Page 71 of Baking it Merry

“That sounds…oh no!”The look of dismay on her face was a bit shocking.

“What?What’s the matter?”

“I don’t have any gifts for you or your family!I can’t show up empty-handed!That would be incredibly rude!”

“Daphne, this is all last minute.No one expects you to have presents for them.I know I don’t.Besides, I don’t have anything for you either.The gingerbread house was my gift.”

“But it’s an enormous gift, Tristan!I could never compete with it!”

Reaching up, he caressed her cheek.“It’s not a competition.Besides, a wise man recently reminded me that comparison is the thief of joy.Gifts aren’t the reason for the season, right?”

“I cannot believe you’re reminding me of this,” she murmured.“But…I get what you’re saying.I can’t help how I feel, though.I don’t even have time to bake anything.I used most of my inventory on all the orders, and my mom took what was left for our dessert tonight.”

“It’s going to be fine.We’re all more excited about having you join us.And if it bothers you that much, you can bake something for all the upcoming holidays.”

“Mmm…planning on keeping me around, huh?”

“I do,” he said solemnly.“I’m in love with you, Daphne Noelle.I love your ridiculous sweaters and sweatshirts, I love the colorful and sparkly bows you put in your hair and the big pink puffy jacket you wear with the fuzzy cuffs.”

“Don’t forget the matching hat…”

“I love that too,” he agreed.“I love your talent and your confidence.I love the way you stand up for what you believe in and the way you take care of the people who mean something to you.But more importantly, I love you.”

“Wow…I don’t even know what to say.I never imagined you saying anything like that to me.So, all I can say is…I love you too.”Smiling up at him, she rested her hands on his chest.“And in case you were wondering, I love seeing the softer side of you—even though that gruff exterior is kind of hot, too.I love arguing with you, and I love how you tried so hard to make the holidays perfect for your mom.I don’t love how we got here, but I’m certainly glad that we did get here.”Pausing, she sighed happily.“Tristan Knight, thank you for taking what was becoming the worst Christmas ever and turning it into the best.I love you.”

Leaning his forehead against hers, he felt more at peace than he ever had in his life.“Now that’s the best present you ever could have given me.Now let’s get you packed up so we can go back to my place and make up properly.”

“Ooh…I like the sound of that,” she said, leading him out of the house.“But…for the record, I have a bed too.So we can start making up properly much sooner.”

Laughing, he hauled her up into his arms and over his shoulder.“Santa says you’ve been a very good girl this year and should be rewarded properly!”

“Yay!Merry Christmas to me!”she laughed as they made their way out of the building.

Epilogue

New Year’s Eve…

“This seems a bit excessive.”

“Is there ever such a thing as too many cupcakes?I mean…come on.”

Rolling her eyes, Daphne stepped back and admired her handiwork.There were four cupcake towers and multiple other cupcake-filled displays.When Tristan told her about his vision for the party, she thought he was crazy, but the man wanted champagne and cupcakes and…that’s what he got.

Leaning against the massive island in his kitchen, she shook her head even as she smiled.Their guests weren’t due for another hour, so she was relieved to be done so she could have some time to simply relax and get ready.

“Hey,” Tristan whispered softly, holding out his hand to her.“I’ve got a surprise for you.”

“Tristan…” She felt herself blush because she had a feeling he had something sexy in mind.

And she was seriously hoping he did.

Slowly, he led her into the bedroom, and her heart raced with anticipation.

But then he kept walking.

When he pulled her into the bathroom, it was lit only by candlelight.

“Um…”

---