Page 111 of The One for Me
“This is the best you’re going to get,” I tell her.
Devney gets to her feet, a smile on her lips as she wraps her hands around my arm. “I love it.”
“You love it?”
“Yup. It’s perfect. It’s there, standing tall, the perfect tree.”
My eyes meet hers, wondering if she’s been brainwashed by aliens, but I just see love. She really thinks it’s great.
“Can we decorate it?” Austin asks.
“Of course, we’ll just do the front.” Devney kisses my cheek and then moves to the boxes of decorations, some of which came from the attic and others came from Austin’s house.
She lifts the lid off one we took from Jasper and Hazel’s and hands the ornament to Austin.
His eyes fill with tears, but there’s a slight smile on his lips. “I made this one.”
She nods. “I remember.”
I find some space between them and squeeze in so I can see the ornament he’s holding. The bruises and scrapes have started to heal and fade. He looks more like the little boy he was before the accident two weeks ago. “Can I see?” He hands it over, and I examine the photo of him, Jasper, Hazel, and Devney in the middle with crumpled green paper around it. “It’s sort of like the photo I have, huh?”
“Do you think I can keep this one like you do?”
Her brown eyes widen and her lips part. “Like the one Sean has for his good luck charm?”
He nods.
I take the photo out that mirrors the one I keep with me. It has the people in my life that matter. “See, you’re always with me. Always.”
She lets her hair fall in front of her face, shielding me from seeing what I’m sure are tears. “That’s so sweet.”
Austin makes a gagging noise. “It’s not sweet, it’s luck.”
“Well, I think it’s both,” she says, laughing and lifting her gaze back to us. “You want that photo as yours?”
Austin pauses, looks at the tree, and then shakes his head. “No, not this one.”
“Why not?” I ask.
“It’s missing people.”
We both look to him. It’s the group of people who matter.
“Who do you want in it?” Dev questions him.
“Sean.”
In that moment, I know that Devney isn’t the only one I don’t want to go without, it’s both of them.
* * *
Yesterday we finished last minute shopping and I got busy on planning the real surprise for Devney. Right now, I want to enjoy our first Christmas morning together.
I roll over and wrap my body around Devney, pulling her close. The clock says it’s four in the morning. I need to get up and make sure the last of the presents are under the tree, and that the tree is still standing after I worked all night.
Earlier last night, I carried her to bed after she fell asleep in Austin’s bed when putting him down. The poor kid has had the worst nightmares for the last three nights. He wails in his sleep, and Devney is beside herself as it seems to be getting worse. It did however allow me to work without fear of her noticing I was gone.
She nestles back, rubbing her ass against my cock, and I have to fight back the urge to make love to her.
