Page 465 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
That’s just what we did. I got out of the car and joined in on the fun in the front yard. After whispering in Chadwick’s ear that more toys were coming, he went from door to door in the co-op, knocking and inviting other kids to come out and play. What started as a short and sweet drop off turned into an epic snowball fight that got a little too competitive between the fathers.
Hugh showed up just in time to bring the focus back on the kids.
Chadwick and I handed out gift after gift to starry-eyed children while their parents reminded them to say their thank you’s.
Chadwick handed a red gift box with a sparkly gold bow to a little girl. “Make sure you wait until Christmas morning to open this.” He tapped the side of his nose. “I’ll know if you peeked.”
“I won’t peek, Santa. I promise,” the little girl said.
I melted a hundred times over that afternoon as more gifts were passed around to more children from all different neighborhoods.
By the time the last present had been dropped off and we were back in the limo on our way home, I knew what true exhaustion felt like.
“What’s your plan for the night?” Chadwick asked as he took off his Santa hat and raked his fingers through his hair.
“First I’m going to shower,” I said. “Then I’m going to put on my most comfy pajamas and wrap Christmas presents with Aleena. I have to get it done tonight to get them in the mail in time. Otherwise, I’d be falling face first into bed. Thank you for passing my list along to your shopper. I never would have had the time to get my shopping done without it.”
He leaned all the way back in his seat and stretched his long legs out in front of him. He looked about as tired as I felt with a scratchy five o’clock shadow and dark circles under his eyes. Still, he was handsome as ever. He closed his eyes. “No problem.”
“What are your plans?”
He cracked one eye open and peered at me. “I was going to invite you over because, somehow, I’m still not tired of your company.”
“How sweet.”
He smiled and closed his eyes. “But a night apart won’t kill me, and an early night sounds pretty damn good.”
We drove in comfortable quiet the rest of the way to my townhouse, and I never took my eyes off him as he dozed off. When I moved to get out of the back of the limo, he stirred, slid across the seat, and got out so he could hold the door open for me.
I went to the tips of my toes to give him a goodbye kiss. “Despite being locked in the storage room, today might have been my favorite day yet.”
He caught my wrist and pulled me back for a couple more sweet kisses. “Me too.”
I didn’t want to leave him, but I had to. He waited for me to get safely inside, and I watched from my living-room window as he got back in the limo and drove off. Sighing contently, I padded across my living room, up my stairs, and straight into my bathroom, where I stripped naked, cranked the heat on my shower, and stepped under the piping hot water. It soothed my aches and pains from the last two days of hard work, chased away some of the deep-rooted fatigue that had settled into my bones, and scalded the grit out of my hair.
Squeaky clean and smelling like lemons, I wrapped my hair in a towel and went back downstairs to make tea. A short half hour later, Aleena showed up with bags upon bags of gifts to wrap. We set up on my living-room floor and sipped tea while wrapping presents.
“I’m so excited about the staff party tomorrow night,” Aleena said as she secured the paper over a gift box with a piece of tape. She smoothed the edges with her thumb before turning the box over to attach a ribbon and gift tag. “Everyone has been talking all about it at work. Apparently, Alastair hired a mixologist to tend bar. Cool, huh?”
I smiled as I thought about walking into the party in the cocktail dress I’d bought weeks ago for the event. All the office staff looked forward to this party, and I’d spotted the dress in a shop window and known right away I needed to buy it. Chadwick would turn to putty when he saw me.
“Tinsely?”
“Sorry,” I said, realizing she’d spoken to me and I’d zoned out. “I was in my head.”
“No kidding. What were you thinking about?” She slid her finished present to the side and pulled a new one out of a shopping bag: a pair of men’s slippers. “Or better yet, I should ask, who were you thinking about?”
“Nothing. No one.”
“Oh come on, Tinsely! I know you better than anyone. Are you seriously not going to tell me what’s going on with you and Chadwick? You spent two nights at his house for crying out loud!”
“Because of a snowstorm,” I pointed out.
“So you’re telling me nothing happened? You two were all alone, the snow was falling, the Christmas lights were twinkling, and nothing happened? You guys have spent so much time together this past week it only makes sense that, you know, you’re catching feelings.”
“Catching feelings?” I tried to protest. “We don’t even like each other.”
“Bullshit. I see the way he looks at you.”
