Page 37 of Duke's Baby Deal
“Merry Christmas to you too.” I got out of my seat and crawled into his lap. “Hurry up so we can go open presents.”
He laughed and popped the last bit of toast into his mouth. “Ready when you are,” he said through his mouthful of toast.
“Eww, Duke. Finish that.” I hopped back off his lap. “I’ll meet you by the tree.”
Saucy bugger slapped my ass before I could get away.
I couldn’t wait for him to open his gift from me. I’d taken a ridiculous amount of credits and spent them on a length of heavy leather, dyed midnight blue, and a sturdy denim that I washed until it was butter soft, to make a long jacket for him. Then, in every spare moment I’d had since we’d been mated, I’d cut and stitched and prayed that the surreptitious measuring I’d done while Duke was asleep was accurate. I wasn’t used to fitting clothing to a frame like Duke’s. Not that I couldn’t fix anything that didn’t fit properly, but I wanted him to be able to wear it right away.
Midwinter wolf had brought him a nice dressy shirt and some warm mittens that I’d traded with Rosie for. I picked up the gifts with my name on them and shook them, then jumped when Duke plopped down on the floor beside me.
“Ready to open presents?” he said, grinning.
“You open this one first,” I said, handing him the jacket in its cardboard box.
“You don’t want to start?” he asked, his expression a mix of surprise and excitement.
“I want to see you open this first.”
He gave me a look that said he hadn’t expected a lot, and carefully took the top off the box. “Bram, where did you get this?”
“I made it. Try it on so I can see if it fits. I had to measure you while you were sleeping.”
He laughed and pulled the jacket out. “Mac’s gonna shit bricks when he sees this.”
He stood up and pulled it on, turning in place so I could see the back too. It was a little loose across the shoulders, but nothing I couldn’t fix, and it was better than too tight anyway. At least the waist hit right and the sleeves were the right length. It looked really good on him, showing off the width of his shoulders and the way his back slimmed down to his waist. I watched as he buttoned up the front and held my breath, hoping I’d gotten the chest right. I was pretty sure I had—I’d measured it twice—but this was the moment of truth.
“Damn, Bram. This is way more than—” His words broke off and he just stood there, running his hands down the front of the jacket.
“So you like it?” I asked, and held my breath.
He shook his head. “Like is a pretty mild word for it.” He crouched in front of me and pulled me into a long, loving kiss. “I’ve never had anything this nice in my life. When did you find the time to make it?”
“Here and there.” I grinned. “You nearly caught me a couple of times, but I’m fast.”
He laughed and hugged me. “Thank you, Bram. It’s a fantastic present.” He carefully took it off and folded it back into its box. “I’m almost scared to wear it, it’s so gorgeous.”
I leaned against him and smiled. “I have to tighten the shoulders up a little, but it should be pretty sturdy. I made it for you to wear it.”
Duke kissed the top of my head. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Now, where’s my present?”
He laughed, like I’d hoped he do. “Here.” He held out a large yellow envelope to me. “I hope this is what you wanted.”
An envelope? I frowned as I opened it and spilled its contents out into my hands. Brochures, sheets of paper that looked like—application forms? One for the ACT test, another for…the college in the city. And the last sheet on the bottom of the pile was an accounting of education credits loaned to me by the pack, with the stipulation that I come back here to work for one year for every year that I go to school.
It was signed by Quin.
“Duke, are you sure?” I looked up at him uncertainly. “I mean, we’re going to have two babies now. How do I go to school and look after two babies?”
“Who says you’re going to be alone? It’s a done deal. You study up for the test to get in while you’re waiting for the pups to come. After, I’ll look after them.”
“You will?”
“I’m taking over the pack house in the city. For the next four years, I’m the liaison with the humans, and the handyman, and the guy keeping the youngsters in line so we don’t get kicked out. And the guy helping out with our pups. If you still want to go to school.” He looked anxious, like he was wondering if he’d done something wrong.
“But what about your plans?” I couldn’t help asking. “What did you plan to do?”
