fingers through my hair. He always said the right things. But I didn't want him to just say the right things. I wanted him to have the best Christmas ever too. "Well, let's keep looking. Just to make sure it's the right one." I tucked myself into his side as we started walking around the Christmas tree lot again. The night air was chilly, but I always felt warm when I was beside him. I smiled as he wrapped his arm tighter around me. How many times had I dreamt about this? Getting to love someone at Christmas? It was like all my childhood dreams coming true. All my wishes to Santa. I let him lead the way this time, taking it all in. This was our first Christmas together. I didn't want to force all of my traditions on him. He said he had grown up with a fake tree. For some reason that made me sad. But maybe that's what he wanted. I was just about to tell him we could go to a department store and buy one when he stopped in front of a tree that was slightly lopsided. "What about this one?" he asked. "I feel like it could use a good home." I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. The tree really did need a home. If we didn't take it, I wasn't sure anyone else would. I looked up at him. "I love this one." "Yeah?" I nodded. "So much better than that other stupid one." James stared at me skeptically. "Really. This one is so us." He laughed. "I'm not really sure what you mean by that. It's a little crooked, isn't it? I was kinda joking when I said we should get it." I bumped him with my hip. "It's not crooked. It's perfectly...imperfect." He smiled. "Hmm. Perfectly imperfect. I like that." He kissed the side of my forehead. "So what next?" He bent down to study the trunk. "Do we take it up to the checkout?" "As much as I'd like to watch you figure out how to do that, no. We just tell the guy at the front that we want this one. Come on." I grabbed his hand and pulled him through the trees until we found someone to help us. "You're ridiculously cute," James said as we watched the tree guy give the trunk a fresh cut. I scrunched my nose up. I knew I should have worn heels. He never said I looked cute when I wore heels. I looked down at my flat boots. This Christmas wasn't supposed to be cute. If anything, it should be sexy. Tons of mistletoe. And roaring fires to snuggle in front of. My traditions seemed childish. "What's wrong with cute?" he asked, reading the expression on my face. It was weird that he could do that. Or maybe that wasn't the strange part. Maybe it was just odd that I now had someone in my life that cared about the expression on my face. The thought made me smile. "Nothing's wrong with cute. It's just that I want our new Christmas traditions together to be a little more naughty than nice." "Then you're wearing a few too many layers." I laughed and hit his arm as the tree guy finished tying the tree down to the roof. "Just wait until we start decorating." I started walking away from James backwards and gave him an exaggerated wink. He smiled and caught up to me. "Maybe Santa's granting me my wish a little early." "If you're wishing for me naked, that's a ridiculous wish. You were going to get that either way." "It's definitely going to be the best Christmas ever then." He beat me to the door and opened it up for me. For some reason we always ended up racing to the car. He liked opening up the door for me and I still wasn't used to having someone open the door for me. Dating him was an adjustment. The best kind of adjustment. "Thank you," I smiled and kissed the tip of his nose before sliding into the passenger's seat. He quickly climbed into his side and started the ignition. I pulled my feet up onto the seat and stared at him as he shifted the car into drive. "What?" he asked with a smile. "Nothing, it's just that I never really see you drive anymore. Are you sure we need a driver? I mean, the subway..." "Penny, we've talked about this. You don't have to take the subway." "I know I don't have to. But I can. Ian has to go out of his way to drop me off. And with the new offices you're setting up, he's going to have to drive you in the morning. I don't want to be a bother." I turned away from him and looked out at the city streets. I could just make out the huge Rockefeller tree in the distance. It was beautiful. Truly it was the most beautiful part of Christmastime in New York City. I was still holding out on snow being beautiful here too though. I had a feeling a snowfall would be the calmness that this city so drastically needed. "Penny, you are never a bother." He placed his hand on my knee. "And for the millionth time, it's Ian's job to drive us around. He doesn't mind."