Written by Scooplet

Concept by Cheryl and Scooplet

Scarecrow and Mrs. King characters are the property of Shoot the Moon Productions and Warner Bros. Television. No copyright infringement intended. Not for commercial use. Sarah Stetson, Matt Granger, and the other characters not found in the television show are my creation, however, so please respect my right to claim ownership of them—I do not authorize permission to use them in stories not authored by me.

The Eyes of the Father

Chapter Three

By the Christmas tree in the living room, Amanda handed Sarah a box of ornaments. "Thank you, sweetheart, for taking the time to help me."

"Hey, it's just as much fun for me. And I don't need to haul out Grandma's tree. I'll be over here often enough."

Amanda smiled at her daughter. "We'd love that. I'll be right back with some hot chocolate."

In the kitchen, Amanda found Lee leaning against the counter, nursing a cup of coffee. The weather had grown colder overnight as a rainstorm had moved in, and his hands were still chilled.

She began heating the milk for the hot chocolate before she queried, "How did it go with Kirby?"

Lee spoke softly, still uncomfortable with his daughter knowing the true nature of his meetings at the Agency. "Oh, the same as every other time. He is playing down my concerns. I just don't get it. In the old days, I was always being accused of not being concerned enough. Now no one takes me seriously."

Amanda was quiet as she embraced her husband. "Maybe if you didn't dwell on it so much."

"Yeah. I thought of that. Kirby even pointed out that there is no point in trying to change the past. At least we agreed on something, even if it took four sessions with him."

An hour or two later, Sarah and Amanda were adjusting the ribbons on the tree when Sarah's phone rang.

"Hi, Matt." She could not help grinning. Because of Matt's case, they had not spent any time alone since their lunch on Tuesday, and even that had been rushed—Sarah had brought sandwiches to the Agency and they had eaten together in a conference room.

"Hi, sweetie. I'm sorry I'm running late. We had an op this afternoon and it went longer than expected."

"Your case all wrapped up?"

"No. Just more complicated. But I'm already in the car. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"No rush. The meatloaf isn't done yet. Drive carefully."

"Oh good. My favorite. Love you."

"Love you, too."

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Sarah was with her father in his study, watching a news report on the internet when her mother appeared in the doorway. "Didn't you hear the door, Sarah? Matt's here. Dinner will be ready in five minutes."

Rushing out to the foyer, Sarah expected to find Matt in the den, keeping her mother company. Instead, she spotted him out of the corner of her eye, standing by the tree in the darkened living room. Rather than wearing his usual suit, he was dressed in a sweater and jeans. Approaching him from behind, she slipped her arms about his waist and greeted her fiancé. "Hi."

"Hi."

Sarah felt Matt lean against her as he placed a cool hand on her wrist. He sighed quietly.

She rested her head against his back. "Long day?"

"Yeah. Rene and I had to go undercover again with backup. It always makes me tense when I have to be someone I'm not. At least in Afghanistan I could have long hair and a beard. It helps when you can hide under all that."

"Well, I'm glad you're here, now."

Matt turned around in her arms and wrapped his own around her. Without any preamble, he brought his lips to hers. The kiss was far more intense than their usual greeting; Sarah was surprised that he would kiss her like that when her parents might walk in at any moment.

When they finally broke apart, Sarah searched his eyes, which were barely illuminated in the soft glow of the tree. He seemed almost needy.

As if he were uncomfortable under her gaze, he looked over at the tree. "Did you help your mom with the tree?"

"Yes. We took our time, had some hot chocolate, made dinner together."

Matt's mood seemed to brighten a little as he glanced down at her. "Sounds nice." His eyes went back to the tree. "You know, I don't think I've been home for Christmas since I graduated from college. I was stationed overseas until last February—and that was only because of my early discharge so I could train with the Agency. I came home a couple of times, but not at Christmas. You know all of that."

"Do you miss your family?"

"A little, I guess. I usually miss them more on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I miss the tree, and watching everyone open gifts, and the treats my mom and grandmother make."

Sarah gave him a squeeze. "I'm sorry."

He sighed heavily and then stood a little straighter. "Don't be. You know, I've never told anyone that. Not even my mom. And this Christmas I'll have you. It can't get any better than that." He smiled down at her and kissed her again. It was not as intense this time.

As Sarah leaned her head on Matt's chest, he rested his cheek against her hair. She made an effort to be cheerful. "Well, this can be like a second home. And next year we'll have our own home together."

"Only four more weeks." He reached up to caress her cheek. "Time seems to be flying by since we got back from Texas."

"You've been pretty busy with this case."

"I know." He touched his lips to her forehead. "It's so nice to be with you, holding you. And we have a little reprieve over the weekend. I have to be in the field again for a few hours tomorrow, but I'll be free."

"And no wedding registries to work on, no DJs to research…"

"Please, let's just do something relaxing. I know we need to pack. Then there's Christina's party."

"Maybe we could go for a run at Rock Creek Park. The rain is supposed to let up by then. And it will be warmer again."

Matt did not hesitate. "I'd love that."

"And we could leave the party early and go to a movie. Just you and me."

"That's a great idea." He pulled Sarah closer. "Maybe we could go up to your apartment for a little while after dinner tonight."

"That would be nice." She rested her head against him.

As Matt spoke, Sarah could hear his deep voice rumbling in his chest. "This tree is so homey. Grandma Flo loves handmade ornaments, too." Still holding Sarah with one arm, he reached over and fingered one of the crafted ornaments—a wreath surrounding a photo. "I love this one of you when you were little. You've always been so beautiful."

"That's really sweet to say, Matt. I guess you've forgotten about some of my other photos. I was in kindergarten when that photo was taken—our teacher helped us make the ornaments."

"I think my mom has a couple of me like that. And I've looked at your photo albums more than once. You looked cute in braces." He laughed softly, causing his chest to rumble again in her ear.

Deciding it was time to change the subject, Sarah ventured, "We used to have real trees. But they're so expensive, and Grandma liked having the tree already on hand when she was ready to decorate—it was easier than trying to get Mom or Dad or one of my brothers to go with her to the lot."

"We always had an artificial tree. I like real trees, too, but I think my sisters are allergic to them. Honestly, once the lights are on the tree, they all look nice."

Amanda's voice called from the kitchen. "Come to the table, everyone. We're eating in the kitchen tonight."

"Be sure to tell my mom you like the tree." As Sarah walked with him into the kitchen, she was struck with inspiration. As long as her parents agreed, she no longer had to worry about the perfect Christmas gift for Matt.

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Sarah waited until Matt had driven away later that night before she texted her mother. It did not take long for her phone to ring.

As she answered the call, Sarah picked up the shoes she had left drying by her apartment door and put them away in her closet. "Hi, Mom. Thanks for calling so soon." She continued to straighten up as they talked, arranging pillows on the couch and hanging up the raincoat that was now dry.

"We were still up. Matt left early." Sarah thought she heard her mother putting dishes away while they talked.

"Yes. He was pretty tired. He has another op in the morning, too." Sarah smiled to herself. Although Matt had not stayed very long, they had still managed to enjoy the time alone. And if all went as planned, they would have plenty of time together doing something special the following evening.

"Francine is keeping them busy. So, what's up?"

"I figured out what I want to give Matt, and I need your help."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Well, I was wondering. Did you have plans for Grandma's tree? It's almost new. Were you planning to use it yourselves at some point?"

"Well, you know I like a larger tree and the one we have is good for a few more years. Hers was not very big. Why?"

"Well, Matt was telling me that he had not been home for Christmas in years."

As Sarah expected, her mother was immediately sympathetic. "What a shame. Maybe you two could go next year. We'd miss you here, but he needs to be with his family, too."

"That's a nice idea, Mom." Sarah was not to be sidetracked. She continued with her proposal. "So I got to thinking. He has no decorations in his apartment, really. Just a string of lights on his balcony railing and a couple of things on his coffee table. I think they were gifts from ladies at church."

"Does Matt not have a tree?"

"No. But that isn't unusual for the single guys I know. I just thought Matt might enjoy having one."

"Maybe he'd like a real tree, Sarah."

"I think he'd be okay with an artificial one. His family had one."

"Did you do a little soft interrogation on your fiancé, my daughter?" Amanda pretended to chide Sarah.

"It was only in his best interests. He had no clue." Sarah giggled.

"So, you're thinking of giving him a Christmas tree. That's very sweet. Are you going to buy the decorations? I have some ornaments that belong to you…"

"Oh, let's keep those on your tree one more year. This will be Matt's tree for now. Is it okay?"

"Of course, sweetheart. I would have given it to you for your own apartment, if you'd wanted. Your grandmother would be happy." Amanda grew quiet.

"Thanks, Mom. I love you."

"I love you, too, Sarah. And oh, I saw some nice ornaments on sale at that store in the mall."

"Great. Maybe Daddy can help me pack the tree into the car tomorrow. I'll get the ornaments on my way home. I just have a simulation with Leatherneck in the morning. I'm supposed to go to Matt's in the afternoon once he's home."

"Just come on over when you're ready. I'm sure your father would be glad to help you. It should just fit in the backseat. The box is not too big."

"Thanks, Mom. I really do appreciate this."

"It's my pleasure. Good night, Sweetheart."

"Night, Mom."

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Checking the magazine of her Glock, Sarah made sure she had fifteen rounds. She had two extra magazines in her pocket. Forty-five cartridges in all. She hoped she would only need a portion of them. Pulling back the slide on her sidearm, she was ready to fire. If only it was time to start. Leatherneck and Grant Hill were still setting the pop-ups.

Each sheet metal pop-up was in the general shape of a human. Cardboard images could be affixed to the pop-up to create a scenario of different individuals, from fellow agents to homeless people to civilians to potential assailants. The arena itself had a floor that sloped in one area, creating the effect of a hill, as well as a main "building," wooden crates, shrubs and other objects that might be found in a field situation. Each scenario had a different objective. Sometimes the agents were to provide cover for arresting agents. Other times they were to shoot a particular subject who could not otherwise be subdued. Agents training in the arena used real bullets, so the walls were reinforced, hollow point cartridges were used, and only the agent undergoing the simulation could be in the arena during an exercise. "Rounds" coming from shooters or fellow agents were really just charges that were set strategically throughout the arena. Using a computer simulation with manual override, Leatherneck could set them off, making it seem like gunfire.

Sarah had not told Matt about the arena. Intending to talk about it once they were alone in her apartment, she had quickly forgotten when Matt had sat down on the couch and pulled her onto his lap. It had seemed more important to talk about his day at that moment. Of course they had not talked for long… Thank God it's only four more weeks—and Matt had the self-control to leave when he did. It was getting harder and harder to wait.

Shaking her head so she would not be distracted by thoughts of their brief time alone together the night before, Sarah stood ready. This portion of the simulation was not just meant to make the agents unnecessarily nervous. It was meant to be similar to a real field situation, where danger might be waiting—nerves might be taut, but agents needed to learn to stay calm. Leatherneck had told Sarah to think of herself as being assigned to surveillance. She took a few deep, cleansing breaths.

"Okay, Sarah, you're on. You've got a shooter to your left. You're the lead agent, but you may get turned around. Be ready for friendlies and civilians."

A shot rang out. It reverberated loudly despite the high tech noise-cancelling headset Sarah wore. Turning quickly, she spotted a weapon in the window to her upper left. She could not see anything else, so she worked her way to a higher spot on the right, hoping to take the shooter out—her goal for this exercise. As she dodged behind some packing crates, another shot rang out, this time just ahead of her to the right. She aimed at the assailant, an enemy gunman, and fired.

"Good Sarah. That's one down."

As she continued to work her way to the right, more fire erupted behind her. Schooled to ignore it, as she knew it would be "fellow agents," she focused on the area just around her. Suddenly an old homeless woman was there, her expression frightened. Sarah examined the pop-up quickly, and then fired. She was surprised when a shell bounced off of her shoulder. Her stance had been off, so her gun had been closer to her body than she thought.

"Excellent. You spotted the shotgun under her coat."

More gunfire erupted from the shooter's position. Sarah did not have time to dwell on the disturbing feeling she had from her split-second decision to possibly end the older woman's life. Leatherneck had just affirmed she was the enemy. And she had seen the shotgun.

More pop-ups erupted, all around her, and without taking the time to assess whether they were friendly, she dived behind a wall for protection. Unable to see the shooter's window now, she had become turned around. She crouched, waiting for something to help her get her sense of direction once again. Peeking around the edge of the wall to see the pop-ups, she was met with the sound of gunshots. Apparently they weren't friendly.

Now her adrenaline was pumping. Another shot rang out nearby. Sarah edged back to look. The figure had an Agency mark. Friendly. Then another shot rang out. This time it was the shooter, as it came from above. Plotting a course around the enemy at her level, she reached higher ground. With shrubbery for protection, Sarah aimed at the window of the building where the shooter had been last seen. The simulation caused a curtain to stir, but Sarah did not fire, afraid of giving away her location. She waited for a body part to show. More shots rang out below her, but finally the shooter's head appeared briefly. Sarah quickly squeezed the trigger.

The overhead lights came on and Leatherneck's voice sounded in her ear. "Well despite being dead, you still managed to get the shooter."

Sarah stood up, frustrated, and looked to the observation room. She spoke into her mic. "What are you talking about?"

"You were shot twice. Once by the little group of baddies below you and once by your own guys when you were turned around. That guy you spied out had shot you."

"Why did the simulation do that?"

"You can't get in the line of fire of the other agents. You have to watch for that."

"Of course. But why let me finish?"

"I wanted to see if you could 'outsmart' the shooter. You did a great job on that one. Just like your dad and mom used to do in the field."

"But they're still alive. It was my ghost who got the shooter."

"Now, now. This was your first time. They always backed each other up. You were on your own here. Trust me, I was impressed. Of course, I'm only supposed to be training you in the use of the sidearms. Wong will tell you more about strategy, methods, etc."

Sarah met Leatherneck in the hallway outside the simulation arena. She pulled the magazines from her pocket.

He let out a short laugh. "You never used your spare mags."

"I was prepared for a firefight. There wasn't one."

"Well every simulation is different. You might need them next time." Leatherneck took the magazines. "Let's go back to the armory. You can do a little target practice while Hill and I clean this place up. Then we both can work on surveillance equipment."

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Looking from one box to the other, Sarah attempted to decide which ones would be more suitable for Matt. How does one decide on ornaments for a guy? She began to doubt the wisdom of her gift. Maybe he'll be annoyed at having a girly thing to worry about, when he's been working so hard. Christmas is coming, the wedding, we have to move his stuff to the new apartment…

She made her decision and headed home with the ornaments.

Her father, who was not nearly as enthusiastic about Christmas as her mother, was surprisingly happy to help Sarah pack the tree into her car.

"Thanks for helping, Daddy."

"Of course. Let Matt help you get it into his apartment. No offense, but this thing is a bit heavy for you, even if you do work out." Leaning on the car door, Lee reached over and playfully tested his daughter's bicep.

Smirking, Sarah swatted at her father. "You are probably glad to have this out of the garage. It won't be taking up space anymore."

"Yeah." Lee drew the word out, as if he was debating whether to continue his thought. "Actually, I think it was a nice idea to give it to Matt."

"I'm hoping he'll like it."

"Sometimes a man needs a woman to help him really appreciate holidays. Until I met your mother, I was perfectly content to spend Christmas watching football games, eating guacamole, and drinking champagne."

"With one of your girlfriends?"

Lee frowned. "No. Never. I hate that you know about all that. There may have been a girl or two whom I thought I cared for, but for the most part, all of those women were shallow. I never truly loved a woman until I met your mom."

"I'm not proud about wasting all that time with Jeff."

"Oh, well. He was just keeping you off the market until Matt could come along."

"Daddy!" Sarah glared at her father as she reprimanded him. "I wasn't head over heels with Jeff, but…" She let her words trail off as she could see the twinkle in her father's eyes. He may be teasing you, but there's truth in his words.

"But I was telling you about your mom and Christmas. I was even annoyed when she tried to shake me out of my routine. One day I realized it was all a front. I admitted to myself that I was lonely for true companionship. Christmas really made it hit home, so I had tried to stick to that silly routine as a defense mechanism." I'm starting to sound like Kirby. I've been spending too much time with that shrink.

Lee shut the rear passenger door of the car. "I guess I'm just saying that this is a nice gift. It will mean more to Matt than you think."

Sarah was quiet for a moment as she looked at her father. Smiling, she leaned towards him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, Daddy. I love you."

Lee reddened slightly, but offered her a dimpled grin. "Love you, too, pumpkin. Have fun this evening."

He lifted his hand in a small wave as she backed out of the driveway, watching as she drove down the street.

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Shaking off his weariness, Matt scrambled to finish the dinner preparations before Sarah arrived. It was too early to eat dinner, but he wanted time to relax with Sarah. It seemed as if they rarely had time just to sit together lately. Except for a little while last night, you've hardly spent any time alone with her since last weekend. And you were both exhausted from shopping and working on the wedding registry then. He scanned his collection of Blu-ray discs, then feeling inspired, scanned the online rental choices, looking for Christmas movies.

Involuntarily, his mind went to the case that had occupied so much of his and Rene's time over the last two weeks. Posing as graduate students at the University of Virginia, they felt they had come close to uncovering a terrorist recruitment ring, which was intent on gaining new members to strengthen their espionage efforts. He and Rene had been forced to attend meetings and other graduate program activities under the pretense that they would soon be joining UVa's engineering department. Yesterday's meeting had required a full-scale intelligence operation so the meeting and their interactions with other department members could be recorded. Today's meeting had required the same level of assistance. Timing was running out. Soon the school would break for the holidays—they only had less than a week to figure out who was running the recruitment efforts.

Matt was determined not to have to resume the case after his honeymoon. He did not want to have to attend classes and student teach. However, it might be wrapped up anyway. Two male students, Tony and Ali, were showing signs of being the recruiters. They had befriended Rene and Matt, even going so far as to try to set Matt up with a girl. Rene had had no sympathy.

"Don't be mad at me for telling them you're engaged, man. They don't bug me because of my wedding ring."

"I didn't want them to know a fiancée exists. What if they are the terrorists and they went after her?"

"You're using a cover name. They won't be able to figure out it's Sarah if you don't want them to know."

"I don't want to take any chances."

"You should play along with them, Matt. Makes your cover seem more real. That's why I told them you're engaged; you can give them a cover story and they'll leave you alone." Rene frowned.

The idea of including Sarah in his cover made Matt's stomach tie in knots. You're going to have to get used to the idea of your wife being in the field—at least for a little while. He hoped that the case would be wrapped up before she became his wife.

The sudden knock on the door came as a welcome relief. Now he could be distracted. Opening the door, he was quick to greet Sarah. "Hi." He stepped aside to allow her entrance.

"Hi."

After closing the door once again, he gazed at her for a moment. "You look lovely." Her answering blush only added to her beauty in his eyes. She wore his favorite skinny jeans and under her leather jacket was a powder blue mohair sweater. A scarf of varying shades of blue and green was draped around her neck, and she wore a simple pair of flat slip-ons.

He stepped over to her and kissed her quickly on the lips, then moved around behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Here, let me help you with your jacket. It must have stopped raining. You're dry."

She turned to face him. "Yes, it did stop raining, and actually, I'd like to keep my jacket on for a little while longer." At Matt's puzzled expression, she continued. "I was hoping you could help me carry something in from the car."

"Ah. You're finally packing. Good idea. We can bring your things here box by box and move everything all at once from here to the new place."

"Um, that is a good idea. But it's not exactly like that." Smiling, she gestured to the coat closet. "Grab your jacket and I'll show you."

His curiosity piqued, Matt wasted no time following Sarah outside to her car.

"A Christmas tree?"

Sarah grinned at Matt's boyish reaction as he saw the box in her backseat. Feeling foolish for having doubted her idea, she pushed her worries aside as she helped him carry the tree inside. On the way back to the car for the ornaments, he eagerly wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to his side. "This will be fun, decorating a tree this evening. I had some movies picked out, but this will be much better."

"Maybe we could do both. Or watch a movie tomorrow."

Handing Matt the bags of newly-purchased ornaments, she grabbed another bag from behind her seat and locked the car. Once in the apartment, she reached into her bag and produced a box.

"Oh, great! Hot chocolate!"

Sarah smiled to herself. "Yes. I noticed you didn't have any last time I was here. I'll make us each a mugful if you'll get us some Christmas music going on your iPhone."

"You thought of everything."

As they finished setting up the tree, Matt stood back with Sarah, staring at the lights that seemed to twinkle in the now-darkened living room. "I can't tell you how much it means to me that you came up with such a thoughtful gift idea." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "But I didn't expect you to go to any trouble for me this Christmas."

"Oh, well. Mom and Daddy were happy to donate the tree. It was my grandmother's, but she only used it a few times. My mom likes her big tree. It worked out perfectly."

"It's a nice tree. And just the right size for an apartment. But you've been doing so much for the wedding. This was yet another project for you."

"I just have the wedding favors. My mom is fitting the wedding dress once that arrives in the next week or two, so I don't have to go far for that."

"And there's the shower next weekend. Plus, your parents got tickets for the four of us to go to the Kennedy Center."

"But those are only for a few hours. And the Kennedy Center will be so wonderful. I love the Christmas Pops concert. The shower is only for an afternoon."

"With thank you notes to write afterwards." He drew her close. "I guess all of this is to be expected. It just seems like you are so busy." And I don't even want to mention the depositions and other legal proceedings that will happen over the next two weeks. "It was really nice of your parents to get us tickets to the concert."

"Well, they try to do something with Phillip's and Jamie's families this time of year. I guess this will be our tradition with them. I hope you enjoy it, too."

"I'm sure I will."

"I just wish I could do more for you."

"Oh, no." Reaching out, he fingered the tree. "I love my Christmas gift. This is all I need for Christmas."

"You are sweet to say that. And you're right—I am busy. But Leatherneck is usually pretty easy on me. I don't work that many hours." She stepped away.

"Usually easy on you?"

"Today was kind of hard." Sarah pulled the boxes of ornaments out of the bags and set them on the coffee table.

"Was it the simulations?" Matt sat down on the couch and watched her open the boxes.

"Yes."

"And?"

"I'm getting eighties and even a ninety on my target shooting. But I flunked the simulation today."

Matt rested his head on the back of the couch, relaxing. "Oh, well that's okay, especially with your high target shooting scores. Have you ever played video games? It can be hard to get used to."

"That's not it. I went into the arena. I was shot twice, but Leatherneck didn't tell me and I took out the shooter."

"That's great! Wow. I can't believe you're already in the arena." Matt leaned forward. "Sarah, everyone gets shot their first time through. I had field experience and I got shot."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And hardly anyone takes out the shooter the first time through. Of course, people who get shot are usually too dead to do that." Matt grinned ruefully.

Rolling her eyes, Sarah chose to ignore that remark. "Come on. You can help me decorate the tree. I didn't get that many ornaments, since we'll have to take them back off the tree in a couple of weeks when you move. Plus, I figure we'll collect them over the years. My parents have a ton."

Chuckling, Matt agreed with her. "Good idea. My parents have a lot, too." He picked one up, affixed a hook, and took the ornament to the tree.

He grew serious. "You're doing a great job with your target shooting, Sarah, and you showed that you have good instincts today. You'll get the hang of the arena. It's really something that Leatherneck already thought you were ready for it."

"I hope you're right."

"I know I am." Turning from the tree, he put his arms around her. "Now, no more shop talk." After giving her a kiss, he went for another ornament.

While the dinner heated, Matt sat with Sarah in the living room, lit only by the Christmas tree. Pulling her close, he rested his arm across her shoulders and leaned down to place a kiss on her hair. She turned to look up at him. Her eyes were shining in that way that he loved. He brought his mouth to hers. After a few moments, he pulled away just enough to murmur in her ear. "I love my Christmas present. Thank you." He trailed little kisses along her jaw as he ran his hand down her arm. He plucked gently at her sleeve. "And I love this sweater. You're so soft."

Sarah found herself sighing quietly as she angled her neck so Matt could kiss her there. She ran her hands over his chest, letting them rest on his shoulders. As his hands moved around her waist and over her back, his lips continued to travel along her collarbone, then downward. Finding the neckline of her sweater, he brought his lips back to her mouth and kissed her on the mouth—the kind of kiss that always left her breathless. Just as she was wondering if she should politely extricate herself before things could go too far, Matt pulled away.

Taking a deep, ragged breath, he stood up. "There's a little time before dinner. Let's dance. We can watch the movie afterwards."

Sarah straightened her sweater and smoothed her hair. "Good idea."

Matt took his iPhone from the side table and selected a playlist before placing the phone in the dock. He turned back to her and took her in his arms. "Sometimes the time seems to drag by. Four weeks seems like a long time at the moment."

She nodded in understanding.

As they danced to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," Matt rested his head against Sarah's. His voice was apologetic. "I'm sorry I took it that far. I know better."

"It was just a couple of inches farther south than before. We'll be married soon."

"And I tempted both of us."

"It was pretty nice, but if you hadn't ended it, I was going to think of way to do it." She caressed his shoulder and gripped his hand tighter with her other hand. "But I'm glad I didn't have to say anything. Don't worry about it, Matt."

"I'm glad you didn't have to say anything, too."

"I haven't had to, yet. That's a pretty good track record." She pulled her head back just far enough so she could reach up to plant a kiss on his cheek. She grinned at him before saying, "And I'll be sure to pack this sweater when we go on our honeymoon."

Matt's mouth tipped at her remark. "We have a list of things for you to bring on the honeymoon. This sweater, a certain kiss I won't forget…" He brushed his knuckles along her jaw and looked into her eyes.

Nestling her head against his shoulder, she felt his cheek rest on her hair once again as they continued dancing together.