Page 74 of Wrapped Up with the Three Scrooges

We settled onto the sectional, Emery tucked between Max and Ronan while I claimed the floor in front of her.

“Me first!” I thrust my bag at her before anyone could object.

She reached in, pulling out a soft bundle wrapped in tissue paper. As she unfolded it, her eyes went wide. “Levi… this is beautiful.”

It was a hand crocheted blanket with snowflakes that I’d picked up from the holiday market. I’d seen it and immediately thought of her. I would have loved to give her some extravagant gift, but also didn’t want her to freak out. Besides, Valentine’s Day was right around the corner. I’d spoil her rotten then.

Max cleared his throat, holding out his own gift. She opened it and inside was a leather-bound notebook with her name embossed in gold on the cover.

“It’s perfect.” She opened it carefully, revealing cream-colored pages with subtle lines.

“You can write down all the ways you plan on torturing us for the different holidays.” Max grinned and then ducked as she lobbed the empty bag at him.

“Your turn.” I nudged Ronan, who was watching with suspiciously bright eyes.

He handed over an envelope, and she pulled out what looked like legal documents, scanning them with confusion before she gasped. “Is this...?”

“The title to your car.” Of course he had to outdo us and hunt down her ex. Why hadn’t I thought of that?

“I don’t deserve this.” She looked between the three of us, clutching the gifts to her chest. “I don’t know what to say.”

Max pulled her into his lap. “You don’t have to say anything.”

“And you deserve everything.” I got to my knees and wiped a tear from her cheek.

“Merry Christmas, Emery,” Ronan finished simply.

She nodded, unable to speak through her tears, and we enveloped her in a group hug that probably looked ridiculous but felt exactly right.

The oven timer chose that moment to go off, making us all jump.

“I’ll get them!” Emery tried to stand, but we kept her trapped between us.

“They can wait.” Max nuzzled her neck.

“But they’ll burn.” She groaned as I slid a hand between her legs.

“Let them.” Ronan’s voice was rough. “We’ve got more important things to focus on.”

Emery laughed through her tears, finally relaxing into our embrace. “Merry Christmas, you impossible men.”

Looking at them all, I realized this was nothing like past Christmases. This was better. This was home.

And the cinnamon rolls were definitely going to burn.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Emery

Iwatched from across the room as Blake meticulously arranged the cocktail napkins at his otherwise empty table into perfect right angles. Even at a party, the man couldn’t help but organize things. I glanced down at the carefully wrapped gift in my hands, suddenly nervous about my choice.

It’s Christmas. Even the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes.Although it wasn’t exactly Christmas anymore—it was the Saturday after—it still felt like Christmas, especially with the way the room was decorated.

The converted warehouse space had turned out even better than I’d imagined. White fabric draped from the ceiling created the illusion of snow-capped peaks, while thousands of twinkle lights transformed the industrial space into something magical. Oversized paper snowflakes, which Max had helped me craft late into the night, dangled from fishing line at varying heights, catching the light and spinning gently in the air circulation.

Making my way over to Blake, I caught Levi’s eye from where he was chatting with some of the warehouse staff. He gave me an encouraging wink, probably knowing exactly what I was about to do. The man had an uncanny ability to read my mind sometimes, which was both thrilling and terrifying.

“Mind if I join you?” I asked, hovering by Blake’s table.

---