Page 67 of All in December
We both chuckle at his enthusiasm, but I can’t ignore the sense of relief and peace I feel knowing the positive effect Nash has on Sam.
Nash leans forward to give me a quick kiss. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I murmur. “He’s so much happier you’re here, and so am I.”
He reaches for my hand, interlocking our fingers, and kisses me again before pulling back. “Me too. I’m so excited we get to spend Christmas Eve together. Now, come on, before we keep Sam waiting any longer.”
We walk hand in hand into the kitchen. Sam’s already got the trays spread out, and Nash sets the dough on the counter while I turn on the oven. We pull apart the cookie dough piece by piece to line the baking tray and pop them in the oven.
“I went easy on you this time with the premade cookie dough,” Nash says as he nudges me with his arm.
“After the cinnamon rolls, thank god for that.” I playalong, but truthfully, I’d make anything he asked for from scratch.
“Alright, timer is set,” Nash confirms as he pops the tray of cookies into the oven.
“Let’s play Uno while we wait!” Sam exclaims. He’s got the deck ready to go on the table. Sam deals and makes sure we know the rules. “Stacking +2 cards is allowed.”
“You’re a monster,” Nash says, pretending to gasp.
“I learned from the best,” Sam shoots back, looking at me, and I’m smiling so hard my face actually hurts. This isn’t how I imagined Christmas Eve going, but it’s already better than all our other Christmas Eves.
After we eat the cookies and play multiple rounds of Uno, Sam finally starts to yawn between turns.
“Ready for bed?” I ask him, assuming he’ll ask to stay up a little longer.
“Yes!” He turns to rush off toward his bedroom. “Santa’s coming!”
I chuckle as I get up to follow him, and Nash surprises me by coming with me.
“No reason for you to do bedtime by yourself while I’m here,” he assures me, and knowing he wants to help makes my chest ache.
“Thanks, Nash.”
After Sam brushes his teeth and changes into his pajamas, I lay next to Sam in bed while Nash sits on the foot of the bed.
“I pulled out our signature Christmas Eve book earlier,” I tell Nash, holding it up.
“The Night Before Christmas!” Sam adds excitedly.
“That’s a good one,” Nash says, smiling at me as I beginto read to Sam until he drifts off. We sneak out of his room, shutting Sam’s bedroom door behind us.
“Do you want to be Santa now or later?” I ask Nash.
“Hmm, I vote later, because there’s something else I’d rather do with you right now,” he says, pulling me in the direction of my room.
I smile, and there are so many emotions running through me. I can’t believe I’m finally getting to experience a Christmas with someone I love… because I do love him. The realization makes me pause. It’s only been weeks, and yet my life is undeniably better with him in it.I feel fuller, and happier, and safer. I trust Nash, and I’m so excited for our future together.
When we get inside, he turns toward me. “You always get this quiet at night or is something wrong, baby?”
I let out a quiet laugh and try to sum up what I’m feeling. “No, nothing’s wrong. Just… before you came, Sam was quiet, and I could tell he was sad. But the second you walked in, he lit up. And watching how easy it is for him to be happy around you made me realize just how much you already mean to us. Both of us.”
Nash leans in and presses a kiss to my temple. “That makes me really happy to hear. I got lucky with you both.”
My throat tightens. I want to tell him we’re the lucky ones, but before I can say anything, he kisses me. His warm lips meet mine like he’s trying to tell me he’s got me, that he’s here because he wants to be, not because I asked.
My hand curls around the back of his neck, holding him there, needing to feel him as close as possible as his tongue glides against mine. My stomach flips as he guides me toward the bed until I fall backwards. He climbs on top of me,grinding down on me. My hips tilt instinctively toward the weight of him.
The kiss deepens as his hand slips under my shirt, fingers warm against my skin, and I swear my whole chest cracks open under the weight of how much I want this—him.
