coming off.”
Relieved my gift had gone over so well with him I smiled and then
picked up my last present. I unwrapped it. It was a box. It felt pretty
heavy. I opened it, my hands freezing over the contents. Nestled in
tissue paper was a photograph inside a modern, clear crystal photo
frame. The photograph was of me and Braden standing by Mons Meg
at Edinburgh Castle. We were wrapped around each other, kissing.
Ellie must have taken it when the four of us visited the castle during
the summer. I thought I’d seen all the photographs Ellie had taken
that day but clearly Braden had asked her to keep this one aside.
Only he knew what the cannon meant to me, that it was my special
place, and that made his gift that much more special.
I loved it. It wasn’t one of those cheesy, ‘hey, look how cute we are as
we pose for the camera’, pictures. It was a candid shot of an unaware
couple stealing a kiss.
I picked it up, about to tell him how great I thought it was, when I
realized there was more. Under the photograph was another framed
photograph. I lifted it, my fingers trembling, and I saw that underneath
this one was another.
They were photographs taken out of the photo album I’d retrieved
from my family’s self-storage unit in Virginia at the beginning of the
year. I’d thrown away a lot of stuff, but I’d taken the photo album
home back to Scotland with me. For the past ten months I kept
saying I was going to get some frames for my favorite shots and put
them up in the sitting room, but I’d kept putting it off, still fearing the
thought of going through the album again.
So Braden had done it for me.
I gazed down at the photograph of me holding my baby sister, Beth. I
looked so different, and not because I was just a kid. There was a
light in my eyes that had since gone out. Braden and Ellie had done a
lot to try and put it back and it was almost there, but there would
always be that tiny shadow in the back of my eyes. I missed the eyes
of the girl in this photograph. The other photograph was of my mom
and dad kissing. It too was a candid shot, but one I had taken during
a picnic down by the river.
They photos were perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
I looked up at him, determined to keep the sheen of tears out of my
eyes. I think I failed.
“Shouldn’t I have…?” Braden asked quietly, seeming worried.
Shaking my head, I wrapped my hand around the nape of his neck
and pulled him down for a long, slow kiss. When I pulled back I rested
my forehead on his. “They’re perfect.” I sighed, smiling teasingly.
“You know, I think I might kind of love you.”
He chuckled against my lips. “I think I might kind of love you, too.”
Our front door suddenly slammed and Ellie’s voice rang through the
flat, “Merry Christmas!”
Braden cursed under his breath. “We need to take that bloody key off
her.”
The rest of the day was relaxing and fun and exactly how Christmas
should be. Braden and I made breakfast for Ellie and Adam,
swapping Christmas morning stories without mentioning the naughty
parts since that would just freak Braden and Ellie out, seeing as they
were brother and sister and all. Afterwards, once Braden and I were
washed and dressed for the day, we jumped in a cab and headed
over to Ellie’s mom’s house for Christmas Day. Elodie Nichols was an
awesome cook and the rest of the Nichols was kind of my adopted
family now. It would be weird to spend Christmas without them.
Declan, Ellie’s ten year old half-brother was hyper as all hell,
bounding from one present to the next and one person to the next,
showing off his presents to anyone who could be bothered to listen.
He had a captive audience since we all thought he was pretty cute.
Although I did learn that giving a kid that much chocolate in the
morning wasn’t the best idea if you were looking for a headache-free
day.
Hannah was the opposite. She’d curled herself up in an armchair with
a new book and was successfully blocking us all out.
Dinner was delicious. We had the works—soup, a big old fat turkey,
three different kinds of potatoes, steamed vegetable goodness and
gravy, followed by profiteroles and a chocolate pudding. We had lots
of wine with dinner and little cappuccinos afterwards.
By the time Braden and I left just before midnight, I could barely walk
I was so stuffed full of food. I also felt irritably overheated from all the
wine. Once in the flat I stomped down the hall to our bedroom,
listening to Braden’s footsteps as he followed me. I turned around to
face him as he came through the doorway, and I yanked my sweater
off, throwing it on the floor. I patted my slightly-rounded stomach and
then popped the top button on my jeans with a huge relieved sigh.
I flopped back on the bed, my arms and legs spread wide. I eyed him
and offered magnanimously, “I’ve had a lot of food but if you don’t
jiggle me too much you can have your wicked way with me.”
Braden laughed, strolling slowly over to the bed, peeling his coat off
and placing it on a nearby chair. He crossed his arms over his chest
as he stopped directly above me. “I think that’s possibly the sexiest
offer I’ve ever gotten.”
I grunted at his sarcasm. “Look, this elf is almost done for the day so
if you want me to fly the North Pole before I fall asleep it’s got to be
now.”
He laughed even harder, almost choking on it as he reached up and
pulled the zip down on my jeans. I felt him tug them from the hem of
each leg. He whipped them off with practiced efficiency.
I raised my arms to him with a sleepy smile and he slid his arms
under me, picking me up and pulling the bedcovers down in one
smooth motion. Gently he rested me back on the bed and pulled the
covers up to my chin.
Confused, I watched through blurry eyes as he began to undress. “No
flying the North Pole?”
Braden grinned. “Not tonight, babe.”
“I’m not sexy?”
“You’re always sexy. You’re also drunk and stuffed full. I don’t think
you can take any more.”
“But I want another stocking filler.” My eyes drifted shut and I felt the
bed move as Braden slid in beside me, his arm coming around my
waist to pull me close.
“It’s Boxing Day tomorrow. I’ll give you four stocking fillers,” he
promised.
My eyes popped open. “By stocking fillers we mean orgasms right?”
His breath huffed on my neck. “Right.”
I smiled and closed my eyes, snuggling against him. “Best. Day.
Ever.”
Braden made a low sound of agreement as his lips brushed my
shoulder. “Merry Christmas, babe.”