Page 10 of Gifted To His Dad

I’d been too lost in what was happening outside to notice. “Um…” I glance around, looking for clues, and through the rows of cars, I can make out a large sign that’s written in red cursive: “Mary’s Christmas Trees.”

A childish joy builds in my chest as my eyes focus around me. Finally, I notice the men all carry saws in their hands and rope.

“We’re getting a tree?” I can’t hold back my giddiness. They must think I’m losing it. Grown women shouldn’t be this excited about something so common as a Christmas tree, but everything about this experience is new to me.

Griffin’s crisp blue eyes search my face, and he softens. “Sure are, Baby Girl. You get to pick.”

The nickname does something to my insides, and I glance at Cole to see how he’s going to react. I half expected him to be setting up to knock his stepdad out, but he’s giving me a loose, happy smile. Like everything is going exactly his way.

I climb out of the back seat, boots crunching on snow as my feet hit the ground. A gust of wind swirls by, lifting the corner of my beanie with it, sending a shiver down my spine.

Griffin’s quick to act, catching the knitted fabric before it can escape.

“Wouldn’t want to lose this,” he says as he slips my hat back in place.

The goose bumps that rise along my neck have nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with how his fingers graze the underside of my jaw as he pulls back.

“We ready? Let’s go.” Strong arms wrap around me from behind, and Cole drops his chin to the top of my head. His warmth soaks through my coat, and I find myself instantly relaxing into him. He has a way of making everything feel fun, like there’s never a reason to hide the fact that you’re enjoying yourself.

Completely foreign to the way I was brought up, where image was everything to my mother, presenting a perfect package to whatever man she was interested in. Which included a near silent child who’d sit quietly, never too excited.

Cole’s fingers intertwine with mine, and he pulls me after him. “First one in gets to pick the tree.”

He lets go and dashes down the aisle between the cars, and I chase after him.

“Hey! Griffin already said I could.”

Cole disappears ahead of me, my five-foot-five stature making it impossible for me to keep up. I’m panting as my run slows to a jog, barely faster than a walk, when Cole wraps his arms around me and swings me in a hug.

“That’s not fair,” I say breathlessly.

He hums in the back of his throat and smirks. “I’ll let you win for a kiss.”

His lips are already on mine before I can respond. It starts off soft but quickly builds until my fingers curl into his jacket.

“Save it for at home, you two. This is a family event,” Griffin says, his voice light as he grabs my waist, pulling me away from Cole.

Heat curls up my cheeks, no doubt turning them a ruby red as embarrassment takes over. “Sorry.”

He squeezes the curve of my hip through the thick fabric of my coat before letting go. “Never apologize for doing what feels good. Now, hurry before all the good ones are gone.”

They may have said I could pick, but each time I pointed a tree out, both men told me we could find a bigger, fuller, better one if we just looked a little harder.

My toes are frozen solid by the time we reach the back row.

Cole lets out a long, low whistle. “This. Is. The. One.”

It’s freaking massive. I have to crane my neck to see the tip of the tree, standing at least twelve feet in the air. The base is as wide as my spread arms.

My mouth drops open. “Are you sure…? Can we even make it fit?”

“Just need to be patient. We can always make it fit.” Cole winks at me, and I can feel my face flame.

Griffin clears his throat and looks away, but I can see the way his mouth curls into a grin.

“I guess I walked into that,” I grumble.

They do some magic where they tie the tree to a different tree, then cut on a precise angle so it lowers safely in the direction they want. The branches hit the ground with a soft thud, snow lifting around us like a cloud. When my vision clears, the Christmas tree looks even bigger from the ground.

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