Page 134 of Taming the CEO

I smiled. "You look adorable."

"Thought I'd put on something Christmassy." She was wearing a bright red dress and black tights.

I held her coat out for her.

"I don't need that," she said, waving her hand. "We're just going to the car."

"Cami, it's fucking freezing outside. I don't want you to get sick."

She narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth, clearly about to sass me. Then she probably realized I wasn't going to give in on this.

"Okay. You're probably right anyway." She slipped her arms into the coat, then turned around. "Let's not forget the gifts."

"That's just not possible, babe."

"Hey, don't mock me."

"I'm not.” We had at least a million bags.

When she'd asked me what I was buying my family for Christmas, I told her I usually just got everyone gift cards at Bloomingdale's. She'd been shell-shocked by that and asked me if she could organize gifts. I agreed, figuring she’d simply buy chocolates or something and pair it with my gift cards. But no, my woman had gone all out. I didn't even have a clue what was in each bag.

The drive to Cade and Meredith's didn’t take very long.

"I'm surprised Jeannie agreed to not hosting Christmas."

"That fight was a bloodbath, but eventually Gran agreed that since she'd hosted Thanksgiving, someone else could host Christmas."

Everyone was gathering here. Only Samuel was missing because he was vacationing in Florida.

"This house is so lovely," Cami said when we arrived. Some of my brothers' cars were here, so at least part of the gang was inside.

"It is. What exactly do you like about it?" I was making mental notes for the aforementioned plan.

"It's modern but somehow cozy, at least from the outside."

“It's got a similar vibe inside,” I assured her as we walked to the front door.

"I really like big windows. That's one of the reasons I love your house too."

"But do you like this one more than mine?"

“The cozy factor is higher here.”

“I agree.”

The door swung open before we even rang the bell.

"Welcome," Meredith exclaimed. She was smiling from ear to ear, and her eyes were a bit glassy.

Cade was right next to her. "Babe, go easy, okay? You shouldn't have started with the mulled wine in the morning."

"I tasted it to make sure it didn’t need anything else. It was delicious, so I had a full cup. And I didn’t have breakfast... so yeah, it was an unfortunate combination."

Cami was clearly fighting laughter, but I couldn’t hide my reaction.

Meredith glowered at me, then pointed at the bags. "Are those gifts?" she asked.

"Yes."

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