Page 40 of Daddy's Naughty List

He tried to remind himself that Susan didn’t have preconceived notions about Christmas. No traditions, no great aunt’s famous roast turkey holding a position of honor at a holiday feast she’d never experienced… no nothing.

And fuck if he didn’t want to give her those memories. Judging by the storm building over the mountains, their Christmas snow would be measured in feet, but he wasn’t about to say anything.

Walt wanted her tied to him. He wanted her to tell him she loved him and not while she drifted off to sleep after sex.

Hoping he hadn’t woken her, he climbed the stairs and slid into bed behind her. She snorted, then snuggled deeper into his embrace until only the tip of her nose showed above the edge of the duvet.

Unfortunately, she didn’t stay that way for long. As if she had an internal clock, her eyes opened just as the first rays of dawn crept past the sill of the east window.

“Good morning.” She turned over to face him and kissed his chest, working her way to his lips. “Very good morning.”

“Do you know what day it is?” he asked.

“Mmm.” She rested her head on his outstretched arm. “It’s Christmas morning. I could make pancakes for breakfast. I think I saw some sausage in your freezer too.”

“Or you can go look under the tree to see if Santa brought you anything.”

She rolled her eyes but laughed softly as she got out of bed and put on her clothes from the night before. “I hope Santa didn’t get me anything else. This weekend has been the best gift I’ve ever received, and I don’t have a gift for him.”

Shaking his head, he followed her down the stairs but stopped her before she could head into the kitchen. “Go look under the tree, little one.”

“Oh, Walt…” She stretched up to kiss his cheek and hugged him tightly. “You really didn’t have to get me anything but thank you for thinking of me.”

Deciding she wouldn’t go sit by the tree without some encouragement, he took her hand and led her across the living room to sit on the floor.

“This is for you,” he murmured, handing her the wrapped book.

“Thank you.” She hugged him again and smiled as she felt along the edges. “How did you know books are my very favorite thing?”

“Lucky guess.” He kept his arm around her and added, “Open it.”

He held his laughter inside as she carefully broke the tape on each corner, keeping the paper intact. Watching her made him remember all the times his sisters had fought over the best way to unwrap gifts. Molly liked to shred the paper, while Deidre preferred Susan’s method.

Eventually she lifted the book from the paper, turned it over, and gasped. Her eyes wide, she held it up. “Is this for me?”

“Yes. You enjoyedA Christmas Carolso much, and I thought you might like to read it for yourself while you listen to it.”

“Oh, my goodness.” Her hands trembled as she opened it. “Is this right? It says 1850, I think, and it’s signed.”

Her reaction was everything he’d hoped. Although the book wasn’t valuable—at least in vintage book terms—he knew it would be priceless to her. He was surprised he hadn’t thought of it sooner, in fact. Susan was forever reading when she wasn’t working.

“Yes. It used to be my great-grandmother’s. She got it as a Christmas gift from her grandmother.”

“No.” She shook her head and tried to give it back. “It’s too much. I can’t take something that’s been in your family for so long.”

He brushed a few tears from her cheeks and smiled. “I want you to have it, Susan. Nobody has read it in years, and books are only truly happy when someone is reading them.”

“You make it sound like the book is alive.”

“Who knows? It’s almost two hundred years old. Maybe it is.”

She sniffed back a few tears and gave him a watery smile before crawling into his lap with her new book. “I’ll cherish it forever, Daddy. Thank you so much.”

“You’re most welcome, babygirl.” He rested his chin on her shoulder. “Why don’t you read it to me?”

“I have a better idea.” She wriggled from his lap and tugged his hand to make him get up. “Take me back to bed and I’ll give you a real present.”

Susan

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