After they ate their ice cream, Zane walked Mattie to her car and pulled her into a hug. "Tonight was nice," he mentioned, pressing a sweet to her temple.

"It was." She pulled back and let her eyes drift to his lips. She knew that was the sign that she wanted him to kiss her. She was Lucas and Elizabeth's daughter for goodness sake and she'd seen her fair share of romantic movies.

However, he stepped back, squeezed her hand and smiled. "Night, Matts. See you soon?"

"Of course. Only a few days until Christmas Eve dinner."

"Right. I'll text you tomorrow."

"Okay."

He got in his car and she followed suit, getting into her Dad's car. She tried not to show her disappointment until he couldn't see her anymore. Then she refused to get upset. They had only just agreed to be officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Maybe it wasn't time for that first kiss yet.

"He didn't kiss you?" Lilly said, sleepily. Mattie climbed into Lilly's bed and cuddled up to her.

"Nope. I even looked at his lips. I know that's how to tell him I want to kiss him."

"Maybe he doesn't know what that means."

"Lil, everyone knows what that means."

"Yeah, I guess. Well, when will you see him again?"

"Christmas Eve dinner. He asked me to be his girlfriend."

"Congrats," Lilly said with a sigh as she drifted to sleep.

"Thanks."

Zane's Grandpa's house

"You didn't kiss her?" Zach asked over the phone.

"No. There's no rule that says I have to. Plus it was only our first date."

"There's no rule that says you can't kiss her on a first date. Plus, you know you've liked her forever, bro."

"I asked her to be my girlfriend."

"Well, that's something I guess."

"Just because you date constantly and kiss every girl that comes your way, doesn't mean I am the same."

"That's a bit dramatic. Dude, I'm just saying, if you want to move forward with Mattie, show her how you feel."

Zane was mostly nervous. He absolutely wanted to kiss Mattie but he'd never done it before. She even made it easy for him by looking at his mouth. He knew she wanted it too.

"Night, Zach."

"Night."

He texted Mattie. Now she was his girlfriend and before that, his best friend. "U awake?"

"Yeah."

"Can I come over?"

"Its not that I don't want you to, but its late, Z."

"Can I see you tomorrow? I need my best friend."

She called him and left the room to chat in the living room. "Hey. What's going on?"

"Tonight…I'm sorry, Mattie."

"Wait…I thought we had a good time. You asked me to be your girlfriend, Z."

"No, I…yes it was perfect. Yes, I absolutely want you to be my girlfriend."

"I'm confused. What are you sorry about then?"

"I've never kissed anyone and I know that you wanted me to and I really wanted to but I didn't want to ruin it because I'm clueless."

She tried hard not to giggle. Not only was it taking a lot of courage for him to admit that but he was so cute when he rambled.

"Matts?"

"Yeah."

"Why are you not saying anything?"

"I've never kissed anyone either and yes, I did want you to. But there's no hurry. We can take our time."

"I don't want our first kiss to be under the mistletoe and I know your dad likes that stuff. A lot. I want it to be us, alone."

"Me too."

"So, tomorrow, can we have a do-over? Not the date. We don't need a do-over date. I just want an end of the date do-over."

"You are so cute, you know that?"

"Thanks." He laughed quietly into the phone.

"You're welcome. And yes. We can have a do-over. Just know that I'm not pressuring you. When you are ready, so am I."

"Thanks, Matts. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow."

She sighed with all the seventeen year old happiness that was bursting inside her and curled up on the couch under a blanket, wondering what their "do-over" would be like.

….

"Can I pick u up at noon? I have a fun afternoon planned," Zane texted.

"Mom?" Mattie called to the kitchen.

"Yes, babe?"

"You okay? You look pale."

"Just overtired. What's up?"

"Um, Zane and I want to hang out today. Is that okay?"

"Sure."

"He's picking me up at noon."

"Mattie, please go slow."

"We are. It's only our second date."

"You just saw him last night."

"Mom, I've never given you a reason not to trust me, have I?"

"No, dear."

"So what's going on? You know Zane. Even more, you and Dad are best friends with his parents. He hasn't kissed me. We've only held hands. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. I do trust you. I trust that Rosie and Lee raised him to respect women. I just…maybe it's hard for me to see you growing up too."

"Mom, he is very respectful and if he wasn't, I wouldn't date him. I know Zane and he's my best friend. I really like him."

Elizabeth hugged Mattie and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Alright, Matea. You can go."

"Thanks, Mom."

….

Later that afternoon

"Three days, Luke. We are leaving in three days."

"I know."

"You're supposed to pack, love. I'm not sure why you always wait until the last minute."

"No reason," he said, turning the page in his novel. "Where's Mattie?"

"Remember? She's out with Zane."

"Right. Yeah."

"She told me she invited him for dinner tomorrow night."

"Family dinner?"

"Yeah. So we will trim the tree and build the gingerbread castle and have dinner."

"We've only ever had family on Christmas Eve night."

"Lucas, he's basically family. Lee and Rosie raised him to be independent and trustworthy and kind. Mattie told me that if he wasn't respectful to her, she wouldn't give him a second thought. We need to treat him the way we want him to treat Mattie."

Elizabeth walked over and sat on his lap, running her fingers through the hair at his temples. There were a couple gray hairs there but not alot. "I love that you are protective of our girl. I am the same way but ultimately we want her to be happy, right? And if Zane Coulter makes her happy, that should be fine with us."

"I know you're right," he told her, putting his book down and wrapping her up in his arms. "I will try to remember that."

She nodded, leaning her forehead against his temple. "Now, what plans do you have for us down in Florida?"

"I thought we would walk along the beach, maybe have a picnic under the stars. Dance…" He stopped listing things and just nuzzled her neck, taking in her perfect Beth Bouchard scent that he loved so very much.

"Gross, do you guys have to kiss all the time?" Vince asked, leaving the room.

"What do you need, Vince?" Beth asked, placing a soft kiss on Lucas' lips.

"My stomach hurts."

Elizabeth got up and placed her hand on his forehead. "You're pretty warm, hon. Where does it hurt?"

He shook his head and sighed. "I don't know. I just don't feel good."

Elizabeth took her youngest to his room and sat down next to him after covering him up and kissing his head. "You stay in bed for a bit. Let me know if you start to feel worse."

She moved his trash can next to his bed just in case. She really hoped it wasn't anything contagious. That would be horrible if all of them got sick around the holidays and her and Lucas' trip to Florida. Vince had always had a weaker immune system. Whether it had to do with him being a preemie or not, she wasn't sure. He got sick more than his siblings did.

"I think he's getting sick, hon. This might put a damper on things."

"Ugh. Poor Vince."

"Yeah."

….

Charlotte, Mattie and Zane's date

"Food trucks. This will be fun," Mattie mentioned as they walked hand in hand toward the group of trucks. "I want Indian food."

"That sounds good but I think I want to try some seafood."

"How are we supposed to choose?" she laughed.

"Get a little of everything?"

"Perfect."

She squeezed his hand. "So, tomorrow night. Dinner is at 5pm. Then we will decorate the tree and my dad always builds a huge gingerbread house with my brothers. I hope you like Christmas carols. Mom likes to sing and dance while we decorate."

"Sounds fun. I like singing carols too."

"You can sing, Z? Why did I never know this about you?" Mattie herself inherited her mom's love of music and singing but she never knew Zane could sing.

"I guess I got it from my Mom."

"What's your favorite carol?"

"Silent Night. Its so calm and peaceful."

They stepped up to the Indian Food truck first. "I'll take Shrimp curry," she told the woman inside. "And a bottle of water."

"I'll take the same," Zane said. Mattie looked at him, raising her eyebrows. "Shrimp is seafood. Best of both worlds."

Once they had their food, they found a table for two away from the crowds. Zane held out his hand and reached for hers across the table. She smiled and bowed her head and he prayed.

"Dear Lord, thank you for this food and for the company of my best friend. Please show me how to treat her like she deserves and for us to have patience as we get to know each other in a new way. Amen."

"Amen."

Mattie felt her eyes fill with tears and her heart open wide to accept the care and respect of the man sitting across from her.

"Matts?"

"Thank you for the blessing. That was very sweet."

"I meant it. You deserve everything good, Matea Bouchard."

"So do you, Z."

After eating they played miniature golf, forgetting about keeping score. They just loved spending the time together, getting to know each other in the new way Zane had prayed about.

Toward the last hole, Mattie shivered, feeling a cooler breeze start to blow. "Let's go find a warm place to sit," she suggested.

"There's a place called Cocoa Haven a bit farther down the walk. There's patio seating but it has heaters."

"Perfect."

He took off his hoodie and gave it to her. She smiled and slipped it over her head. "It smells so good," she thought to herself. It smelled like Zane and it made her feel cared for and cozy at the same time.

"Thank you."

As they drank their hot cocoa on the patio, she slipped her fingers into his hand.

"So tell me about your plans once you graduate," she said. "I know your plan as far as the army, but will they pay for pre-med too?"

"Yeah. I'm applying for the HPSP Scholarship and I'm hoping to right into pre-med next fall. It's a long shot but it would cut down on the years I need to spend in school."

She nodded. She respected that he had a plan and was choosing the army to save his parents money. He was a good guy and she felt blessed to know him.

"What are you going to study in college?"

She recently had decided so she actually had an answer.

"Business management and interior design."

"Like your parents?"

"Yeah. I love helping them and I enjoy figuring out the perfect design for a space. Plus, next year, I'm going to take college courses during senior year. That way I'll be half done with my associates by graduation."

"That's a good idea."

They chatted about plans for spring break and for summer coming up, not making assumptions about their relationship verbally, yet both felt the pull to be together for the long hall.

Later as the sun went down, Zane took her for a walk on the Rail Trail, grabbing her hand in his.

"I'm glad we did this today, Matts."

"Me too."

His nerves were making his stomach feel funny but he wanted tonight to be their first kiss. It felt right to him. He dropped her hand and slipped his arm around her back, resting his hand on her hip. She looked beyond cute in his hoodie to the point he didn't want it back.

"What?" she asked, finding his fingers with her own.

"Nothing."

"What, Z? You have a look."

He chuckled and smiled at her. "What look is that?"

"Z."

"Fine, I was just thinking how cute you look in my hoodie. I think you should keep it."

She blushed and let go of his fingers, wrapping her arm around his back, kissing his cheek. "OK."

He stopped a moment later in a quiet area where they could see the sun setting in the distance. He tucked her long dark curls behind her ears and cupped her cheeks.

"May I kiss you, Matts?"

"You may," she said quietly, resting her hands on his waist. He slowly leaned in and she did the same. She memorized everything about the moment.

The gentle feel of his hands on her face, the spicy smell of his body wash, his long eyelashes as his eyes drifted closed and now, the heavenly sensation of their mouths meeting for the first time. It was slow and sweet and then he moved back after a very brief moment, looking into her eyes.

She smiled and whispered, "Hi."

He smiled and leaned in again, teasing her lips with his and fully embracing this new feeling. It was perfect and Mattie was who he wanted, now and forever. He knew she was going to be by his side the rest of his days.