Page 59 of Unforgivable Ties

“But I know you’re sleeping with other women. I just think it might hurt me too much, being just another one of them,” she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

“What?” I said, confused by her words. “I haven’t slept with anyone since before we met. Where did you get that idea?”

“When I was doing your laundry, one of your shirts reeked of floral perfume and had sparkles on it. You don’t have to lie.”

“God damn it, Felix,” I sighed, rubbing my temples.

I told Stephanie about my night at the club, and how the woman had been all over me, but I did nothing.

“Oh,” she responded, biting her lower lip. I swore I saw a hint of a smile play at the corners of her mouth. “I see.”

“You are the only one I want,” I said, flipping her on to her back. “And we’re going to stay in bed until you understand that.”

My hand made its way to her clit, and I traced lazy circles with my thumb. Her sudden gasp made me grin, all traces of her earlier anxiety vanishing in the heat of the moment. She looked at me with those bright brown eyes, full of surprise andsomething else, something that sent warmth coursing through my veins. The warmth was new to me, but I was pretty sure I wanted more of it.

After a few more filled condoms and hickies left on her legs, we collapsed next to each other. We were gasping, sweating, a tangled mess of limbs and satisfaction.

“Tell me you understand,” I panted, cupping the side of her face.

“I understand,” she breathed out, her voice languid with a hint of vulnerability. Her eyes met mine, and I felt a pang in my chest when I saw the sincerity in them.

I pressed closer to her, pulling her flush against me and sighed deeply, inhaling the faint scent of her vanilla shampoo. We lay there, breathing heavily. There was no need for words, not anymore.

“I thought you would’ve hated the idea of getting a Christmas tree,” Stephanie said.

I did sort of hate the idea. They shed and left pine needles everywhere, and no matter how hard I vacuumed, I’d still be finding them until 4th of July. And buying a shit ton of decorations for something I’d use a month out of the year seemed stupid to me.

But I knew Stephanie’s family had a giant tree every year, and that she loved it. When she had talked about it, I could tell how sad she was that she wouldn’t be able to get to see it. So, of course we were getting a Christmas tree, because even though it wouldn’t be her family’s, it would be ours.

“Eh, the idea grew on me,” I responded. “I thought I’d try it out.”

Stephanie grinned at me, her eyes alight with excitement. “Well, we’re going to find the best tree here.”

“Oh really?”

We walked into the lot and were quickly bombarded with options. I didn’t even realize how many different types of Christmas trees there were. Douglas Fir, Balsam Fir, Noble Fir—all these names sounded foreign to me. And each one came in different heights.

“Seriously?” Stephanie laughed as she caught the confused expression on my face. “You didn’t know about the different types of Christmas trees?”

“Hey, I’m learning here,” I defended myself, my voice tinged with slight amusement. I looked at her, my eyes wide, reflecting the lights strung on the trees around us.

She just shook her head, still laughing, and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards a cluster of towering firs. “Come on, Mr. Christmas Tree Virgin,” she teased.

“That is the only time you will ever call me a virgin,” I retorted, keeping pace with her.

She let out a peal of laughter that rang through the cold night air, causing heads to turn in our direction. It was a delightful sound, one that echoed in my head and made me want to make her laugh again.

Stephanie was giddy, her eyes flickering between the rows of trees. She’d stop occasionally, running her fingers over the pines and inhaling their fresh scent with a contented sigh.

We spent nearly an hour, maybe longer, navigating through the forest of trees. Stephanie would pause, assessing a potential contender before shaking her head and moving on. Stephanie finally paused in front of a tree.

“This one,” she declared confidently, pointing at it. Her eyes sparkled brighter than any of the twinkling holiday lights surrounding us.

“That one,” I agreed.

I would have grabbed the tree closest to the entrance and left if it were up to me, but seeing her happiness finding the perfect tree was worth it.

I didn’t realize just how big the tree was until we had purchased it and wheeled it to the car. I stared at it, then at my very expensive car, then back to the tree. The thought of tying it to the roof and scratching the paint killed me a little inside, but there was no way in hell it was fitting in the backseat.

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