Mistletoe
“Mama!” Emma bounced to attendance at Regina’s feet, pointing above her head. “You gotta kiss me.”
Regina craned her head to find a sprig of mistletoe hanging by red ribbon. She smiled and stooped down to plant a kiss on her little one’s cheek. “Merry Christmas, baby.”
With a warm heart, the mayor continued on to the kitchen, her shadow trotting behind. As she moved under the next arch, an adorable voice demanded, “Mama, ‘gain!”
Her brows knit together. As it happened, a second sprig of mistletoe hung above her. Though she couldn’t remember hanging any mistletoe, she simply sighed to herself and pressed another kiss to Emma’s head. It wasn’t the kind of decoration she was fond of – being forced to kiss someone merely by proximity wasn’t a welcomed thought – but she couldn’t think of anyone she’d rather kiss.
She collected the stack of placemats from the counter and continued through to lay them on the dining table. They were having the Charming brigade over that evening, and there was still quite a bit to get done. As she went, she checked on the kitchen timer for when Emma needed to take the second potion. She smiled to herself. They still had over an hour left of the best part of her day.
As she moved through the door to the dining table, Emma insisted, “Mama, look!”
Regina dropped the stack of placemats on the table and spun around, sweeping Emma into her arms. She didn’t need to look up to know that there was yet another of the fateful holiday decoration hanging between them. Emma’s soft laughter encased the room as Regina kissed dramatically against her neck and scrunched her hands on the girl’s ribs. “Did you put mistletoe in every doorway in the house?”
She screeched, wiggling fruitlessly away from Regina’s dancing hands. “Yeah!”
“Is this what you had in mind, baby?” Regina blew a raspberry into Emma’s cheery cheek. While Emma squealed, Regina wiped the lingering lipstick away, peppering a final kiss on her crown. “I love you.”
Emma rolled her head back, the cheesiest, happiest smile looking up at her. Still laughing, “I love you too.”