I notice one face is missing, but as we go inside, Xavier comes around the corner with a massive platter of fresh Christmas cookies. He grins widely when he sees me and rushes to put them down. They are a meticulous assortment of decorated shapes, and I can’t help but notice a few of the gingerbread men are wearing shorts and short sleeves.
“Did you have a change of heart about the cookie clothing?” I ask.
“These are gingerbread men from around the world. I realized I was being close-minded. Christmas is for everyone. So, this is my cookie from Down Under, the Hawaiian cookie, India, the Middle East, Egypt.”
I stop him by pulling him into a hug. He hesitates for only a second before his arms wrap around me.
“Merry Christmas,” I whisper.
“Merry Christmas, Emma,” he whispers back. “Did you know that sugar plums are not actually plums, but are more like tiny balls of Play-doh made out of dry figs and nuts?” I shake my head. “Neither did I. I rolled some plums in sugar, though.”
I laugh as I step back from him. There are never going to be the right words to say to him, but I’m alright with that.
“Emma?” Sam says.
“Hmmm?”
“I want to show you something.”
I go over to the tree and notice he hung the ornament Julia gave me on the same day I gave her the bracelet. I touch it and smile.
“Thank you,” I say.
“There’s another one,” he tells me.
I walk over to the branch where he’s pointing and find an ornament that looks like a cut crystal box. I take it off the tree and open it. My breath catches.
Of course, it’s perfect. A small infinity band made of two intertwining strips of platinum, with an absolutely pristine round-cut diamond. When I look up, Sam is on one knee.
“I’m sorry it took so long for me to do this. The ring took forever to make. But it’s my turn now. Emma, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
He takes the ring from the box and slides it onto my finger.
“The diamond is made from our hair,” he says.
I look up at him. “What?”
“The diamond. It was created with the carbon sourced from our combined hair. A lot of things are temporary. Even diamonds. But this is us. It will last forever.”
“How long have you been waiting for this?” I ask.
“Three months,” he says.
I wrap my arms around him. He was going to ask me first. That was worth waiting for.
“Xavier,” I call over my shoulder. “Thank you for giving Sam the idea about the diamond.”
“You’re welcome.”
Sam scoffs. “Why are you so sure it was him?”
“It was me,” Xavier grins.
“You would have no reason to know something that romantic and that creepy exists,” I say. “That is all Xavier.”
Sam laughs and scoops me into his arms.
“So wait,” I ask. “How much hair did you need? Is that why you were suddenly very concerned with where I kept my hairbrush all summer?”
Sam makes a funny face and just winks. “Do you like it?”
“It’s amazing. And I love you.”
“I love you. Merry Christmas, baby.”
“Merry Christmas.”
THE END
Dear reader,
I hope you enjoyed reading The Girl and the Black Christmas.
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a wonderful New Year!
Thank you for going on great Emma adventures with me all throughout this wild year we had.
Please, leave me a review if you can spare a moment of your time.
My promise to you is to always do my best to bring you thrilling adventures.
I hope I have fulfilled that. I look forward to you reading my next novel!
Yours,
A.J. Rivers
P.S. If for some reason you didn’t like this book or found typos or other errors, please let me know personally. I do my best to read and respond to every email at [email protected]
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Also by A.J. Rivers
Emma Griffin FBI Mysteries
Season One
Book One - The Girl in Cabin 13*
Book Two - The Girl Who Vanished*
Book Three - The Girl in the Manor*
Book Four - The Girl Next Door*
Book Five - The Girl and the Deadly Express*
Book Six - The Girl and the Hunt*
Book Seven - The Girl and the Deadly End*
Season Two
Book Eight - The Girl in Dangerous Waters*
Book Nine - The Girl and Secret Society
Book Ten - The Girl and the Field of Bones
Book Eleven - The Girl and the Black Christmas
Other Standalone Novels
Gone Woman
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