Page 49 of Finding Out

He took off his shoes in the entry, then carried the rectangular box into the living room, leaving the spicy scent of his cologne in his wake. By the time I’d locked the door and turned around, the box was propped up against the sofa and he was standing in front of me.

He pressed his lips to my forehead and tucked me in close. “Of course I found an open one. And I brought a cooler, so it should still be mostly frozen.”

A cooler? Damn, that meant he’d driven God knew how far just to find my favorite ice cream on Christmas. This man, who normally hated to waste time, didn’t seem the least bit bothered.

“How you feeling?”

“Happier now that you’re here.” The words slipped out before I had time to consider them, and for a heartbeat, I wished I could take them back. Before I could backtrack, though, he squeezed my arms and hummed contentedly.

“Me too. I’m happier when I’m with you.”

A sharp ache radiated through my back, and I winced. My instinct was to pull my legs to my chest, but that was impossible while standing. Tom flattened a hand against my back and slowly rubbed firm circles, dulling the pain.

“You should lay down,” he mumbled against my hair.

I worried my lip and assessed him. If I did, would he leave? “Will you stay?”

“If you want me here, then there is nowhere else I’d rather be.” Hescooped me into his arms, pulling a squeak from my lips. “Bed or sofa? I’m fine with either.”

“Bed.”

He stepped into my room and stopped, taking in the space. When I painted the wall behind my bed a blood red, Avery and Jana had doubted my design skills. But after I’d added the black furniture and white bedding, along with pops of red on the opposite wall and dresser, they had to admit it was killer.

“I expected the room to be overly feminine, I guess, but this fits better. Sexy.” Arms tightening around me, he swallowed. “Let’s get you as comfortable as we can.”

He tucked me into bed, and I snuggled into the mountain of pillows and willed my body to unclench.

He tossed his jacket onto the chair in the corner, but rather than climb in beside me like I expected, he strode out of the room. I blinked at the empty doorway, confused, but before I could make sense of what was going on, he was back with a wrapped package. He set it down next to the bed rather than handing it to me.

“Is that not for me?” I tried not to pout, but I loved a present.

He chuckled. “Who else would it be for?”

“So are you just teasing me with it?” Giving up the battle to remain unaffected, I frowned and set the half-eaten ice cream on my side table.

“Are you up for opening it now? If you want to just lay here and watch TV, I’m good with that.” He glanced at the flat-screen on the wall over my dresser and rolled his eyes. “Of course you’re watching Neil Caffrey.”

“You know how much I love this show. Although.” I played with the edge of his cream cashmere quarter-zip. “I think I’m starting to find that a dependable older man is much more sexy.”

Growling, he cupped my cheek, his warmth radiating through me, and dropped his lips to mine. Rather than sexual, it felt like peace. Like finally finding the place I belonged.

In the past, a kiss could turn me on or fire me up. But never had it settled my soul and made me think I’d found home.

He pulled back.

“If I give you your gift, will that inspire you to be nice to me?” I teased, planting my hands on the mattress so I could get up.

Gently, he gripped my wrists, holding me in place. “Don’t get up. What do you need?”

“There’s an envelope on my bar with your name on it.”

He pushed to his feet and stalked out of the room. A moment later, he reappeared holding a white envelope withDaddy Wilsonscrawled across it.

He dropped to the mattress next to me and flipped it between his fingers.

“Open it.”

Obediently, he slipped a large finger under the flap and ripped it open. As he pulled out the small stack of papers, his forehead scrunched and his lips parted.

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