Page 45 of Eternally Bound

“No, no,” he exclaimed. “Not salt. You need sugar. They are sugar cookies!”

I couldn’t hold my grin back. “Oh, my mistake!”

“You are pulling my leg,” he reprimanded me with a smile. “Mr. Daniel will have to keep an eye on you.”

We all burst into laughter. It was the best day so far I’d had in a while. The cookies came out horrible, but luckily, Mr. Storm was making a batch right behind us. We all had more flour on our clothes than in the cookies.

“Can we decorate a Christmas tree?” Bram asked, his interest in our bad cookies lost.

I looked over at Daniel. I had inclination he’d agree, but it didn’t feel right to overtake his household. It already felt like we conquered his home.

Daniel lowered onto his knee, so he could be eye level with Bram.

“How about we go and cut down a Christmas tree? Then we decorate it all together.” Daniel glanced at his watch. “I want to take your mum on a date, so we’d have to go now.”

Both Bram and Daniel’s eyes came to me, little mischief in both their gazes and my chest warmed at the sight of them together. Was this what my mother kept warning me about? She didn’t want me to miss this… this particular feeling of being fulfilled. Happiness, contentment and bliss.

“Okay, then,” I smiled at both of them. “We better bundle up before we go out there.”

I turned to my mum but before I could even ask her, she retorted. “Oh, no. I’m staying here, thank you very much. My arthritis is acting up. Besides, I want to finish Eve’s new book so this will give me some quiet time to do that.”

I couldn’t help but to chuckle. “Who would ever guess my mother reads that stuff?”

Unperturbed, she grinned. “Your father never complained.”

Shaking my head, I saw Daniel’s lips tug upward into a hint of a smile but thankfully he said nothing. It would be uncomfortable to hear your boyfriend comment on smutty books. He knew Eve Bailey wrote some steamy smut.

Hmmm, I just thought of him as my boyfriend.

It was so easy to fall into a routine with him. Everything with him felt natural and comfortable. Like we didn’t even spend twelve years apart.

“Okay, let’s go,” I finally said, unwilling to dwell and think too much into it.

* * *

After we foundthe perfect tree that Bram selected, we spent hours decorating it, while listening to Christmas music, drinking hot chocolate and apple cider. I almost regretted Daniel and I had to break off to get dressed and get going. It was such a perfect day.

But he insisted, and my mother did too! She said it was important to have alone time with your man. She already considered himtheman for me. It took no time at all for Mum to fall under Daniel’s spell, just as I have.

So I got ready for our first real date after twelve years. It felt exciting and somewhat romantic with the glow of the holiday season.

Despite it being the holiday season and spending all day in the Christmas spirit, I didn’t want to get dressed in red or green. So I went for a little black dress. Yes, it was cold as hell and only this morning I have been wondering how this future would look with Daniel. But I wanted to look good and be irresistible to him. So, shoot me!

My legs were bare and looked even longer in the little bootie heels I put on. The dress had an asymmetrical hem with one side shorter, revealing a hint of my thighs with the slit. A lower neckline gave just a hint of cleavage.

I put on eyeliner and mascara with a light brush across my lids. I never put on a lot of makeup. In my opinion, my red hair had too much color and putting any kind of color on my face made me look like a clown.

As I walked down the stairs, Daniel’s eyes raised to me and my skin heated with the way he stared at me. Like a man dying of thirst. Like I was the best thing he had ever seen.

“You look beautiful,” he rasped, his eyes hungry on me.

He looked handsome and sharp, in his dark suit. I could see the outline of his strong body and muscles underneath it. Or maybe it was that I knew this man’s body, and my mouth watered every time I saw him, pictures of him naked playing in my mind.

“Shall we?” He extended his hand and I walked next to him, his palm on the small of my back. We stopped by the closet, and he put a warm, wool coat over my shoulders. It came down to my thighs.

He took my hand and tugged me outside. It almost felt like our dates from twelve years ago.

Daniel opened the door to his Land Rover, helping me navigate my way inside the car gracefully. The flurries were still coming down, making the ambiance romantic. The door shut, and I reached out for my seatbelt then buckled myself in. The driver’s side door opened and he dropped into the seat with grace. When he put the car in drive, I let the purr of the engine relax me.

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