He held her hand as they walked down the familiar path she’d walked down thousands of nights before.

She stopped at the pale blue house with the large front window, and turning to look at him, she said, “I walked past this house on Christmas last year. From here I looked in at the family gathered around the tree, smiling, laughing and celebrating. It was a  cold night, but somehow in that moment it felt warm and safe. That’s when I knew, everything about you felt like Christmas. Yet here I stood outside on this sidewalk, alone. I cried because I thought you were gone.”

He reached down to put his hands around her face, bringing his gaze down to align with the green of her eyes.

“What do you see now?”

“I see, you.”

“Well, from where I’m standing I’m looking into the window of where I want to call home. And I promise you won’t ever walk by yourself on Christmas Day again.”

In that moment, the snow began to fall. Yet her heart began to thaw.