“Hey, hold up. Don’t you even say ‘Hi!’ to your own sister?” C.C. stepped forward, attempting to delay the woman.

Long, dark hair swung with momentum, as Brooke stopped her forward motion long enough to see who was calling out to her. “Hey, C.C. What’s up?”

“Nice truck, Sis,” the brunette motioned with her thumb to the truck right outside the door, then C.C. asked innocently, “Did it come with a hitch for the U-haul?”

Brooke looked at her sister, slightly puzzled. “U-haul? What U-Haul?”

The brunette sighed as she lifted her face towards the heavens and rolled her eyes. “Why would I not think she’s slow? Twenty years and I should know by now.” C.C. turned to look at her still confused older sister. “Never mind, Brooke, you’ll get it in due time.”

The older woman eyed her sister suspiciously, then looked around the lobby for any sign of Sam. “So, where’s my girl?”

“Ah…your girl?” C.C. teased her sister before motioning with her head. “She’s upstairs, finishing her packing.” The brunette reached out to grab her sister’s hand before she could go running off. “So, she’s moving in with you for the Holidays, huh?”

“Yes, she is.” Brooke nodded, her blue eyes filled with excitement. “I’ve taken the next few weeks off so I can spend it with her.”

“Whoa, hold those horses. You took time off of work? You must be serious here.” C.C. couldn’t believe her ears. “You mean there’s more to life than work?”

“Of course, I am. You know what I’m planning.” Brooke looked very seriously into C.C.’s eyes, “Yes, there is more to life than work. Sam…well, she’s…” the dark-haired woman looked around the lobby before settling back on her sister. “She’s everything to me. Besides, who knows if she’ll ever have this much time off again? I want to spend it with her.”

C.C. couldn’t help but smile at her sister’s excitement. “Then I take it you’re going to pop the question soon?”

Blue eyes began to twinkle and a smile engulfed Brooke’s face. “Yes, before the end of the break.”

C.C. rubbed her hands eagerly together. “Oh…scoop, scoop. When’re you gonna to do it?” She looked at her sister for a brief moment before her excitement carried her away. “Christmas, right? Is that what you’re getting her? Oh, how I love secrets.”

“I’m not telling. I want it to be a big surprise. I already have a few things in mind though.” Brooke teased her sister, then just as easily confided, “You’ll just have to wait and see.” Brooke started for the stairs but after a step or two, she turned back to C.C. “And no, that’s not her present.” Brooke thought for a moment then added, “Although, if she said yes, it would be mine.” She emphasized the words with a wiggle of her eyebrows before turning back toward the stairs.

“Well, if you need any help,” C.C. rubbed her hands together, “You know, I’m always around…”

Brooke shook her head, “Yeah, I know C.C., but this is something I need to do on my own.”

“I know, Sis, but I’m still here for you, any way that I can be.” C.C. waved to her sister. “Well, I have to get going. I’ve got lots of thing to do before Christmas.”

“Okay, I’ll see you soon, C.C. Merry Christmas.” Brooke called out as she headed for the stairs.

“Merry Christmas, Brooke.”

The woman turned halfway up the stairs to wave at her sister, as she muttered under her breath, “I hope so.”

Brooke wiped the small beads of perspiration from her forehead as she climbed into the driver’s seat of the truck. She glanced into the rearview mirror, then over to the self-absorbed blonde next to her. “Damn Darlin’, are you sure you didn’t pack some of C.C.’s things back there?”

There was a pause before Sam spoke. “Hon, did you get that last little box that I had by the desk?”

The dark-haired woman nodded as she put the key into the ignition and started the engine. “Yes, Darlin’, it’s back there,” she smiled as she motioned with her head, “…somewhere.”

“I keep thinking that I forgot something,” Sam wrinkled her brow even more, “…and no, I didn’t take anything of C.C.’s”

“Baby, we brought everything that you had stacked by the door.”

“I know, I just wish I could remember what I’m forgetting though,” the blonde sighed.

“Sam, I’m sure you didn’t forget a thing.” Brooke put the truck in gear and started to pull out into traffic.

“You’re probably right,” Sam shrugged, “…but it just keeps,” the blonde paused. “Damn,” she slapped her jean-covered thigh, “I know what it was.”

“What?” The truck came to a halt as Brooke slammed on the brake, almost causing her load to shift.

Quickly bracing herself against the dashboard, Sam waited for the truck to stop rocking before wrinkling up her nose and looking over to Brooke with the most innocent of faces.

“What?” Blue eyes studied her intently, fearing that they’d left something of great importance behind.

“I remember what it was that I was forgetting.” Sam looked down to the dashboard as she readjusted her seat. “I…ah…” she looked over to Brooke and spoke in a shy voice, “Could we stop at the grocery store?”

Brooke looked into the rearview mirror. “Do we have room for whatever we need to get?” She winked at Sam teasingly.

“Hey,” Sam shifted in her seat to face her more fully. “How many people do you actually know that could pack up their whole life and belongings into one small…” she let her eyes drift over the very large interior of the truck and chuckled. “Well, not so small truck, huh?”

Brooke grinned, then began to chuckle. “Sam, you are just too cute.” The driver grabbed the blonde’s hand and kissed it. “We can stop wherever you’d like.” Brooke took her foot off the brake and eased it back onto the gas pedal. She stole glances of the woman as Sam blushed.

Sam hid her face with her hand, trying to shield the growing redness of her face from Brooke’s view. “Thanks,” she giggled, “I forgot the cookie dough.”

“Cookie dough?” Brooke took Sam’s hand in hers and raised it to kiss the small palm.

“Hey, Christmas means cookies, okay?” Sam sighed, “Besides, they’re refrigerated so if we can’t fit them in here, we could always just tie the tubes to the roof rack.” Sam cast a sideward glance to her lover.

“I guess we could. I love you.” Brooke took her eyes off the road long enough to wink at Sam.

“I love you too, Babe,” Sam smiled back at her.

“It’s gonna be really nice having these next few weeks with you. I don’t think you know what this means to me, Sam.”

“You’re not regretting it already, are you?”

The driver shook her head and smiled, “Not at all. Starting tomorrow, I can sleep in late with you every day, make you breakfast in bed…”

“Hmm…sounds like I must have been a very good girl this year, huh Santa?”

“Oh yeah.” The broad grin across Brooke’s face said it all.

“Maybe next year you’ll have been the good girl and Santa will bring you everything it is that you want.” Sam winked and smiled back.

“Yeah? Well, that’ll be easy. I only want one thing.”

“Hmm, would that be something big…or expensive?” Sam teased, ” I mean to only want one thing.”

“Nope,” Brooke tightened her lips together and shook her head. “It’s not big, and not expensive, either.” She smiled, “But it’s just right.”

“Now that sounds like the proverbial ‘Peace on Earth’, wouldn’t you say?” Sam glanced out the side window then back to Brooke. “You’d better tell me now so I can put your order in for next year,” she teased.

The driver smiled, then made her wish in a hushed whisper, “All I want is you.”

It took a moment for the words to sink in, causing the blonde to give Brooke a strange look. “But you already have me, Brooke. So, what’s to want?”

The older woman winked at her lover. “And that’s why I’m happy. All I need is you.”

“Hmm…now that, I can live with.”

Sam looked back into the truck that boasted of not a single square foot of unused space, and marveled at their ability to find enough room for the two small bags of groceries. There wasn’t a nook or cranny left to put even the tiniest of things into the vehicle when she noticed that the truck was turning from the main road.

“Brooke, what’s wrong? Why are we stopping here?” Sam looked back to the loaded cargo. ” I didn’t break your new truck, did I?” She gazed over to Brooke, then out of the side window where she saw a small shack surrounded by pine trees and illuminated with rows of strung together light bulbs.

“We need a tree, Darlin’.”

“A tree?” Sam’s eyes lit up, “You mean a real tree? I didn’t think people still did real trees.”

“Of course I mean a real tree.” Brooke unfastened her seatbelt as she watched a family passing by with a tree in tow and smiled fondly. “We are going to get a real tree and decorate it with the kids on Christmas Eve. What do you think?”

Sam looked back to the packed vehicle and grimaced. “Well, I guess a little one would be…”

The driver laughed heartily, “Oh no, it’s got to be a big one.”

“A big one?” Sam’s head shifted back and forth from the driver to the packed truck. “Brooke, how…where…” she gave up and finally said what was on her mind. “It’s never gonna fit.”

“Oh, yes it will. It can go on top.”

“So, that’s why you didn’t want the refrigerated rolls up there, huh?” Sam teased.

Damn right,” Brooke winked back at her. “There has to be enough room for you and I to fit under it.” Brooke’s eyes twinkled with delight.

“You’re not insinuating that we make…” Sam’s face took on one of shock.

Brooke grinned evilly before she amended her statement. “Well, at least you with a big red ribbon on your head,” she teased right back, looking down at her own long frame. “I’m not sure they have anything here that’s big enough for me.”

“Whew,” Sam breathed easier. “You had me worried for a minute there.”

The rakish grin stayed on Brooke’s face. “Well, now that you mention it…we do have to work on that baby thing.”

Sam poked her tall lover in the stomach. “Now, don’t go getting any ideas.” She started into a slow grin. “Well, not until after the kids go home.”

“Nope.” Brooke shook her head, remembering what had happened when they tried making love with Julie in the house. “No way, besides, we’ll have plenty of time before they even get there.”

The younger woman thought for a moment, then agreed. “We do, don’t we?” Sam smiled coyly, then wiggled her eyebrows. “So, what are we doing here? Let’s go pick out a tree.”

Brooke stood there for a moment, sizing up the situation. Here, in one hand, she balanced the tall pine that they had picked out, while she looked over to the two week old Sequoia. It would take her more time and energy than it was worth to unload all of Sam’s boxes to get to the tarp that she’d thrown in earlier. She knew there was no way she was getting sap all over the roof of the brand new vehicle. Her options were limited as she reached for her cell phone and punched in her youngest sister’s number, waiting to hear her familiar tones.

“Hello, Sis, what’s up?”

“Hey Chase, I need you to do me a favor. Can you bring me a tarp?”

C.C.’s voice came back in a teasing manner. “And what kinky kind of games are you two playing this weekend, huh?”

“Do you really wanna know or can you just bring me a tarp so I can take home this tree?”

“What the hell do you need a tree for, Brooke? You’ve got a huge bed.”

“It’s a Christmas tree, Chase,” Brooke said, a little perturbed.

“Oh, sorry. I guess I forgot about you having to get a fresh one every year.”

“Come on, I need to put it on top of my truck and I don’t want to mess up the paint job.”

“Still pampering it, huh?”

“Of course, I am.” Brooke let a long sigh escape her lips.

“Hmm…I guess that means you haven’t broken in that back seat yet,” she teased.

“Uh…” Brooke raised a lone eyebrow in response when she figured out what C.C. was getting at. “The tarp, Chase. Please don’t give me any ideas I shouldn’t be having in a public place, okay?”

“Oh,” C.C. giggled naughtily. “Then do you think I should take back your present, I mean…if you’re not going to really utilize that truck.”

“Present?” Brooke sounded intrigued.

“Yeah, the plate for the front. You know, ‘If this truck is a rockin’, don’t come a knockin’.”

The older woman shook her head and laughed, “C.C.?”

“Yeah, Sis?”

“You are a goober. So, are you gonna bring me the tarp?”