Page 99 of Tangled

She pushes me away and swats a hand to my chest playfully before pulling me back to her by my shirt. She crushes her mouth to mine, moaning when our lips meet, igniting desire in my body. I swear, if we had more time, I would escalate this further with no question.

“Don’t start something we can’t finish, Liv,” I growl against her lips before we part and I see the lust in her eyes.

“Who said I didn’t plan on finishing it,” she smirks before sinking down to her knees and reaching for my pants. As soon as she pops the button on my jeans, the doorbell rings.

“Fuck,” I moan while throwing my head back, which makes Olivia laugh at me as she stands.

“To be continued,” she eyes me over her shoulder as she makes her way to the door to answer it, swaying her hips in that teasing way, enticing me to ignore our guests for a few more minutes.

I look around my home, the place I never imagined letting a woman into, and see all the touches that Olivia has added for the party. Toasted marshmallow scent fills the room from the candle she has lit on the fireplace and evergreen garland drapes across the mantle with small pine cone accents. An epic Christmas tree stands in the corner of the living room in front of the expansive bay window, dressed in white lights and silver and gold ornaments—classic and breathtaking, just like she is. Red poinsettia plants sit atop every surface to complete the Christmas feel and the smell of the ham roasting in the oven screams holiday feast.

Olivia opens the door, greeted by Perry and her husband, and their two kids.

“Hi, guys! Welcome,” she beams as they make their way through the doors and survey the room.

“Your house is gorgeous, Kane,” Perry compliments while reaching out to hug Olivia and takes the coats from her kids. Perry is dressed in red sweater dress that is as elegant and refined as she is. Her magazine ready family—dressed in coordinating outfits—follows in tow, making me question whether Olivia will make us match our baby at some point in the future. Dear God, I hope not.

“Thanks, Perry, but it’s our house now. Come on in. There are snacks on the island and I have a movie and games set up in the enclosed patio for the kids. There’s a heater out there too so they won’t get cold,” I explain while showing them over.

Perry and her husband usher their kids to the entertainment just as Olivia’s parents arrive.

“My baby girl,” her mom coos as she and Dan enter. “You look so beautiful, already glowing,” she cups Olivia’s cheek before hugging her and then shucking her coat.

“Thanks, Mom. Although, that just might be sweat,” Olivia wipes across her forehead in jest. “I can’t seem to get comfortable. I’m either freezing cold or burning up.”

“That’s because you are a human incubator,” Perry chimes in as she comes back into the living room, followed by her husband, Nathan. “Just wait, there are plenty more side effects just waiting for you.”

“I actually haven’t been feeling too bad, just some nausea and exhaustion, mostly. But Kane has been wonderful in helping any way he can,” Olivia beams up at me, which makes me want to puff my chest out with pride—but I refrain. Instead, I give her a chaste kiss on the lips.

“I’m just trying to take care of you, babe.”

“That’s all we could ask for,” Olivia’s dad chimes in, reaching to shake my hand. Having the approval of Olivia’s parents means everything to me. I never want them to doubt my love for her. And after asking for their blessing to marry her last week, I know they don’t. Her mom was thrilled and instantly started to cry. And her dad welcomed me to the family again, just like he did at Thanksgiving. He explained that within just the first few moments of talking to me, he knew I was the one for his daughter. Talk about feeding a man’s ego.

If Olivia and I have a daughter, I hope I can detect the right man for her in the same way one day.

“Hey, man!” Drew yells from the door this time as he and Tammy arrive.

“Hey, bro. Come on in.” I walk over to greet them, kissing Tammy on the cheek as they hang their coats.

“The place looks gorgeous, Kane,” Tammy says while looking around, her blue eyes twinkling from the reflection of the lights on the tree. “See, I told you all you needed was a woman in your life and then everything would be magical,” she winks at me as Olivia comes up to hug her.

‘Tammy! Drew! Thanks for coming,” she declares. I love the fact that my woman gets along so well with my closest friend and his wife. Drew and Tammy are the friends I needed to push and encourage me through the growth I’ve made over the last three years, and now seeing them accept and love Olivia like I do makes all of the heartache and pain worth it.

These people are my true friends. There are no ulterior motives, not competition or pretense to uphold. They are honest and hardworking and I’m proud to call them friends and extended family.

“Of course. We wouldn’t have missed it. And you look gorgeous, Liv. Pregnancy agrees with you. I can’t say the same about me though,” Tammy says and then catches herself, covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes goes wide.

“What? What are you saying?” Olivia whispers while the four of us huddle together.

Drew smiles and then puts his arm around Tammy. “Tammy’s pregnant again. We just found out a few days ago, but didn’t mean to say anything,” he shrugs, but Olivia and I just smile at each other and then back at our friends.

“Congrats, man. That’s great,” I hug my friend while the girls do the same.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say anything. It’s still very early and we’re afraid of losing it again, obviously. Plus, I didn’t want to steal your thunder tonight,” Tammy whispers and then I glare over at her.

“You wouldn’t be stealing anyone’s thunder, Tammy,” Olivia reassures her, bypassing Tammy’s slip, thank God. “But of course, we will keep this between us. And hopefully, everything works out and then we can have our babies together!” She quietly celebrates while both her and Tammy well with tears.

“That would be fucking awesome,” Drew agrees before we all break apart.

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