Page 27 of Holiday Surprise

I turned the radio up and sang along with Christmas songs as I drove to the store with a perma-grin on my face.

Christmas really was the most wonderful time of the year. As if on cue, a light snow began to fall sending the town into a holiday wonderland.

I was still singing “Deck the Halls” as I unlocked the store and started my day.

Not even a full sixty seconds later, the bell over the front door chimed signaling my first customer. “Merry Christmas! What can I assist you with today?” I yelled out from the back.

“How about all the best gossip of a certain someone having a sleepover last night,” Lily yelled back.

My mouth was still hanging open in surprise as she rounded the corner.

“You have guilt written all over you and you can’t stop smiling. Admit it, you’re falling for your handsome mate.”

I sighed. “Really, is that so bad?”

She shrugged, grabbing my extra stool and sitting by the register. “You tell me. I mean when I talked to you the other day it sounded like you’d been handed a life sentence and were looking to jump ship. Peyton called last night and said the two of you looked cautiously cozy. Then I find out you had a sleepover. So how are things with Luke?”

“How the hell did you know he stayed over?”

She laughed. “He did what any good little Alpha would do. He called Thomas and asked for permission.”

I shook my head. “He didn’t!”

“Oh, yes he did. So, am I to assume things are going well?” she asked.

“Yeah, I think they are.”

Luke

Chapter 13

I couldn’t believe Sydney had agreed to stay over at my place so soon. I honestly thought I was going to have to hold a pack meeting just to explain my whereabouts for a while. Never did I expect her to concede to spending time in Larken so quickly.

When Sydney made her mind up about something, she committed fast and didn’t turn back. I was the lucky bastard she’d set her mind on and I would spend every day reminding her she made the right decision.

Christmas had honestly never meant much to me, but I could tell it really meant a lot to her. She had already given me the greatest gift in the world, and I planned to leave a permanent mark to remind her of that very soon. It was the best Christmas I’d ever had, and it hadn’t even fully begun.

On my drive home, I passed by a big supercenter with a Christmas tree lot out front. I grinned as I pulled up and picked one out that wouldn’t be too big for my small living room. Next, I went inside the store and may have gotten a little carried away in the Christmas aisle with all the things I thought Sydney would love.

When I finally arrived home with my Christmas filled truck, there was a white coat of fresh snow covering the ground. A white Christmas.

“Whatcha got there, Luke?” little Tom walked over and asked noting the tree in the back of my truck.

“It’s Christmas, Tom,” I reminded him. “And I don’t even have a tree.”

He frowned and kicked the snow with his boot. “Yeah, we don’t either.”

I was surprised to hear it. Christmas may not mean much to me, but it should be the most exciting day of the year for a five-year-old.

“You don’t have a tree at your house yet?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No. It’s okay, Luke. I know Santa’s not real,” he said sadly.

I had never once considered something like this amongst my Alpha duties but seeing the sad look on Tom’s face, I knew I had to do something.

“Well, there were lots of trees still available. Maybe we should put this one up at your house and I’ll go pick out another one. Every kid deserves a Christmas tree,” I told him.

Tom’s little face lit up. “You mean it Luke?”

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