Page 73 of How He Got the Girl
It looks like some sort of cake, broken into pieces and slathered with gooey caramel. The room smells of cinnamonsugar and all things Christmas. My mouth instantly waters as I point at the food. “That smells delicious.”
“It tastes even better.” Todd claps me on the back before moving around me to grab a stack of plates.
Angie dishes us all out a serving, and we carry them over to the dining room table. I walk back into the kitchen, ready to help Granny into a seat. She’s already clutching Connor’s arm while walking over. Granny winks at me, squeezing his muscles. I take my seat beside Mallory, shaking my head.
When I take my first bite of monkey bread, I close my eyes, savoring the sweet dough. “I think this is what heaven tastes like,” I say, once I finish chewing.
“Now you see why it’s a family tradition to make every year,” Mallory says before shoveling a bite into her mouth.
I grab a piece of bacon from a plate in the middle of the table. “Everything has been delicious. Thank you again.” I smile at her parents.
“The pleasure is truly ours.” Angie places a hand over her heart.
We dive into opening presents immediately after breakfast, at Mallory’s insistence. Her parents even bought me my own flight of sauces to use when I make wings at home.
When there aren’t any more presents under the tree, I grab the bag I stowed in Granny’s room and pass out the gifts we brought.
“What’s this?” Angie attempts to lift her gift onto her lap, but struggles with how heavy it is.
“Granny and I wanted to get each of you something for hosting us.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” But she’s already ripping the wrapping paper off her present. Angie gasps as she pulls out the wood stove cover I bought her, engraved withThePorters. “I’ve been thinking about getting one of these.” She grabs Todd’s shoulder and shakes him. “Wasn’t I just talking about this?”
Todd nods with a smirk. “She was.”
“I love it.” She gets up from the couch and gives Granny and me a hug before returning to her husband’s side. “Go ahead and open yours, honey.”
He pulls the tissue paper out of his gift bag until he finds the piece of paper inside. Todd reads it carefully, then looks at me, slack-jawed. “I can’t believe it.”
“What is it?” Angie looks over his shoulder, and her eyes go wide. “You bought him an outdoor pizza oven?”
“It should be here next week.” I gesture to Mallory. “She said y’all love making pizza, so I thought you might enjoy using that.”
“We’ll use it all the time.” Angie smiles.
I turn to Mallory’s brother. “I wasn’t sure what to get you since we hadn’t met yet, but I hope you like it.”
Connor opens his gift bag, pulling out the beard-care kit. Mallory laughs so hard that she snorts. He looks up at me, completely stone-faced.
I grimace. “Mallory said you had a beard before we met. I swear I bought that before she said anything yesterday.”
He sets it in his pile of gifts and turns to Mallory like he’s waiting for her to go.
“There’s something else in there.”
Connor reaches back into the bag, pulling out the concert tickets I got him. He examines them closely, his brows raising slightly. “VIP Rhett Hayes tickets?”
“Mallory said you were a big country music fan, so I took a gamble.”
I see a flicker of happiness in Connor’s expression before it returns to neutral. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” I fix my gaze on Mallory. “I know we agreed no gifts this year,” I say for the sake of her parents, who might be surprised if we didn’t exchange something. I grab the wrapped box from behind the couch. “But I couldn’t help myself.”
Her eyes are the softest I’ve ever seen them as she accepts my present. “I didn’t get you anything.”
“Being with you is the greatest gift I could ask for.” I lean forward and kiss her cheek.
“You two are the sweetest.” Angie leans forward on the couch cushion, wrapping her arms around Connor’s shoulders. “Aren’t they the sweetest?”
