I stretched out my arm. “Merry Christmas.”
Once he shook my hand, I helped Heather into her jacket and took her hand. While Sierra napped on the couch, Steven walked us to the door with his hands in his pockets and a disappointed look on his face.
“You did good this year with dinner. Would’ve made Mom proud,” I said, glancing behind him at Sierra on the couch. “I know it’s been hard on you since she passed. She was the only real person we all had. But now, you have Sierra.”
After following my gaze, he smiled softly and nodded. “Yeah, but …”
“But?”
“I didn’t give her the contract,” Steven said, clearly upset.
He had asked me for advice on contracts this past week and told me that he planned to give Sierra a BDSM contract, the first one he had ever presented to a submissive. But, God, I knew how nerve-racking that first contract was.
“Hey,” I said, squeezing his shoulder. “You have time. Don’t rush it.”
“I should’ve,” he said, shaking his head. “She gave me a present that … meant more to me than any other present someone had given me before. And I chickened out on gifting her a simple contract.”
“It’s not just a simple contract,” I said, releasing his shoulder and giving him a small smile. “My first time was hard too. There’s a lot of trust you both have to put in each other. Don’t get down on yourself. It’ll happen.”
Heather swayed beside me, and I decided that there was no way that she’d make it to the car like this.
So, I picked her up and tossed her over my shoulder. “I have to get this one home. Just don’t wait too long, Steven. Don’t want her thinking that you’re using her. That’s the worst that can happen.”
After he said goodbye, he shut the door behind us. I carried Heather to the elevator, and when we reached the bottom floor, I walked with her through the lobby and to my car. We didn’t have a far distance to travel, but it was cold outside today.
As I opened the car door, she shifted in my arms and stared up at me through sleepy eyes. “Are we going home?” she murmured.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Can I wake you when we get back? I have one last surprise for you.”
She widened her eyes slightly. “You do?”
Warmth spread through my chest. “I do.”
“Wake me up,” she said, closing her eyes again and relaxing in my arms. “I love your surprises.”
CHAPTERFIFTY-EIGHT
HEATHER
“Heather, we’re home.”Hector nudged gently.
I slowly blinked my eyes open to see the doors opening on the elevator to Hector’s penthouse. After shifting in his arms, I jumped down to my feet and held on to his elbow for balance. My eyes were so heavy, but I really wanted to be awake for his present.
He had mentioned that he had one more for me, and because this was our first Christmas together and because I’d had the best time of my life despite Dad being an absolute dick, I didn’t want to ruin our day because of my brattiness. I didn’t care how much I wanted to crawl up into the bed and have his big arms envelop me.
As I walked into the room, the lights turned on throughout the living room. I wandered to the large floor-to-ceiling windows and stared into the dark night. More snow had fallen, blanketing the city, and the holiday lights twinkled in the distance.
Warmth spread through my chest as I glanced over my shoulder at Hector.
“I had the best day today,” I whispered with a smile.
After leaning toward me, Hector placed his mouth on mine and let his lips linger on our kiss. “This has been my favorite Christmas in a long, long time.” He cupped my face. “But it’s not over yet.”
“Technically, it is,” I hummed, rocking back on my heels. “It’s 12:01.”
“Technically …” he dragged out. “You’d better get your ass on that couch before I toss you.”
“Sounds fun.” I giggled and turned around to head to the couch because I didn’t want to be annoying to him right now.