Page 35 of Masked Indulgence
Katana
Christmas Eve arrived,and Nix came home with a real Christmas tree. I met him at the door as he told me he had a surprise. “Wow, a real one, huh?” I asked as he pulled it through the door, pine needles leaving a trail in itswake.
“Always a real one, baby.” He leaned it against the wall and came to me, pulling me into his arms and giving me his usual hello kiss. “This is a tradition in my family. We don’t put up a tree until Christmas Eve, and we take it down the day after NewYear’s.”
“Why wait so late before you put it up, Nix?” I asked as I ran my hand over the tree, finding it somewhat sticky andprickly.
Nix went to the closet under the stairs and pulled out a box that had Christmas written on it. He came to the tree and sat it on the floor. “Well, my family is big, I told you about that. And with a lot of kids, Mom and Dad found out a lot of begging and pleading to openjust one presentgot to beannoying.”
“I can imagine,” I said as I helped him take the things out of the box and laid them on the coffee table to sort themout.
“So they came up with the idea of only putting the tree up on Christmas Eve, and we each got to open one present that night. The next morning we’d open the rest, giving Santa a chance to bring us more presents and fill our stockings with candy and little toys.” His eyes lit up as he pulled out the tree topper, an old star with hardly any silver glitter remaining. “This came from my gram-gram’s Christmas ornament collection. I got this out of a box full of them after she passedaway.”
With a nod, I understood why he had the ugly old thing. “I see. What a sweet sentiment.” I began to notice that all the ornaments looked old and worn out. “Did you inherit all ofthese?”
“I did.” He stopped pulling things out of the box to pull something out of his jacket pocket. “But I’ll be adding something new this year. It’s the first ornament I’ve actuallypurchased.”
A small brown bag was in his hand, and he handed it to me. “What is it?” I asked. The bag was flat, almost as if nothing was inside ofit.
“Open it.” His smile went wide as he watchedme.
I opened the flap that closed the bag and found clear plastic inside. Pulling it out, I found a brass baby bootie inside and pulled it out too. He’d had it engraved with the words,“Daddy and Mommy’s first Christmas with their littleorb.’
Tears clouded my vision as I thought that it had to be the sweetest thing he’d ever done in his entire life. I threw myself into his arms for a hug and tried to hold back the tears, but just couldn’t. “Nix, you’re the sweetest man on theplanet.”
“Aw, it’s just a little something to help us remember our first Christmas together.” He looked down at the ornament I held and took it from me, placing it on the table with the rest of the things. “So, first we have to put this thing in a tree stand, and that’s no easytask.”
I’d never had a real tree before. My foster parents had had this little plastic tree they’d put up each year. It went up right after Thanksgiving and didn’t come down until sometime after the New Year. And we never got to decorate it. Mrs. Davis did thatalone.
All I’d ever gotten was one present each year. I was thankful for that. And it was always something useful, never a toy. I didn’t ever have any toys that I could recall. But I’d make damn sure my kid had a ton ofthem.
“I nearly forgot,” Nix said. As he snapped his head up, he wore a grin. “Can you go out to my car? It’s parked in the front. Somebody left something for you inside. It’s sitting on the passengerseat.”
“For me?” I asked, surprised. I made my way to his car and opened the passenger door to find a small box and a red envelope. “Hmm, who’s this from, Iwonder.”
I thought it had to be a small early present from Nix but when I opened the card I found it was from Shanna. The envelope housed a Christmas card with a lighted tree on front that wished me a Merry X-mas.
When I opened it, I found she’d written me a note inside. The first line hookedme.
To the woman who’s stolen my best friend’sheart.
I had to read it all now. How could Inot?
Nixon Slaughter has been like a big brother to me since I can remember. So I might come off kind of overprotective of the man now andthen.
That said, I can see that he looks at you with love-glazed eyes. And that makes mehappy.
I’m sorry for my prejudice about what you two enjoy sexually speaking. (I know—not your typical Christmas card material!) Anyway, please forgive me for jumping to conclusions about you. I don’t know you well yet, but you’re my best friend’s girl so that means we will become great friendstoo.
I hope you can give this old friend of the man you love a chance to prove I’m not always a bitch. Maybe that could be your Christmas gift to me, forgiveness for being an overbearing, prejudice,buttinsky.
Now open the present I gave Nixon to give to you and we will consider this hatchetburied.
My heart felt full of emotion as I put the card away, making sure to put it up nice and neat as I’d keep it forever. I felt it was such a sweet sentiment and would treasure thecard.
When I opened the small black box, I found a bracelet inside. It had a sterling silver charm bracelet and there were a few charms on it already. One of the charms stood out amongst them all. One in the shape of a heart that saidfriends for lifeon one side and on the other she’d had our namesengraved.
I took my present and card inside and found one tear had fallen. Nix looked as me as I came inside and his smile beamed at me. “Do I see atear?”
