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Easton had surprised me the day after Thanksgiving with the biggest artificial Christmas tree I had ever laid my eyes on. He put it up right in the center of our apartment, and let me choose all the decorations. Together, we spent hours picking out ornaments for the tree, and then decorating it took an entire weekend, but every time I looked at it, at all the glittering lights and sparkling ornaments, my heart swelled with love.
I had grown up with what I termed a colorful Christmas. My parents didn’t care for a theme, and thinking back on it now, it must have looked horrendous to all the friends I brought home during those few weeks.
Sitting on the couch now, surrounded by the white winter land Easton had created for me, I sipped slowly on the piping hot chocolate in my cold hands, the fake fireplace crackling in the background. White and gold-wrapped presents were tucked perfectly under the tree, and now, I was waiting for East to come home from work.
The job he had been gifted had turned out to become his biggest passion. He loved to build and had proven his worth to everyone in the company by becoming a lead foreman. Andy and Layla wanted to give him the world, but he wanted to work for what he had, so he started at the bottom of the ladder on the cleaning crew for job sites and slowly worked his way up.
He even took over the monthly payments for the apartment and gave them back the car they gifted, choosing to buy an old F-150 that he spent Saturday mornings cleaning and working on.
Bing Crosby’s voice crooned about a White Christmas from the speaker I set up in the kitchen, sending a chill across my skin, goosebumps rising in their wake. Bundling up in a fluffy white blanket, I closed my eyes, trying to take it all in.
The fresh scent of chocolate chip cookies wafted in the air from the batch I just put in the oven, and I sighed. I made it. I found my one great love. I survived school and college, and with baby steps, I was overcoming my bulimia. The only thing missing was my crazy boyfriend.
My phone rang from the kitchen counter, and I ignored it, too comfortable to move. It was probably Kennedy calling to tell me about her new boyfriend, some hotshot millionaire lawyer she’d found in Miami. Surprisingly, we stayed in contact, and despite our rocky start, she’d turned out to be a good friend.
Easton’s keys jiggled in the lock. Looking over the back of the couch, I watched him enter, balancing a box of pizza and a few gift bags. He toed off his work boots and then winked at me, his face flushed from the cold front that had rolled in this morning, just in time for Christmas.
“Smells good in here, bird.” He walked over to me, dropping a kiss to my head before putting his things down on the kitchen counter.
“I made your favorite,” I told him, and he grinned, his eyes lighting up with glee.
“Give me five minutes. We got soaked out there today.” He headed into our bedroom, and the shower started a second later. While he was in the shower, the timer blared through the large space, and I quickly got up to take out the cookies from the oven, their heavenly scent overwhelming.
“You really shouldn’t have.” He was suddenly at my back, arms caging me in against the cold counter, his lips kissing a trail of fire across my skin.
“That was quick.” I giggled, sinking back into his warm body.
“Didn’t want to waste any time with you.” He turned me in his arms, and I immediately wrapped my arms around his neck. Standing on my toes in my red fuzzy socks, I pressed a soft kiss to his damp lips. “You taste like hot chocolate, baby. So, fucking delicious,” he groaned against my lips, his fingers digging into my hips.
“I missed you today,” I whispered, brushing my nose against his, inhaling his clean scent. The stubble from his day-old beard burned my skin in the most erotic way, his lips teasing against mine, a promise of what was to come.
“I miss you every day, bird.” He always knew what to say to make my heart soar.
“Our first Christmas together couldn’t be more perfect.” Closing my eyes, I leaned into him, his warmth surrounding me. He hummed in agreement and pecked my lips again before pulling away.
“The pizza’s getting cold, baby. Plus, I want to eat those cookies.” His hungry gaze focused behind me on the sheet of chocolate chip cookies. “I can’t believe you made my favorite.” He pulled the pizza blade out of the drawer and sliced the boring old cheese pizza into big slices. I handed him a plate, and together, we devoured the large pizza, not even making it to the dining table.
“I applied for another job today,” I informed him after putting my empty plate in the dishwasher. I hadn’t had any luck finding a job. All the local newspapers weren’t hiring or were going digital, so I started applying for other editorial jobs.
“You know you don’t have to work right? I make enough to support us both.” He reminded me of this fact every time I brought up my worry of being jobless.
“I need to find something to do. I’m going crazy just sitting here,” I reminded him, and he nodded in understanding.
“I can see if there are any openings at the office next week,” he suggested, but I shook my head, following him to the couch, a plate of still-warm cookies in my hands. He flopped on the couch and turned the flat screen on, looking up at me with a hunger that surpassed the freshly-baked cookies.
“Your parents have done enough for us. I couldn’t think of asking for more. I need to do this on my own. Otherwise, my degree will have been all for nothing.” He opened his arms, and I settled in beside him. He then tucked the blanket around us.
“That degree wasn’t for nothing. It brought us together. Don’t you ever forget that, bird.” He picked up two cookies from the plate and ate them both in a few bites. He moaned his delight, instantly turning me on. “Best fucking cookies ever.”
“You say that every time,” I laughed, taking a bite from my own.
“You make them better every time, I swear.” He found us a classic Christmas movie to watch, and then we snuggled closer together, not knowing where one started and the other ended.
His steady heartbeat lulled me to sleep halfway through the movie I had seen at least a hundred times, and he held me tighter. “I love you so much, my little bird.”
I was about to tell him how infinite my love was for him, but between the security of being wrapped in his arms, his scent invading all my senses, and his declaration of love, I sank into a deep, content sleep.
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