Page 131 of Infatuated as They Come
I spread open the brochure and placed the drawing and letter of Holly inside before carefully wrapping it up. Gift in one hand and tiny Christmas tree in the other, I made my way to our room. When I got inside, I saw Holly fiddling with the TV, the picture all fuzzy and grainy as she shot me a smile over her shoulder, and I couldn’t fight back my own smile for the life of me.
“I can’t get a clear picture,” she said.
“I’ll fix that for us.”
“It’s the one where Daffy tries to kill Bugs Bunny so he can trade in the fur for cash.”
“I love that one.”
“Me too.” Her eyes lowered and then they widened when she saw what I was carrying. “You got us a tree!”
“It’s kinda small,” I said, placing it on the table right by the TV.
“No, I love it. Now I have somewhere to put all your gifts!”
I gave her gift a shake before putting it by the tree. “Yeah, me too. I made something for you at the front desk.”
“That’s for me?” she asked with a big smile. “Okay, you have to open yours now. Wait, I have to get them out. Wait—”
“Calm down.” I laughed, my hands on her waist. “We’ve got all day, princess.”
“I know, I’m just excited! Let me change into something more comfy first.”
I pulled at my tie. “Yeah, I’d like to get out of this suit, actually.”
We both showered together and then Holly put on one of my T-shirts when we got out, and it felt impossible not to stare at her in it. Then she yanked out all the gifts she had gotten me. Big ones, small ones, some in between.
“You went slightly overboard,” I muttered.
“No, I didn’t. You can expect this every Christmas.” She looked up at me, batting her lashes my way. “And your birthday now that I finally know that. Come sit and open them.”
I had never had any of this before. The tree and the gifts and the perfect girl who just loved to give, give, and give some more. I joined Holly on the floor as she sat on her heels, her eyes twinkling as she picked up the closest gift to her and handed it to me.
“Merry Christmas,” she whispered, leaning forward to peck my lips.
I pulled off the bow and peeled back the paper, spotting a red and black flannel shirt. My first thought was to flip over the price tag and my eyes widened when I saw how much it cost. Fucking four hundred bucks for a flannel shirt? And there were about four or five more underneath, all different colors. They probably all cost as much. Only Holly would spend that much on clothes. Sometimes—for just a millisecond—I forgot how much money she had.
“You keep getting swindled, sweetheart,” I said.
She scooted in closer. “Do you like them?”
“I love them, Holly. Thank you.” I cupped the side of her face, stroking a thumb against her cheek. “Means a lot that you went out of your way.”
“Yay. Now you have to open another one.”
“No, you gotta open your one now.” I grabbed the hastily folded up brochure and held it out to her, her eyes lighting up. She didn’t seem concerned in the slightest that I had used a damn pamphlet as wrapping paper. She placed it on her lap, fingers moving slow and careful as she peeled it open to reveal the little drawing and letter.
She stared at the piece of paper for a long while before finally looking up at me, holding it close to her chest as her eyes turned all shiny. “I love you,” she said, leaping forward and throwing her arms around me.
She quite literally knocked me to the ground, her body pressed to mine as I hit the carpet. She was peppering my face with little kisses, her lips soft and her body warm as my arms circled around her. I held her close, pulling her into me, wanting all of her for as long as I could have her. What had I been thinking not spending every single second I could with her?
“I love you too,” I said, her dark hair sprawled out everywhere. “Love you so much.”
“Ooh, we’re squishing it! I don’t wanna ruin it.” She sat up and moved over to the edge of the coffee table, flattening the paper out with her hand. “It’s so perfect, Sawyer. Thank you. Everything you give me is so thoughtful.” She let out a long sigh. “I wish he could see that. I wish he got to see this side of you.”
“Hey, it’s okay.” Sitting up, I brought her back to me, hearing that shaky tone in her voice. I just wanted today to be good. I didn’t want our first Christmas together to be one we thought back on and hated completely. “We’re still here together, aren’t we? That’s all that matters. I’ve got you and I always will. It’d be a lot easier if he just tried to understand how much I love you, but until then… let’s just enjoy today.”
Holly closed her eyes for a second before nodding. “Exactly. You’re right. Open another present!” She grabbed a little red bag and shoved it my way. “Here, this one.”
