Page 47 of GAF Factor

I snorted at that, walking into the kitchen for another cup of eggnog. I didn’t really want more, but I needed a minute to pull myself together. My fingertips brushed the fridge and I had a flashback to the moment I saw him when he first stalked into my house. Those sharp, blue eyes gazed at me so intently, roaming over my body as he looked for injuries after my fridge blew up.

I shook off the memory and jerked the door open, pulling out the eggnog.

“You know, I’m surprised you don’t have a massive fear of fridges since you were nearly blown up by one,” Riley said from the doorway.

“The fridge didn’t almost blow me up. A bomb did,” I retorted, shoving aside the fact that, yes, I did still get scared to open the fridge. But I wasn’t about to have someone else open the fridge for me every time I needed something.

Turning with a grin on my face, I took a sip of eggnog. “So, are we ready to open presents?”

“We already started,” Riley pointed out with a grin on her face. “Remember? You couldn’t wait until tomorrow.”

I pushed past her, my heels clicking on the floor as my dress flowed around me. Riley and I both decided to wear something a little more old-fashioned. The amount of crinoline under my skirt was not only itchy, but so much that I had to actually push the skirt down to squeeze past her in the doorway.

The deep green went perfectly with my red hair, and the sheer overlay made me feel like I was a princess as opposed to a slightly depressed graphic designer who hadn’t gotten out of her pajamas more than a handful of times in the last month. I had even pulled my curls up off my shoulders, letting only a few of them dangle free. For the first time since I came out of that shipping container, I felt alive. I just needed to act like it.

Setting down my drink, I picked up the next present, which I knew was for Riley because it was from me. With a grin, I handed it over. “Just for you.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” she muttered.

“And why would you say that?”

“Because of your face.”

Bowie smacked her on the shoulder. “That’s not very nice.”

“It’s true. She always gets that slightly happy-constipated look whenever she’s plotting something evil.”

“Just open it,” I chuckled.

She tore into the paper, just as excited as when we were kids to find out what was inside. It was a wood cutout of a jar that was painted white, made as a Christmas decoration.

“Recipe for Christmas,” she read. “One cup of family. One tablespoon of joy. Two cups of hope. One teaspoon of peace. Mix with love.” She slowly looked up at me and narrowed her eyes. “Seriously? I should throw this at you.”

I tossed my head back and laughed, knowing how much she would hate it. “I thought we could put it right over the fireplace on the mantle.”

“How about we just put it in the fireplace?”

I mockingly frowned at her. “It doesn’t sound like you’re following the recipe very well. You’re supposed to mix with love.”

“I’ll mix you with love,” she retorted, throwing herself at me and tackling me to the ground.

I shrieked as we landed on the floor under the tree, squishing a box. “The presents!”

“Don’t worry. It’s just a pink sweater with a snowman on it!”

I rolled her, pinning her to the ground as she fumbled for something on the table. I didn’t see the cookie coming. Not until it was shoved in my mouth and I was choking on it. Bowie pulled me off her, sighing heavily as he separated us.

“Seriously, it’s Christmas. Can’t you two get along?”

Riley took his offered hand and got to her feet. “We are getting along.”

I removed the cookie from my mouth, then tore a bite off. “Yeah, this is us getting along.”

Sighing, he rolled his eyes and stalked past us. “At least I didn’t marry this one yet.”

Bowie and Rileyhad gone to bed long ago, but I couldn’t sleep. With only the tree lights to illuminate the room, I sat in a chair by the window, staring out into the moonlight. I tried to tell myself that I wasn’t looking for him, that I wasn’t desperately missing him, but I would be lying.

Sasha’s claws dug into my leg as she struggled to climb up to sit on my lap. Wincing, I helped her up, sighing when I looked down at the little fur ball. She was the only good thing in my life right now, and that was extremely sad. “I miss him so much, Sasha.”

---