Page 85 of Why Not Forever?

I stand, setting the presents I’ve wrapped under the tree with Vic’s presents. When I turn back to her, she’s waiting for me to elaborate, eyebrows raised. I sit next to her and take her hands in mine. “Vic, I have a confession I need to make.”

She blinks. “Okay.”

“Remember that story I told you about the mysterious gift for Skylar?”

She bites her lip, clearly trying not to laugh. “Yes, Tanner. I remember that story.”

I sigh, regretfully. “I need to tell you, and it might come as a shock, butIam the one who gets Skylar that present. That paper is specifically for that.”

She gasps. “Tanner! Why didn’t you tell me? I would have understood.” She’s playing the part a little over the top and I love it.

“I couldn’t. Now you know my secret. I hope you can forgive me.”

She breaks into laughter then, kissing my cheek. “I suppose. I have more in the closet.”

She gets up to get the paper and I think back to the conversation I had with Wyatt at the mall about what to get her. I’ve been thinking about it all day, how she likes to go to the Aquarium and see all the fish swimming. How she waves to that silly little turtle.

I pick up my phone, still ignoring the text from Richard, and send one to someone else instead.

When he texts back later, I know what I’m getting my wife for Christmas.

When I wake on Christmas Day, I leave Vic in bed asleep and get up to make breakfast. We’d been at Derek and Ava’s last night for a Christmas dinner with her friends and had gotten in late, but I always rise at the same time, every day. After everything is prepared, I set up my laptop at the dining table and open my personal project for the first time in over a month. It’s actually pretty close to being finished and I’m hoping to talk to Wyatt about it later today.

By the time Vic gets out of bed, her hair a bit messy, and her pyjamas hanging off one shoulder, I’ve already finished what I wanted to do and put my laptop away.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I say.

“Morning. What time were we supposed to be at your sister’s house?” She comes over and sits on my lap, her eyes half closed.

The event room in my parents’ building was already booked for today, so Harper is hosting Christmas this year. We’re supposed to bring pies again, specifically requested after Thanksgiving. Vic made them a few days ago with Ava, and a very pregnant Lis and Adalie. They had done a huge amount of baking at Lis and Spencer’s house while the men were told, firmly, to stay out of the kitchen. We watched a hockey game instead. Turns out, Nate is also a big hockey fan. We’d even talked about the beer league team he plays with, and he’d mentioned if I wanted to play, I could join them whenever.

“Around 3pm.”

“What have you been doing while I slept?” she asks, snuggling into my chest.

I wrap my arms around her and press a kiss to her hair. “I have breakfast ready to start and I did some more work on that project.”

We’ve talked about it a few times since Whistler. She never pushes me to share it with her before I’m ready.

“Is it getting close?” she asks.

“Sort of. I had to take a break with all the Sterling stuff going on. Richard asked me to come in on Monday to work on something.”

She rubs her cheek against my shoulder. “I hope you told him to fuck off, that we took the week between Christmas and New Year’s off.”

“I mentioned something along those lines. Not those words, exactly. Then I caved a little and told him I have my laptop, and I can look at what he wants, but I’m not going into the office.”

She bites my jaw. “You need to tell him no.”

“I’m supposed to take over his business, Vic. If I tell him no, he won’t hand it over. It’s been a fight to get him to the point we’re finally at.”

She sits up. “Enough business. Presents.”

She moves to stand, but I hold her tighter. “Kiss first.”

She grins, her head dipping until her lips are a breath away from mine. “You’re so needy.”

“Yes.”

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