Page 71 of Kiss From A Rose

"What's this about you working on the wall in the back?" I managed to croak the words out.

He pulled on a pair of jeans without underwear. He did that a lot, and it was sexy as hell.

"Edgar showed me the problem, and it looks like Malou already has all the material. I drew up a plan. We're going to clear up today and excavate and put up a temporary structure to hold it together before dinner. Tomorrow—"

"Tomorrow is Christmas Day."

"I know. Think of this as my Christmas present to Malou and you." His voice was muffled while he put on a T-shirt.

"Gray, you can't just—"

"I'm an architect; I know how to do this. You trust me, right? At least to fix the wall?" He looked at me with such intensity that my anger evaporated.

It would be petty now to whine,why didn't you ask for permission? He was helping. It was something both Malou and I knew we needed to get done. But we hadn't been able to book labor during the holidays, and Edgar didn't have the skill.

"I do trust you…with the construction stuff." I felt like an idiot standing there, my panties wet, his hand probably still smelling like me, my taste in his mouth.

"Thanks, babe." He looked like a kid on Christmas morning if the joy in his eyes was anything to go by. "I won't let you down."

God! Why was he being so sweet and nice? Where was the grumpy man I'd been married to for the past two years? The one who was always impatient with me?

"I know," I admitted. I pursed my lips for a moment and then cleared my throat. "Edgar, Lilah, and Grace are joining us for Christmas Eve dinner. Since Grace goes to bed early, we're going to do presentsbeforedinner."

We usually opened gifts on Christmas morning, but since Lilah and Edgar were heading to Brunswick for lunch with Edgar’s mother, we decided to celebrate on Christmas Eve.

I’d laid down the rule: presents were only for the kids, which now included mine. I didn’t want Lilah and Edgar feeling pressured to get anything for Malou or me. Fortunately, with our guests joining us for dinner an hour later, I didn’t have to worry about them feeling left out or obligated to bring anything.

However, I'd bought small gifts made locally on behalf of Angel's Rest for everyone, which I would set on their plate at breakfast on Christmas Day.

The two couples staying with us would leave the day after Christmas and we were going to be blissfully guest-free until after the New Year. Willow and Jude would stay until the twenty-seventh, which made meveryhappy. I would have loved for them to stay through the New Year, but they had otherplans, which was perfectly reasonable.

Gray? Well, he was staying. He wasn't dragging me to some New Year's Eve party at Holden's or demanding we throw one. He was being suspiciously laidback.

"I'm assuming you've taken care of presents," he said softly, and I saw something move in his eyes.

"Yes."

Gray always gave me jewelry. Nice pieces, but I wasn’t an Atlanta society wife. As much as I admired them, I’d always wished for something more personal. In the end, I left it all behind when I walked out.

I used to buy experiences as presents. One year, I bought a racetrack gift certificate for Jude so he could drive a Ferrari. That same year, I bought Willow a deep-sea adventure so she could see whales. For Gray, I used to buy vacations for us, but after canceling several of them, I stopped and began to buy experiences just for him. He loved to play golf, so I bought him tickets to the PGA finals. He took Holden, which was fine by me. I didn't even think golf was a sport.

This year, I'd gone old school and boughtthings: scented candles, lotions and perfumes, hand-painted tablecloths, a handmade glass vase, things that were made locally. For Malou I'd bought a cashmere shawl so it would be soft against her body. I just wanted to make sure she had something to open that she could use in the time she had.

Gray put a hand on my cheek and dropped a quick kiss on my lips. "Thank you for always making sure everyone got presents that they'd enjoy. Your thoughtfulness is unmatched, babe."

"How come you never said such things before?" I asked, feeling miserable that he should become the man I wanted him to benow.

"Because I was an entitled prick who took you for granted."

The ease with which he was revealing himself, taking responsibility for how he behaved, was unexpected but sincere. IknewGray. I knew he wouldn't be saying these things if he didn't believe them.

When I didn't say anything, he kissed me again. "About earlier?"

"Yes," I squeaked out.

"I want youverymuch—all of the time. My hand is tired of jacking myself off. My dick hates my hand."

I reluctantly smiled.

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